The Fourth Angel (2001)

Director:

John Irvin

Writers:

Robin Hunter (novel)
Allan Scott (writer)

Release Date:

15 August 2001 (France)

Genre:

Thriller | Drama | Action

Tagline:

They took everything he had. Revenge is all that's left. (DVD box-art)

Plot:

A man seeks justice when his wife and daughter are gunned down in a terrorist attack.

Plot Keywords:

American | Hijacking | Cyprus | Limassol | Police

Cast

Jeremy Irons	...	Jack Elgin
Forest Whitaker	...	Agent Jules Bernard
Jason Priestley	...	Davidson
Briony Glassco	...	Maria
Charlotte Rampling	...	Kate Stockton
Lois Maxwell	...	Olivia
Timothy West	...	Jones
Joel Pitts	...	Andrew Elgin
Anna Maguire	...	Joanne Elgin
Holly Boyd	...	Julia
Kal Weber	...	Kulindos
Ian McNeice	...	Lewison, MI5 Officer
William Armstrong	...	Perry
Garrick Hagon	...	Duguay
Serge Soric	...	Ivanic Loyvek

Also Known As:

The 4th Angel (UK) (alternative spelling)
Vengeance secrète (Canada: French title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and some language.

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

UK | Canada

Language:

English | French | Serbo-Croatian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:16 | Netherlands:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

New Legend Media

Trivia:

Lois Maxwell's final film project.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Even in the height of summer, you don't hear the sound of hundreds of crickets in the suburbs of London.

Intelligent thriller, suddenly timely

Absorbing and intelligent, FOURTH ANGEL uses its London (and briefly Paris) setting skilfully to show the story of a man seeking to avenge the murder of his family by what appear to be terrorists. The film raises (lightly but thoughtfully) questions of how civilized people ought to react to outrageous attacks upon them and muses over the rights and wrongs of vigilantism. Jeremy Irons reminds us again that he is one of the best screen actors in the world; the pain and distress which he etches in his role as the bereaved father is very moving. Forest Whitaker makes the most of an underwritten part and when he and Irons come face to face in the climactic scenes they are a magnificent duo of powerful screen presences. This film will, presumably, disappear in the aftermath of September 11th events. Which is a pity since in its modest way it actually has something to say. And that's rare enough in the world of thrillers.