Director: Alan Parker (Pink Floyd: The Wall, The Life of David Gale)
Pigeonhole: Mystery / Suspense / Detective / Film Noir (or Neo Noir)
Briefly: Set in 1955, a down-on-his-luck detective named Harry Angel (Rourke) is hired by a suave looking gentleman named Louis Cyphre (De Niro) to locate a singer named Johnny Favorite. It seems that Johnny owes Cyphre a debt, but Harry is not told more about it at this point. The search begins in New York and soon proceeds down to New Orleans, where it seems Favorite was mixed up with a very eclectic collection of individuals, including voodoo practitioners. At every turn Angel's leads turn up dead soon after speaking to him, with Harry thinking that he must be close to locating his target. And then he finds out the truth. The movie comes full circle and Johnny is located, much to the horror of Harry Angel.
More: Easily one of the most underrated movies of the 1980's, Angel Heart is a very stylish looking film that brings some elements of film noir (a cynical detective, femme fatale, sexual elements, scenes shot in the shadows, for example) to the table. The scenes in New York looked tough, cold, and dirty, while the scenes in New Orleans looked hot, sweaty, and tense. Parker really deserves superior marks for the scenery, backgrounds, sets, costumes (including the actors appearances in general), and locations - plus being a period piece made it that much tougher to maintain the look and feel of 1955, as well. Rourke carried the action, the dialouge (except maybe the ones with De Niro), held the scenes, and really shined as Harry Angel.I think a previous "bad rap" this film may have garnered upon its release was because of Lisa Bonet appearing nude in different scenes, which allegedly got her ostracized from the very popular Cosby Show (she went onto the spin-off show 'A Different World' before finally returning). What is most ironic, in my opinion, is that Lisa Bonet was probably the weakest actor in the entire film. I feel that she brought very little to the screen, and that negative publicity of the "Cosby kid gone bad" hurt an otherwise great movie.
**spoiler alert**
After Harry's first meeting with Louis Cypher, he goes to a psychiatric hospital where Johnny was last known to have been. Harry learns that a Dr. Fowler had accepted a 25,000.00 dollar bribe back in 1943 from two of Johnny's friends to maintain a record that Johnny was still at the hospital, while the friends removed Johnny that night. Harry also learns that Johnny's face was heavily bandaged from his wounds received in World War II (part of the reason for his hospitalization), so Dr. Fowler did not even recollect what Johnny looked like. Harry leaves Dr. Fowler at the doctor's house, locked in his own bedroom, promising to return with more questions, while Harry goes to a diner to eat. Upon his return, Harry discovers Dr. Fowler has shot himself in the head. Harry cleans up after himself, to remove evidence of his having been in the house, and returns to New York to let Louis know the information he got from Fowler and that he wants off the case, because he does not want to be mixed up in a murder investigation. Cyphre offers Harry another 5000.00 to stay on the case, which Harry reluctantly accepts.
Harry contacts a girlfriend/lover of his who works at a newspaper to gather any known information about Johnny Favorite. He learns that before the war, Johnny was engaged to a wealthy southerner named Margaret Krusemark, but Harry also discovers that Favorite had a lover named Evangeline Proudfoot - so Harry heads to New Orleans to continue his pursuit. Margaret informs Harry that Johnny is dead, or at least dead to her and gets nowhere with new information. Harry then attempts to track down Evangaline, but learns that she is dead. She did, however, have a child named Epiphany Proudfoot (Bonet) that was Johnny's daughter. Epiphany offers Harry nothing as to Johnny's whereabouts.
Thinking he is near a dead end, Harry discovers an old Johnny Favorite band member playing in a bar named Toots Sweet. While Toots tells Harry nothing useful, Harry believes him to be lying, so after his set, Harry follows Toots out to the swamp and witnesses a voodoo ritual, which Epiphany appears to be leading. After the ceremony Harry confronts Toots about what he just witnessed and the whereabouts of Johnny Favorite. Toots directs Harry back to Margaret Krusemark.
The next morning Harry is awakened in his hotel room by the police informing him of Toots' murder the previous night, and that he could be a suspect. Harry heads back to Margaret's house to find her murdered - her heart cut out. Now leaving in full blown panic mode, Harry is jumped by men hired by Ethan Krusemark, Margaret's father, and Harry is informed to leave town.
Harry goes back to his hotel where Epiphany is waiting for him. They have sex - in a very weird scene where Harry hallucinates that blood is pouring from everywhere in the room - and Epiphany reveals after that Johnny was an evil man who hurt everyone he met. Harry leaves to go confront Ethan Krusemark and the reveal / twist is finally made.
**better not read here if you don't want the end ruined**
Johnny Favorite had sold his soul to the devil for his fame. In an attempt to break his contract, as it were, Johnny, Toots, and the Krusemarks kidnapped a solider to perform a voodoo ritual in which Johnny would remove and eat the boy's still beating heart to steal the victim's soul and identity. Guess who the solider was? Harry Angel. Louis Cypher, aka Lucifer, appears and tells Harry/Johnny he has known all along, with Harry denying this nefarious plot saying "he knows who he is". But Lucifer unleashes Johnny's memories and Harry realizes he is Johnny, and he has actually killed everyone he came in contact with on this case, including Ethan (moments earlier) and Epiphany (his daughter who just recently had sex with). A very creative, self-destruction of an ending, to say the least.
Recommendation: I highly recommend this film, it is a great detective-noir story with some horror type elements mixed in. This is one of Rourke's best performances, in my opinion. De Niro, although on screen for just a few minutes, really was a memorable evil character.
There is an 'R' version and an 'Unrated' version, the difference being the editing of the sex scene, and the on screen violence/gore shown of the killings.
Beginning to end there is an ominous, foreboding feel in Angel Heart, that I highly enjoy. If you go back and watch it a second time, suddenly all of the mannerisms, conversations, and flashes to the elevator (to hell) seem to go on a slightly different slant knowing the twist.
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