Angel Heart (1987)

Harry Angel has a new case, to find a man called Johnny Favourite. Except things aren't quite that simple, and Johnny doesn't want to be found. Let's just say that, amongst the period ... See full summary »

Director:

Alan Parker

Writers:

William Hjortsberg (novel), Alan Parker (screenplay)

Stars:

Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, Lisa Bonet

1 win & 3 nominations.

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)

Storyline

Harry Angel has a new case, to find a man called Johnny Favourite. Except things aren't quite that simple, and Johnny doesn't want to be found. Let's just say that, amongst the period detail and beautiful scenery, it all gets really, really nasty.

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Plot Keywords:

singer | voodoo | blood spatter | stockings | countryside | 

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Taglines:

It will scare you to your very soul.

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Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

X

Details

Official Sites:

William Hjortsberg

Country:

USA Canada UK

Language:

English French

Release Date:

6 March 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Angel Heart - Ascensore per l'inferno

Filming Locations:

Albany, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$17,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$17,185,632 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carolco International N.V., Winkast Film Productions, Union

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Marlon Brando was briefly considered for the role of Louis Cyphre.

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Goofs

Harry direct dials a seven-digit phone number from a payphone. This wouldn't have been possible in the 1950s.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Louis Cyphre: Johnny. Johnny. Johnny.

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Crazy Credits

Scene during credits shows Mickey Rourke's character descending to 'Hell' inside of an elevator.

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Connections

Spoofed in The Adam and Joe Show: Episode #3.1 (1999)

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Soundtracks

"I Cried For You"
Music by Gus Arnheim and Abe Lyman
Lyrics by Arthur Freed
Performed by Glen Gray and his Casa Loma Orchestra
Courtesy of MCA Records

User Reviews

I recently blew the dust off of my copy and watched it again…

And I can't believe I never threw my two cents in about this one. When I first saw Angel Heart, I thought it was going to be your regular old mystery. Like a Mamet or Spillane yarn about a down on his luck private investigator drawn into a web of lies and deceit… Oh yeah, it IS like that… and then some. I was completely drawn into this movie. I found it perfectly paced. And just like other movies of this type, could not see the end coming at all. However from the beginning it felt like something was kind of different about THIS yarn. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Kind of like the feeling you get as your walking out of the house and you just know you forgot something but you can't remember what. It was like that, a ‘nagging at the back of your brain' feeling. And then, oh boy! When all is revealed you wish you would have just left without what ever it was you were missing, ‘cause what you find is oh-so frightening. What a terribly wonderful story and what great direction. I can't think of anybody better that De Niro for the roll he played. If you own it: watch in again. If you haven't seen it, you must.