Angel Heart [Blu-ray + Digital HD]

The 1987 film "Angel Heart" should be considered, fundamentally, a mystery. Its a mystery in the sense of what the ancient Rosicrucians and other such mystical societies meant by that term: a spiritual truth made known to man by divine revelation. Harry Angel, a private investigator, is searching for Johnny Favorite. According to the Christian myth, Lucifer was God's favorite angel until he was replaced by the heavenly father's human creation (and we humans have been caught in this jealous struggle ever since). Even Johnny Favorite's original name was Liebling (German for "dearest or most precious"). Many religions and mystics speak of humans as half animal and half divine - that would make us all, in a way, "hairy angels". In the film the heart represents the center of the self, the divine aspect - and it was the heart that the infernal Johnny Favorite tore out of Harry Angel to take the innocent's place in the world and submerge his baser identity. "Angel Heart" is about the search for lost identity (the original case of identity theft, I suppose - in a metaphysical sense). Are we also, to one degree or another, private investigators of the soul, searching for our lost selves? This movie is filled with this kind of religious symbolism and Jungian archetypes. In a way it asks what came first, the chicken or the egg? Was it the creator or its creation? There's the character, Dr. Fowler (the drug addicted physician) - even his name is symbolic ("a handler of fowl") juxtaposed to the voodoo rites involving the handling and sacrifice of chickens in spiritual rituals. I see the chickens in "Angel Heart" as representative of the life force (the carrier of the egg, or "the Soul", afterall). Fowler is a man of science which, in many ways, is our modern world's new priesthood of materialism. Science's relationship with the life force has, of course, been quite self-destructive - besides the great comforts and breakthroughs in knowledge its created it has also brought about nuclear weapons and other meltdowns of the natural world. In addition, western man has become addicted to technology and increasingly under "the spell" of materialism. Beyond the layer involving the christian myth - Lucifer and the fall of humanity - the film also has the greater Jungian perspective that takes in all religious myth along with individual dreams. Carl Jung's central idea is what he calls the "process of individuation", which is what he feels leads to consciousness, to completeness (like a flower opening to sunlight). This involves confronting ones "shadow", which is basically the unconscious, negative part of ones psyche (the image in the mirror to painful to ponder). In the context of the film, the black race, as portrayed in Harlem and New Orleans, is shown as a societal projection of "the shadow" - one that white-western man has demonized as something to be kept apart and to be feared. Harry Angel's intrusion into this world is seen as something taboo and dangerous for he's venturing into an area thats "for colored patrons only", one in which the white man is not suppose to participate. This confrontation with the dark-side, "the shadow", contains the truth of who one really is as an individual, which is beyond good and evil and the world of duality - of heaven and hell. Jung speaks of "the anima" which in the case of the male is the totality of the unconscious feminine psychological qualities that he possesses. The anima (or dream-girl) is an archeptype of the collective unconscious (which all individual psyches emerge from) and it will manifest itself in life and by appearing as figures in dreams (I hear Rourke whistling "Girl Of My Dreams" in the background). Jung wrote that confronting ones "shadow" is an apprentice-piece, while confronting ones "anima" is the master-piece. The character Epiphany is a pure anima figure. The word epiphany also has the definition, among others, as "a manifestation of deitys on earth such as angels appearing to mortals". Harry Angel is drawn to her in his search, spiritually and erotically, because he seeks to be re-united with the unconscious aspect of his true identity - the one that was there before the original fall, before he hid himself behind a mask (what Jung refers to as "the persona"- the front that one presents to the world). But first Harry needs to confront the shadow-side, make the blood sacfrifice and make his hellish descent. This has to happen before he can ever be redeemed and experience grace - he will have to do his time in Hell. This is like Dante wandering through Hades before he can find his feminine ideal, Beatrice ( another classic anima, "Girl Of My Dreams" figure). The vicious attack dog that chases Angel is a contemporary hellhound which in myths are often depicted as chasing a lost soul - "There's A Hellhound On My Trail", to quote the great bluesman Robert Johnson. One could also say, "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" (to quote Bob Dylan) in discussing another reoccuring image in the film. The rain can be seen as a cleansing of the soul, a purification, which first must come with judgement and personally being held accountable for who and what one REALLY is. After that its possible to be resurrected, to be whole - the final flowering of the individuation process. Its not by coincidence that Lucifer the Angel in ancient texts has been referred to as "the bringer of light" (the latin translation of the name) since its his intervention that forces the hero to confront his real self. Its funny that I've seen people refer to this film as a simple story - I guess they also consider the bible simple, too. In some ways the most fascinating level going on in "Angel Heart" is that Mickey Rourke seems to have been acting out the mythic story in his "real" life. The film is filled with parallels with "the actor's" own development - selling ones soul for stardom, losing the bargain, undergoing facial re-construction, etc....This isn't just being a great poetic actor (as Sean Penn has referred to him) - its being an iconic actor . . . and "Angel Heart" is an iconic film.

I own it. It was my favorite movie for about a decade. Rourke was vintage, Lisa Bonet was Stunning, the set piece's were so on point, the story was enthralling. Great use of foreshadowing. It was a mystery, gothic, but had it's tender moments, a little humor, it was a great blend of a lot of subtle elements that moved the plot of the main objective= who was Johnny Favorite. This is in my top ten all time and for a movie to be able to be rated that high that came out in 87'= says enough. I couldn't love this movie more. I was such a huge Rourke fan, Pope of greenwich village, I'm not gonna list them all- but could. If I wanted to be someone other than myself- I would've been Rourke for a good ten years, just a smooth, suave, charismatic mother F@#$%er.

Angel Heart is my favorite movie of all time. The director Alan Parker has created a timeless masterpiece utilising two great talents of our time Mickey Rourke as Harold Angel and Robert De Niro as Louis Cyphre ... Lucifer.SPOILER ALERT - At that time, 1987, most people did not figure out the obvious (Louis Cyphre is Lucifer) as Mickey Rourke mispronounces the surname Cyphre's throughout the movie. I have noticed that the Amazon summary spoils the "secret" that Louis Cyphre is Lucifer. These days people divulge fact that De Niro is Lucifer immediately spoiling the secret.Angel Heart and The MissionDe Niro was filming Angel Heart whilst also filming the epic movie - The Mission. Rumor has it that De Niro flew back to the US on weekends or quiet times on The Mission to complete Angel Heart. De Niro plays the bearded Mendoza in The Mission, and has a beard up until the second last scene in Angel Heart.The story is simple yet brilliant. A man sells his soul for limited fame in World War II New York. We subsequently discover through Harold Angel's investigation that Johnny Liebling, cum Johnny Favorite who was called "golden tonsils" just prior to WWII with limited fame as a crooner. Like all alleged Faustian pacts with the Prince of Darkness it was short lived and a debt subsequently owed. Johnny Favorite thought that he had a legal occult loophole found in a n old ancient manuscript where there were incantations in Latin and Greek , and tried to avoid the horrific debt.The DevilDe Niro's lines are brilliant with my favorite being: "Alas, how terrible is wisdom when it brings no profit to the wise." An excellent line that was borrowed from Oedipus Rex." The last juicy tit bit is De Miro's last appearance in Angel Heart. A few moments prior to the movie's ending, De Niro appears beardless Blink and you'll miss it - he is crouching outside Johnny Favorites' hotel room dressed all in black as a nun. Many re-watch Angel Heart again for this scene alone, as they ALL missed it in the repeated viewings. To this day, De Niro playing Louis Cyphre is the best on screen devil or Lucifer.(NOTE: Another memorable actor playing Lucifer was then then relatively little known Viggo Morgenstein as Lucifer in the 1996 movie, The Prophecy)SPECIAL FEATURES - As the story unfolds we are taken on a wild dark ride with the dark occult growing. In the SPECIAL FEATURES the director, Alan Parker, claims that the story moves south to Louisiana to highlight this fact that we are moving to the hot swamps of the Deep South which is to reprsent a step closer to hell. I missed the obvious and that is what I love about Angel Heart. Every time I watch Angel Heart I discover something new.Mickey RourkeOne of Mickey Rourke's finest efforts. He guides us the audience through the unravelling of the story with the scene with De Niro in a Louisiana church being the crux of the film. Rourke is swearing in church with Louis Cyphre constantly reminding him of his surroundings to which Angel(Rourke) replies that he doesn't care as churches give him the creeps. Angel he that the is coming across too much religion. De Niro then says " they say there is just enough religion to make men hate each other, BUT, not enough to love one another."There are rumors that Angel Heart may be re-made in 2013, I don't know why. We saw Total Recall re0made in 2012 and it was a useless effort as it no doubt, will be with Angel Heart. You cannot improve on perfection.This is why Angel Heart is my favorite film as it is a simple story, brilliantly executed. Five out of five !!!!

Alan Parkers „Angel Heart" aus dem Jahr 1987 ist eine kuriose und packende Mischung aus Film Noir, Mystery und Voodoo-Okkultismus. Eine infernalische Höllenfahrt die man nicht so schnell vergisst.Begleitet von melancholischen Saxophon-Klängen führt die Geschichte ins New York des Jahres 1955, wo die Straßen Brooklyns nicht nur von Schmutz und Regen bedeckt sind, sondern auch regelmäßig mit Leichen gepflastert werden. Inmitten dieses düsteren Molochs versucht sich der abgehalfterte Privatdetektiv Harry Angel (Mickey Rourke) mit gelegentlichen, unterbezahlten Aufträgen über Wasser zu halten. Als der zwielichtige Mr.Cyphre (Robert de Niro) Kontakt zu ihm aufnimmt, gelangt er allerdings zur Abwechslung an einen lukrativen Auftrag, bei dem ihm 5.000 Dollar Honorar in Aussicht gestellt werden. Dafür soll Angel einen verschollenen Schlagersänger namens Johnny Liebling ausfindig machen. Der einst erfolgreiche Sänger ist irgendwann von einem Moment auf den anderen vollständig von der Bildfläche verschwunden und der ominöse Mr.Cyphre hat mit ihm angeblich noch eine Rechnung zu begleichen.Angel nimmt die Spur in einem abgelegenen Sanatorium auf und stolpert damit in eine Kette blutiger Zwischenfälle, die sich wie eine Schlinge um seinen Hals legen.Das New Orleans, in dem Angel mehrere Angehörige des Sängers zur Befragung aufspürt, gerät zum schwülen Hexenkessel, in dem der Blick durch die stechende Hitze der Sonne unentwegt verschwimmt. Es ist eine flirrende, gefährliche Welt, in der Harry Angel eher etwas ängstlich seinem Auftrag nachgeht. Er begibt sich auf eine mystische Reise in die Untiefen der Voodoowelten.Voodoo-Rituale, Rasiermesser, Opium, abgeschnittene Hühnerfüße, Totenprozessionen, Ratten, dunkle Keller, schwarze Messen, beißwütige Hunde, Hellseherei und Blut, sehr viel Blut kreuzen seinen Weg.....Hier wird hypnotisierendes, hochspannendes und kompromissloses Psychokino geboten.Wir steigen zusammen mit Harry Angel in den feurigen Aufzug, der uns direkt in die abgründigsten Kammern der eigenen Seele fährt. In einer Welt, in der es keine rettenden Fluchtmöglichkeiten mehr gibt und die Hölle sich in allem und jedem verankert hat, wird die Geschichte zum paralysierenden Grauen.Zwischen Unzucht, Triebhaftigkeit, Seelenhandel, Passion, Obsession und bitterer Selbstfindung, ist hier eine der detailliertesten und teuflischsten Inszenierungen überhaupt gelungen. Man wird nicht nur mit nachhaltigen Schockeffekten konfrontiert, sondern auch dauerhaft in ein unbehagliches Gefühl versetzt, bei dem Angst, Neugierde und Anspannung verschmelzen und nicht nur einmal einen eiskalten Schauer über den Rücken jagen. Gänsehaut ist mehr als nur garantiert.„Der Teufel steckt im Detail.“ Treffender war das Sprichwort selten, denn wie Parker hier in so gut wie jeder Szene die unzähligen Andeutungen, Symbole, Geheimnisse und Hinweise verstreut, ist mehr als beeindruckend. „Angel Heart" ist wohl einer der atmosphärischsten Filme die ich jemals gesehen habe. Von Anfang an, und doch steigert es sich kontinuierlich. Obwohl, oder gerade besonders weil der Film nie ein hohes Tempo fährt, schnürt sich die Stimmung gnadenlos zusammen. Harry Angel bei seinen Ermittlungen in der okkulten Szene von New Orleans zuzusehen, wie er immer weiter in einen Fall hineinschlittert, der so unscheinbar beginnt, mit jedem Tag mysteriöser und bedrohlicher wird..das ist Spannung auf allerhöchstem Niveau. Alan Parker schafft es, dass man als Zuschauer, wie Harry Angel, immer tiefer in diesen Sumpf hineingezogen wird, bis zum Schluss nicht sicher ist, was einen am Ende der Reise erwarten wird. Ohne jetzt zu viel zu verraten, dafür müsste man erschossen werden, denn das Finale setzt allem die Krone auf.Die Rolle des Angel ist Mickey Rourke auf den Leib geschneidert. Ein unglaubliches Charisma und darstellerisch hier auf Weltklasseniveau. Robert DeNiro, einer der größten Darsteller aller Zeiten, legt in seinen wenigen Szenen eine Präsenz an den Tag , die einem den Atem stocken lässt. Oder wie faszinierend es sein kann, wenn jemand ein Ei isst (grandiose Szene). Lisa Bonet ist die augenscheinliche Unschuld und Versuchung in Person, begeistert als sehr offen hemmungslose Voodoopriesterin (Sie verlor sogar wegen diesem sehr zeigefreudigen Auftritt damals (1987) für 2 Jahre ihre Rolle in der „Cosby Show"...). Charlotte Rampling edelt den Film ebenfalls mit ihrem melancholischen, ganz zurückgenommenen (kurzen) Auftritt.Ein dichter, schwüler, unangepasster und sehr düsterer Thriller mit Horrorelementen, der bei jeder Szene spüren lässt dass etwas Bedrohliches hinter jeder Fassade lauert.Eine grausige, spiralenartige Odyssee in einer absolut hoffnungslosen Dimension.Für mich einer der besten Psychothriller aller Zeiten.

This is a film which changes direction at frequent intervals. It starts in familiar Sam Spade-imitation territory but veers - quite subtley - into bloody murder, deep south racism, voodoo and devil worship. There are lot's of clues along the way to entertain the amateur detective viewer but they're not irritatingly signposted, the way these things often are.Don't be tempted to hit the Off button before the absolute end of the closing credits, and never eat hard boiled eggs with Robert De Niro. If there was ever a film which demonstrates the old cliche that it's what you don't see that scares you most - this is a prime contender.

I didn't realise that the disc was in German primarily. it took a while to change it to English language sound. I should have looked closer at the product before buying but in the end that wasnt a problem.

A brilliant occult.supernatural noir crime film.But PLEASE ...,read the book Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg first.

This film shows exactly why mickey rourke was pegged as the next brando. The acting is great, de'niro's part while small was sinister and creepy. A great little supernatural mystery film that really deserves more credit than most casual movie watchers give it. Truly the late Alan Parkers masterpiece