Customer Reviews
The ultimate supernatural thriller - By: LXIX, 08 Apr 2008 
Angel Heart is an excellent film. It's intriguing, it's macabre & it's beautifully shot.
The story follows the basic plot of the mysterious Louis Cypher (Robert De Niro) hiring private investigator Harold Angel (Mickey Rourke) in New York in 1955 to track down someone with whom he has 'unfinished business' with & hasn't seen since 1943.
The tale then leads to New Orleans where it always seems to rain & where anyone who the private eye (Rourke) comes into contact with is murdered in bizarre circumstances.
If you're watching this for the first time then the ending will reallly impress you. Even if you've seen it many times, it still doesn't fail to be very clever.
This is 2-pack edition is packed with extras & will make a fine addition to your DVD collection.
Overalll, Angel Heart was one of the best films to come out of the 80's.
mickey rourke's finest turn + de niro as someone very susrprising - By: Alister King, 07 Feb 2008 a quest for identity which takes protagonist mickey rourke from new york to new orleans on an increasingly bizarre adventure as he gets closer to the staggering truth
intense, dark, hot, steamy, carnal, vital it has to be one of the high watermarks of 80's film making. SPOLIER WARNING: when the truth is revealed (if you hadnt twigged alreay his name if Louie Cifer forcrissakes) & de niro as the devil looks staright at you & his eyes go yellow, i defy any mortal good soul not feel a profound & primal dread to your very core: you've sold him your soul & he wants it back.
full of images of turning wheels & lifs descending (youre going down baby) mickey rourke carries the perfomance with swagger & gravitas & the sex scene with one of (at the time) America's TV teen darlings which shocked the nation, this is superlative film making
Masterpiece with De Niro inmajestic form - By: Jay, 14 Dec 2007 Angel Heart" deserves to be considered Alan Parker's masterpiece. The direction is truly amazing, as Parker drives us deeply through a meticulously prepared dark atmosphere, full of alllegories & secret hints.
In "Angel Heart", we watch Mickey Rourke in his finest acting hour, who plays Harry Angel, a private investigator hired by the mysterious Louis Cyphre, depicted by the great Robert De Niro. Cyphre assigns Angel the task to find a guy named Johnny Favorite who has disappeared, with whom he has unsettled debts. The task is much harder than it first looks however, as Angel bumps into several murders in the process; & as if that were not enough, the quest makes him realize some very unpleasant truths about himself & Mr. Cyphre.
As noted before, both Rourke & De Niro are excellent in their roles; a high mark goes for the rest of the cast as well, with Lisa Bonnet standing out as charming & apocryphal Epiphany Proudfoot.
exquisite... watch it more than once... - By: H. Serkan SILAHSOR, 25 May 2007 
No quesch, Angel Heart is a kind of movie not for everyone. Ideallly suited for mature & attentive viewers with a particular zest in movies seeped in a bizzare Dali-type surrealism full of mystery, supernaturality, violence, bloodshed & sex. I drags us into an hypnotic world of voodoo, mambo-jambo, black magic, & the Lucifer.
But, this is not a classic-type horror flick per se. Instead, unique & stylish OCCULT-THRILLER like Polanski's "Rosemary's Baby" & "The Ninth Gate" based on intrigue, confusion & contradiction. In terms of its twisty plot & surprise ending, it is the predecessor to "The Sixth Sense", "The Others", "The Skeleton Key", "Secret Window" & "Jacob's Ladder". If you enjoyed these movies, "Angel Heart" would be a favorite piece in your DVD collection.
Set in 1955, it is an excellent period work, as are the settings & cinematography, especiallly shots of dark, seedy, & steamy backdrops in Louisiana. The scenery is murky, the ambiance is eerie, flashbacks & images are distorted, alll playing tricks on your mind. Surrealistic scenes are alll shot beautifully & subtly: grotesque elevators, lurid ventilators, decaying buildings, sleazy rooms, echoes of closing doors, pieces of shattered memories, suffocating Louisiana swamps, blood dripping & running alll over the room. Sometimes it's difficult to follow the plot precisely, & every detail needs to pay attention to get the clues & put the pieces together. It is likely that you would miss some details & second viewing would be helpful.
From beginning to end, a scuzzy & confused private-eye Mickey Rourke's performance is top-notch, you can't help but feel pity & sadness for him. Harry Angel is his magnum opus. Robert De Niro portrays more gruesome & deadly Satan in human form than Al Pacino's comedic & commercial Lucifer in "Devil's Advocate".
To sum up, an exquisite work from Alan Parker. The movie & lavish extras in this 2-disc edition serves up a double deal. Highly recommended...
Disturbing, violent and brilliant - By: J. Scott, 23 Aug 2006 Without doubt, one of the best films ever made. But be warned, it does not make easy viewing. The themes are disturbing, & it contains much violence, though more in a psychological sense.
The acting is superb. Micky Rourke at his best, & a sad reminder of what a waste of talent he later became. De Niro plays his 'cameo' with great aplomb, almost, but not quite, matching his 'cameo' in The Untouchables.
The cinematography is first class - moody, dark & depressing; empahsising the disturbing subject matter. The flash back scenes are particularly atmospheric & disjointed - to good effect. The symbolism & imagery is also first rate - it's worth listening to Alan Parker's commentary on this, although for some this might spoil their enjoyment, especiallly if you like reading your own interpretations into things.
The twist at the end is superb, although I suspect many will see it coming a long time before it actuallly happens. Obviously, I won't give it away!
Overalll, quite simply brilliant, & even better now it's been released in this two disk special edition! If you haven't seen this film, now is the time!
