Good supernatural thrillers with the incarnation of Satan himself as a pivot figure….we don't see enough of these films, if you ask me. Alan Parker's `Angel Heart' is one of the chosen few! Complex and confusing at times, but warmly recommended to fans of the occult and mysterious cinema. Mickey Rourke shines as protagonist Harry Angel. An unshaved, chain-smoking private eye with a chicken-phobia! The year is 1955 and the place is Brooklyn when Harry is hired by a malevolent Mr. Louis Cyphre (pronounce this name aloud a few times in a row) to find a missing crooner, who got severely traumatized in the war. The money is good and the job doesn't seem that risky, so Harry accepts. Pretty soon, the search takes him to all kinds of poverty, human misery, superstition and alternate religions. Every important figure in the search for Johnny Favorite (the crooner) finds a violent death after Harry talked to them and, apparently, our private detective is a lot more involved than he initially thought. As mentioned before, Angel Heart is a darn complex and very coherent film. One viewing is enough to understand the entire premise and main storylines, but a second (third or fourth) viewing sure isn't redundant. It would be a shame if any of the carefully worked out details and character-connections would go unnoticed. `Angel Heart' (and especially cinematographer Michael Seresin) also receives a huge plus for the dark and depressing portrayal of the film's surrounding. Angel Heart looks unattractive, vile and ominous which creates a superb horrific atmosphere. The supernatural aspects about the story are a bit overly stressed by clichés like silent and staring nuns or foggy New York suburbs. But this small negative element is largely made up by the subtle violence and compelling mystery this film features. The acting is outstanding with Rourke at the absolute top of his career. During the second half of the 80's, Mickey was the unforgettable star of several brilliant films such as `Barfly', `Year of the Dragon', `Nine ½ Weeks' and of course this `Angel Heart'. Robert DeNiro as Louis Cyphre was a downright brilliant casting idea! There isn't that much De Niro content in this film but, when he's on screen, evilness nearly drips from the screen. Bobby De Niro is probably one of the only actors who can make it look eerie to eat an egg! Lisa Bonet, in conclusion, isn't the world's most talented actress but Angel Heart sure is her best film. All in one, Angel Heart is a very good film that'll be appreciated by thriller fans and the admirer of slightly more intelligent horror.

Such an impressive movie, if like me you're a fan of noir, or neo noir, then you will absolutely love this movie.

The first thing you will be struck by is the appearance of the film, it is a visual masterpiece, the attention to detail is flawless, you could actually turn the colour off, and imagine this being made in 1955.

Secondly, the atmosphere, smoke filled rooms, the clothes, music, accents, just awesome to behold, they got the tone spot on.

It's a great story, it takes a few moments for you to know what's happening, and get the direction, but you will.

Finally the acting, Rourke is at his absolute best, one of the best films I've seen him in, he is tremendous, it's so nice to see him in his handsome pre surgery years. De Niro, what can you say, he's just incredible.

Captivating, 9/10.

When I watch this film many years ago, I ranked it as a five because as someone who believes in the power of God, I didn't want to give the devil any credit whether fictional or for real. But seeing this again 30 years later, I am astonished as to what a great film it is, a genuine piece of artwork that is more powerful with the passage of time and of course the onslaught of maturity, and I can look at it for the cinematic masterpiece it is. That doesn't mean that I'm not creeped out by the themes or many of the twists, but not remembering anything about it, I knew right away what that twist would be.

If Mickey Rourke had never been in another movie, he would be an icon like James Dean today simply for having appeared in this. Likewise, Robert De Niro is outstanding, an example of pure malevolence as a mysterious client of private investigator Rourke searching for a certain rock singer who has betrayed him, leaving a debt to pay behind.

Rourke starts off in Coney Island where he interviews people who knew Johnny, the rock singer DeNiro is looking for, and then ends up in Louisiana where further investigation either has him asked to leave or treated with a gentle welcoming and the information that helps him and putting the pieces together.

The beautiful Lisa Bonet is unforgettable as the fragile looking young woman who plays a key role in finding Johnny, but she's involved in something dark as well which Rourke witnesses but for some reason isn't shocked by. Charlotte Rampling guest stars as a former New Yorker now in New Orleans who refuses Rourke any type of information, her brief scene powerful and revealing. Followers of the catholic faith might skip this though as there are references to certain elements that connects the church to the Faust legend.

This was obviously too disturbing for many viewers at the time and obviously the academy found it went against many of their secret moral laws of the type of films that they would or wouldn't acknowledge. That created controversy in 1988, and looking back, I can say that this is just as good if not better than any of the best picture nominees for 1987 even though it is a difficult subject to want to give accolades to. The combination of mystery, horror and even elements of film noir helps this stand the test of time, and time has indeed been a witness to many nightmares. This would be a good companion piece to the same year's "The Believers" which is another masterpiece of the macabre that deeply disturbed me.