Harry Angel is a private investigator hired by Louis Cyphre to track down a singer named Johnny Favorite. As Angel begins his investigate the people he contacts concerning Johnny are killed in extremely violent manners. As he digs deeper into the case he discovers more about himself. His client is persistent, and wants his man. Cyphre is owed something by Favorite, and he desperately wants to collect. Will Angel find Favorite? What does Cyphre wish to collect from Favorite that is so important? Who are Cyphre and Angel really?

"I've heard talk I've been riding around in a Cadillac. If you love me, if you pray to me, I should be driving around in a Roles Royce."

Alan Parker (Mississippi Burning, Fame, and Pink Floyd The Wall) directs Angel Heart, which he also wrote the screen play. The story was extremely good in this film. I also loved the setting and scenery. Parker also did a marvelous job developing Heart's character. However, as the film concluded, I felt it should have been better. It reminded me very much of Serpent and the Rainbow.

"Of course I know what an attorney is. It is like a lawyer, but with bigger bills."

Angel Heart is an interesting film. Harry Angel is a very intriguing character and Mickey Rourke plays the character to perfection. I know it says on the jacket the film stars Lisa Bonet and Robert De Niro, however, they play minor roles as the film revolves completely around Rourke. As another reviewer stated, the film was very obvious, and I guessed about a quarter of the way into the movie who was who and so forth. Watching the story unravel was still a treat, and discovering the story behind Favorite was a roller coaster ride. The conclusion of the film is very dramatic, and ends very well.

"Alas, how terrible is wisdom when it brings no profit to the wise."

Overall the film is entertaining and interesting. It should have been a lot better. The story was brilliant, the setting was fabulous, and the characters were marvelous. All the pieces are there for a masterpiece, the film ends, and you feel there is a whole in the plot/story. The film is not a must own, maybe not even a must see. I would rent it, develop your own conclusion.

"Your going to burn for this one Angel."

Grade: B-

"Angel Heart" is one of my favorite movies of all times.

Have re-watched it over and over again since 1987 but am still haunted by Parker's first-class story-telling and cinemaphotography; Trevor Jones' wonderful music score (excellent use of theme song, "Girl of My Dreams", in melodious refrain); and superb casting from the leading to supporting cast, showcasing a particularly diabolical de Niro teamed up with Mickey Rourke at his very best - the scene where he smashed his hand into the mirror while uncontrollably shrieking "I know who I am, I know who I am..." in the hour of reckoning was hauntingly memorable.

But kudos and praise must certainly go to top-notch direction/screenplay by Alan Parker. This is the very first time I am rating the movie better than the original fiction, "Falling Angel", by William Hjortsberg. Parker's very own modifications like shifting part of the movie from Harlem to New Orleans for contrast was clever and visually gratifying.

To be nitpicking, the only flaw in the movie was the use of special effects on Lucifer and Epiphany's baby to signify evil when truth was revealed at the final hour. This came across as a tad heavy-handed, especially when the supernatural / demonic influence thread was already so effectively sewn throughout the film sans special effects. Don't get me wrong though - what made this little imperfection stuck out like a sore thumb was just how good 99.99% of the movie was. As shown in the Director's Commentary (yes, they are finally adding "Bonus Materials" to the Zone 1 Director's Cut), Alan Parker equally questioned himself on the addition of "green contact lens" to heighten the visual impact years ago - he was right to have asked himself that question and should probably have stuck to his guns with the "less is more" principle.

All said, despite this little irksome flaw, the movie is as excellent as great movie-making, acting, story-telling and unstoppable visual feast can go. Don't miss it.

A seedy gumshoe (Mickey Rourke) works a missing persons case in New Orleans, unaware that he has a terrifying personal connection to it. This connection and the true nature of his employer (Robert DeNiro) only become clear to him at the end of the film, but they should be clear to any attentive filmgoer long before that, even if you haven't read the Amazon review, which gives away a major plot revelation. Director Alan Parker scores points for style, but his story is a constant barrage of horror movie and private eye conventions. DeNiro's performance is broad, overly mannered, and cliché; the identity of his character is immediately apparent, robbing the revelation at the end of the film of its impact. Parker's direction and interesting performances from Rourke and Lisa Bonet keep it watchable, but a bit more self-restraint and imagination would have improved this film a great deal./

can only put words into this movie
because this is what I said in my head after seeing this movie
and am glad I saw it on dvd
glad I bought it on dvd too

it's:
shocking
terrifying
strange
sick
twisted
freaky
interesting
abnormal
poweful
moving

I say the same to this one as I did John Carpenter's The Fog
because seriously it's that great of a movie
it takes a while to understand
but it's great

Mickey Rouke stars as Private Eye Harry Angel who is given a job by the mysterious Louis Cypher (Robert de Niro). Unfortunately for Harry the people he is investigating for the job have a habit of being found dead after he has talked to them. Naturally this puts Harry in the frame for murder. His increasingly desperate search for answers, alongside the gloomy, rainy, Louisiana sets make for a tense viewing.
Alan Parker has produced a film that is part thriller, part occult-horror, but always gripping. Recommended.