Olaf Janssens

Angel Heart is the kind of movie that stays with you. The cinematic angle is captivating. Locations, camera work, lighting as well as sound have all been combined in a way that sets a very dark and sinister tone and it sticks to your senses. The way the story develops keeps you engaged and wondering. Some of the scenes are burned into my memory in a way that only few movies have done. Even three decades later, I still remember some of the scenes very vividly. The acting is overall above average, but not epic. De Niro is impressive, Bonet likeable and Rourke is, well.... Rourke. You start out liking his character and go through a cycle of sentiments about him, always wondering if you were perhaps completely wrong and soon to change your mind again, until at the end you come to a final conclusion. That's something that keeps you involved with the character, but overall I never quite felt "close" to him, like I do with some other movies that get the viewer so up close and personal with the lead character. I'm writing this review about thirty years after I saw it and I can still recall many of the scenes and conversations as if I had watched it only last month. Only good movies do that. I gave it four stars, because I reserve five for the few that have close to nothing wrong with them. Angel Heart is mostly about painting with the camera and developing a plot into a conclusion. Drama and depth could have gotten a bit more attention though, if you ask me.