[7]

Mickey Rourke stars as a ’50s detective hired by a mysterious client (Robert DeNiro) to determine whether a missing man is living or dead. Rourke travels from New York to New Orleans interviewing characters played by Charlotte Rampling, Lisa Bonet and others, before realizing his subjects are all getting murdered and that the case might be a supernatural one involving witchcraft and the Devil. Director Alan Parker (Midnight Express, Mississippi Burning) gives Angel Heart a lot of compelling atmosphere and ambiance, especially in poetic mini-montages that play out between key scenes in the movie. One such moment involves Rourke and Bonet in some intense lovemaking while blood rains down around them. A lot of the script is procedural, but the supporting cast members are all interesting enough to get you through it. DeNiro pops up a handful of times in the movie, always adding a weird, off-kilter element, and Rourke gets to show some acting chops in the final act — possibly the best acting he’s done to date. The film is a little like a proto-M. Night Shyamalan flick that telegraphs its twist a little too early, but I like where Angel Heart goes and I liked how pretty it went there. Based on a novel by William Hjortsberg (screenwriter of Legend).