Review of Angel Heart (1987) by James M — 13 Apr 2010

Angel Heart is really similar to Sunshine in that it would be a really great film if it wasn't for such a poor ending. Both are exemplary tributes to their genres, with Angel Heart utilizing motifs and shadowy conventions (as well as the nose-protector tribute to Chinatown) of the noir genre very effectively. The acting and dialogue are usually fantastic, save for some blotchy interactions between a few of Angel's interviewees and the occasional over-presentational motions by Rourke. The cinematography and location scouting are absolutely perfect, and Parker does a good job of getting us absorbed in the confusingly creepy atmosphere, though I think he fails considerably in his few action sequences. The sound design as a whole could have been better as well.

I'd still recommend this movie to everyone, especially to anyone that's even slightly intrigued with film noir.