IMDb > Angel Heart (1987)
Angel Heart
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Overview

User Rating:
7.3/10   23,023 votes
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Down 15% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
William Hjortsberg (novel)
Alan Parker (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Angel Heart on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
6 March 1987 (USA) more
Tagline:
It will scare you to your very soul. more
Plot:
Harry Angel has a new case, to find a man called Johnny Favourite. Except things aren't quite that simple... more | add synopsis
Awards:
1 win & 3 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(30 articles)
[DVD Review] Fame
 (From JustPressPlay. 6 February 2010, 10:26 PM, PST)

Blu-Ray Review: Underrated ‘Angel Heart’ With Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro
 (From HollywoodChicago.com. 8 December 2009, 10:41 AM, PST)

User Reviews:
How terrible is wisdom... more (187 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Mickey Rourke ... Harry Angel

Robert De Niro ... Louis Cyphre

Lisa Bonet ... Epiphany Proudfoot

Charlotte Rampling ... Margaret Krusemark
Stocker Fontelieu ... Ethan Krusemark
Brownie McGhee ... Toots Sweet
Michael Higgins ... Dr. Albert Fowler
Elizabeth Whitcraft ... Connie
Eliott Keener ... Det. Sterne
Charles Gordone ... Spider Simpson
Dann Florek ... Herman Winesap
Kathleen Wilhoite ... Nurse
George Buck ... Izzy

Judith Drake ... Izzy's Wife
Gerald Orange ... Pastor John (as Gerald L. Orange)
more
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Aux portes de l'enfer (Canada: French title)
more
Runtime:
113 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Alan Parker claims that Robert De Niro's performance as Louis Cypher was so eerie and realistic that he generally avoided him during his scenes, letting him just direct himself. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: The credit for "Extras Casting" is misspelled without the first T as "Exras Casting". more
Quotes:
Harry Angel: What's your name?
Epiphany Proudfoot: Epiphany Proudfoot.
Harry Angel: Your mother left you a very beautiful name, Epiphany.
Epiphany Proudfoot: Not much else.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Jennifer's Body (2009) more
Soundtrack:
Zu Zu Mamou more

FAQ

What is the significance of the names Winesap and Macintosh?
Who is the person under the black hood? What is the significance?
Who is Louis Cyphre?
more
97 out of 104 people found the following review useful.
How terrible is wisdom..., 5 February 2005
9/10
Author: The_Core from Seattle, WA. USA

... when it brings no profit to the wise? On the surface, that seems to be the moral of "Angel Heart." But look a little deeper -- the fact is, Harry Angel knew the truth all along, and here's the true moral:

"However cleverly you sneak up on a mirror... your reflection always looks you straight in the eye."

Much of the meaning in this dark tale lies in the above line uttered by DeNiro's character, Louis Cyphre. We can pretend to lie to ourselves and bury our heads in the sand, but in the end we know. And it isn't the knowing that hurts us, but all the hiding and lying that went on before.

This film has been summed up many times before, so I won't do it again. It's also been said that the film was ahead of its time in 1987, and IMO this can't be emphasized enough. There's no doubt in my mind that it's been an influence on many a filmmaker and screenwriter. Among films of this type it's easier to follow than, say, "Memento," but more befuddled and confusing than "The Sixth Sense." You may or may not guess the ending, but if you're the type who's bothered by confusing movies -- simply read all the spoilers or the whole screenplay, THEN see the film! I guarantee you won't enjoy it any less for knowing.

Cinematography 10/10, screenplay 7/10, acting 9.5/10, overall I'd give it about a 9/10. If anything makes this movie great (and qualifies it as a classic) it's the cinematography and atmosphere. It really is richly and gorgeously shot, and atmospheric to the nth degree. Watch it on a slow day when you have time to savor these things and aren't overly anxious to figure it out or discover the resolution to the story.

Was the above review useful to you?
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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Angel Heart (1987)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
*spoilers* Why did Margaret and Ethan take Johnny from the hospital? lgforce
scene in church where Angel fights two guys then runs out of the church phelpsmarc
ANGEL HEART/THE DEVIL IN CHURCH??? BG43214
Opening scene.. brendanseeto
Did Herman Winsesap Know Who Cyphre Was? ChairmanOfTheBored
Who killed Epiphany stunnersmp
more

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