Review of Angel Heart (1987) by Bryan W — 13 Jun 2010

There's something about neo-noir in the late eighties and early nineties that has been lacking from everything in the genre since, with the possible exception of Fincher's films: experimentation.

This film takes a concept that could easily be turned into a parody in the wrong hands and makes it an endlessly brooding, dark, and enjoyable film without being overly groundbreaking. There's scarcely a moment where the conclusion of the case at the film's core becomes apparent and the tension that mounts walks a fine line between being overlong and blood-curdling, making it hard not to enjoy every moment.

The end may seem a tad easy by modern standards, but the most important consideration is how expertly crafted the film is until the end of the credits, and that level of execution is sorely lacking in many of the films that follows this archetype.