Angel Eyes (2001)

A mysterious man is drawn to a feisty female police officer and a unusual relationship ensues, as not everything is as it seems.

Director:

Luis Mandoki

Writer:

Gerald Di Pego

Stars:

Jennifer Lopez, Jim Caviezel, Jeremy Sisto

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jennifer Lopez	...	Sharon Pogue
Jim Caviezel	...	Steven 'Catch' Lambert
Jeremy Sisto	...	Larry Pogue, Sr.
Terrence Howard	...	Robby
Sonia Braga	...	Josephine Pogue
Victor Argo	...	Carl Pogue
Monet Mazur	...	Kathy Pogue
Shirley Knight	...	Elanora Davis
Daniel Magder	...	Larry Pogue, Jr.
Guylaine St-Onge	...	Annie Lambert (as Guylaine St. Onge)
Connor McAuley	...	Max Lambert
Jeremy Ratchford	...	Ray Micigliano
Peter MacNeill	...	Lieutenant Dennis Sanderman
Eldridge Hyndman	...	Jamal
Kari Matchett	...	Candace

Storyline

While pursuing a suspect one night, Chicago Police officer Sharon Pogue nearly becomes the victim of a fatal ambush. A mysterious stranger, Catch intervenes, disarms the assassin and saves Sharon's life. Is it a stroke of luck? A twist of fate? Or just a concerned citizen who happened to pass by at the right time and wasn't afraid to get involved? Maybe, But Sharon and Catch have met once before. As the two fall in love, they discover the truth about each other and are forced to deal with the secrets from their past.

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Plot Keywords:

love | mysterious man | fate | twist of fate | alone | 

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Taglines:

The Deeper You Look. The More You Will Find.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, violence and a scene of sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros.

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 May 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Heart of Town

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$38,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$661,749 (Germany) (26 October 2001)

Gross:

$661,749 (Germany) (26 October 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Franchise Pictures, Epsilon Motion Pictures, Canton Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In this film, Jennifer Lopez acts opposite two men who have played Jesus Christ. Jeremy Sisto portrayed Jesus Christ in Jesus and Jim Caviezel played Jesus Christ in Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ.

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Goofs

When Jim Caviezel plays trumpet, he breathes incorrectly and also fingers the valves incorrectly for the notes we hear in the musical cue.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sharon Pogue: We have multiple vehicles. Possible DOAs, multiple injuries. In contact major accident. We're gonna need some more ambulances over here.
Radio Dispatcher: All units have been deployed. I don't have an ETA.

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Crazy Credits

Credits list Connor McAuley's character as Max Pogue instead of Max Lambert.

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Connections

Referenced in Jersey Girl (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Only Time Will Tell"
Written by Maurice McAlister and Terry Vail
Performed by Etta James
Courtesy of MCA Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Absorbing, human, and very good characters. *** (out of four)

ANGEL EYES / (2001) *** (out of four)

By Blake French:

Luis Mandoki's "Angel Eyes" begins as a melodramatic tragedy that feels as if it's missing something. Its centerpiece is a love story between an unlikely couple who save each other's lives under different circumstances. At first, the film plays with interesting ideas about fate, love, destiny, mystery, and the past, but does so with stunning blandness. The male lead, James Caviezel, plays Catch, a mysterious character with an absorbing, revealing past. But his inceptive existence switches back and forth between two negative impressions: Catch is either a balmy character, or Caviezel delivers a boring, uninteresting performance. To my pleasant surprise, however, by the time the movie reaches its emotionally effective climax, it proves these original perceptions to be wrong.

Jennifer Lopez stars as a tough Chicago cop named Sharon Pogue. She patrols the crime-ridden South Side of Chicago with her police buddies, including her partner and friend Robby (Terrence Dashon Howard). In the same neighborhood lives Catch-who sleeps in an empty apartment and delivers goodwill to many around him. He wanders around the area as if he is in some kind of existential daze, thus some believe him to be a lunatic, but for most, he appears to be a peculiar but harmless figure.

Both of these characters have undergone deep emotional struggles. The vast majority of the conflict in "Angel Eyes" lies inside the characters. I do not want to give away any of the movie. Therefore, I must be terse in my explanation. Experiencing violence early in her childhood, Sharon has taken a stand against her father's abusive ways and is still paying the price; her entire family disowned her. However, her parents have invited Sharon to an upcoming marriage celebration. Should she attend, forcing her to come to terms with inner demons and face her father for the first time in years?

"Angel Eyes" provides no easy answers for its characters. Sharon's private and public lives are well developed and intriguing. The film gives her a lot of dimension-I especially like her family related aspects. I will not reveal any more information about Catch; based on the advertisements, his different people will have different expectations of his identity. By explaining anymore about him, I risk giving away a large portion of the movie. Although the film does not contain startling identity twists or surprising ninety degree turns, it is very deliberate about what information is revealed at what time-thus the lack of information in the beginning. "Angel Eyes" deserves to reveal itself on a full scale, rather than me giving its plot away right here and now.

Luis Mandoki has a certain knack with directing love stories that disclose their plot at the perfect moment. In 1999, his film "Message in a Bottle" examined another troubled soul coming to terms with his future. He does the same kind of thing with "Angel Eyes." "He's keeping a lid on his demons as Sharon does with hers, explains Mandoki about the character's behaviors. "It's only when they fall in love and then risk losing that love that they are forced to examine who they really are, present and past."

Screenwriter Gerald DiPego creates character's who connect with the audience. The story is about "the conflict between isolation and connection," says DiPego. "We become isolated because we're afraid of opening up to each other, especially these days. On the other hand, there's a longing inside of us to connect. I think our salvation lies in keeping connected."

As "Angel Eyes" concludes, each of the two character's has come to terms with their troubles and past. What they discover, I will leave up to you to find out. This is an uncommonly absorbing picture because we believe these characters live in our world, not in face their most private and deepest fears, and, although nothing is truly solved by the end of the movie, for Sharon and Catch, for better or worse, their problems become a different, more fulfilling internal battle. some movie fantasy. So often movies end with a fluffy, soft attitude for their characters-but not in "Angel Eyes."