Review of Angel Eyes (2001) by Junaid A — 05 Jan 2010

An underrated little film that got unfairly bashed thanks to Lopez's billing and some misleading marketing. It's a shame that Lopez bought into her own hype, because for a while there - think Out of Sight-era - she proved that she could bring a great presence to a film.

Angel Eyes really allows her to play a different character than her typical persona, and the results, while not perfect, are still quietly captivating. Angel Eyes is a quiet romantic drama about two people who have gone through enormous amounts of pain and are attempting to put themselves back together.

Caviezel and Lopez play their parts perfectly, feeling their pasts and allowing them to shape their performances, rather than forcing it all. The movie has some serious flaws - an overbearing soundtrack, an overreliance on talky monologues in the final act - but nonetheless, there's a simple peacefulness and honesty to it that I liked a lot, and it was refreshing to see a movie that dealt with pain and the past in less easily resolved/simple ways.

It's more of a flawed gem, but it's still far better than its forgotten reputation and Razzie nomination (!) would suggest.