1955. Down-on-his-luck private eye Harry Angel (Mickey Rourke) is hired by the mysterious Louis Cyphre (Robert De Niro) to track down a missing man, Johnny Favourite.
The trail of clues is soon strewn with corpses as Favourite's former acquaintances start dying. Will Harry soon join them?
A stylish excuse to indulge in the tropes of classic noir, Angel Heart is a movie that keeps bubbling back into my brain. I have only watched it once before, and on this viewing it became clear that I had forgotten most of the plot and the characters.
A major reason is because this movie is not really about its story - I mean, it is to the extent that it needs a coat hanger to hold up its stylised evocation of 1955 America.
A lot of this movie’s effect is based on its twist - if you figure it out or, like me, knew it ahead of time, I am not sure there is much going on to keep you interested.
But there is something about it.
There is a chill to this movie that I cannot shake - part of it comes from the feeling that this movie is just an excuse for the filmmakers to indulge in the time period (both real and reel). But there is something unsettling about it.
I had the benefit of a fresh pair of eyes on this recent viewing, and I got the feeling from our post-op discussion that the movie does not work as a typical genre piece.
The movie it reminded me of the most was Blade Runner. It combines noir with the visual trademarks of noir. They both deal with similar themes: the androids’ desire to prolong their lives pair nicely with Angel Heart’s fugitive trying to outrun a bargain with the devil.
Both films also feature dense mise-en-scene - with Angel Heart, it is the fifties. While it certainly adds some visual interest, there was a point midway through the film where I started to get impatient with all the contemporary references - it feels like the filmmakers are trying to pass a social studies exam.
Not to come off repetitive, but this movie does not have much going on beyond its big twist. Rourke is great in the lead - he is totally believable as a slightly scummy private eye, and his final breakdown is well-handled. But aside from follow the clues and interview suspects, I felt like this movie was missing something else.
This movie is in love with its setting, but it does not have anything to say about it. Like most neo noir, it is just interested with the style of the genre, rather than adding anything new about the genre, the time period or anything. Classic noir was plugged into the world it was made in - Angel Heart is a good-looking facsimile.
For new viewers who are not interested in the period or the genre-blending, Angel Heart is probably not that engrossing. But I would be lying if I did not add myself to the company of people who find it interesting.
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