Angel Heart (1987)
Sub-Genre- Occult Thriller
In Attendance- Me, Eryn, The Vanilla Gorilla, and Nick.
Cast Members of Note- Robert Deniro... Does it get any more "of note?" The always good Mickey Rourke is in this too. Also, this is the movie that made Cosby hate Lisa Bonet.
What's it about?- Harry, a private dick, hates chickens; so what happens? Yep... some creepy bastard (Satan) comes along and hires him to find a lost chicken, and forces the poor bastard to watch him eat hard boiled eggs that represent the human soul. Freaked out, Harry takes off and heads to New Orleans, where all chickens on the lam end up hiding out.
Luckily for Harry, he meets a hot 17 year old voodoo priestess that likes to get naked, or the job would be a total loss. Unfortunately, she loves chickens, and bathing in their blood while naked, so it's a no win for Harry either way. Needless to say he still bangs her.
He karate fights some pit bulls, joins a blues band, becomes a morphine dealer, and had a bloodbath orgy... but that's only the beginning!
I wont ruin the end here, but suffice it to say that Harry ends up on an elevator... going down!
The Good- An excellent film, with excellent actors. That really sums it up.
Alan Parker gives brings us into a world that envelopes us from the get go, and manages to creep us out just enough to make it less than a pleasant ride. Beautifully shot, deft and engrossing script wise, the old 'devil wants your soul' bit works perfectly here.
It doesn't hurt that Robert Deniro plays the devil, or that Mickey Rourke plays the private dick that gets in way over his head... or that for it's time, Lisa Bonet's nudity and the graphic nature of the sexuality in the movie was actually considered controversial... all of those elements together make for a more than satisfying story about devil worship and voodoo that makes us wonder exactly what goes on around us that were oblivious to.
The Bad- Poor Harry, he was doomed from the start. I mean come on, Louis Cyphre? Even I figured that one out!
The Downright Horrendous- Oh man, he had sex with his daughter.
The Gory- Plenty of the crimson glory to go around; hot gumbo drownings, ripped out hearts, straight razor slashing's, a blood soaked sex scene... good stuff.
The Naked- Lisa Bonet! Also, some blond chick shows her goods.
Best Line- This one:
What did we learn?- Avoid Jail bait at all costs; also, avoid Satan at all costs.
Rating- A An excellent movie that pulls you in, lulls you with its imagery, then tries to steal your soul. Even the end credits are filled with symbolism... well worth a buy.
Final Thoughts-
