Robert De Niro in Angel Heart
Angel Heart is a little-known horror gem streaming on Paramount+. The supernatural thriller, starring Mickey Rourke and Robert De Niro, has been hailed by Guillermo del Toro as “an amazing movie” and “an audio-visual feast.” So, what’s excitement all about?
Well, it’s not terribly often that we see the horror genre overlap with film noir. That’s not to say that it never happens, of course. There are elements of both respective genres in pictures like Psycho and Diabolique. Yet, both of those features rely more heavily on atmosphere and ambiance than outright gore to deliver the scares.
The two respective genres actually collide with a bit more viscera in Clive Barker’s tragically underrated Lord of Illusions, but that’s something of an outlier. The only other film I can think of off the top of my head that juxtaposes film noir against gruesome imagery is an underrated export from the ‘80s. A movie that remains largely underseen to this day but nonetheless deserves your attention.
The film I’m speaking of is none other than Alan Parker’s Angel Heart. Although this picture gets many things right and features a star-studded cast, it underperformed at the box office and has since been largely forgotten. Nonetheless, it remains a feature worth discovering. Guillermo del Toro knows what I’m talking about. In fact, he previously championed this one in a Twitter (X) post.
His recommendation reads: “RIGHTING A WRONG: Angel Heart by Alan Parker. An amazing movie, a perfect Rourke. A Borges-like noir mystery. An audiovisual feast.”
The setup for Angel Heart is this:
Harry Angel (Mickey Rourke) is a private detective contracted by Louis Cyphre (Robert De Niro) to track down the iconic singer Johnny Favorite. However, everybody that Angel questions about Favorite seems to meet a tragic demise. Eventually, the trail leads Angel to New Orleans, where he learns that Favorite had dabbled in the black arts. As Favorite’s whereabouts and true identity become clear, Angel learns that being hired by Cyphre was not a random choice.
The Mimic director isn’t alone in connecting with Rourke’s performance as a hardboiled private detective. Critics also took care to praise his nuanced showing. Many consider this one of his best roles to date, thanks to his deft portrayal of inner conflict and a compelling character arc.
Film scholars also connected with the flick’s standout cinematography. Many commended the feature for its adherence to noir influences, utilizing hard lighting to create a shadowy, cinematic landscape.
Though the film has been largely forgotten in the years since its 1987 release, it’s not too late to rediscover Angel Heart. In fact, you can currently find the film streaming on Paramount+.
That wraps up this communication, dear reader. Stay tuned to the site in the near future for more essential updates and radical recommendations from your favorite heavy hitters in the genre space.
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