Search - Angel Heart on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Graphic Violence, Strong Sexual Content, Not For Children, Adult Language Movie Release: 1987 DVD Release: 06/23/1998 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 52 mins Studio: Live/Artisan Members Wishing: 6 Genres: Mystery, Detective Film, Post-Noir (Modern Noir), Supernatural Thriller See Also: Angel Heart, Angel Heart [Special Edition], Angel Heart [Blu-ray], Angel Heart [Blu-ray]

The time is the 1950s: seedy Brooklyn private eye Harry Angel (Mickey Rourke) is hired by shady Louis Cyphre (Robert De Niro) to locate a pop singer who reneged on a debt. Harry ventures into Harlem, the first step of a -Heart of Darkness-inspired odyssey. Each time Harry makes contact with someone who might know the singer's whereabouts, he or she is killed in a horrible, ritualistic fashion; a Satanic cult seems to be at the bottom of all the carnage. Harry solves the mystery, all right. He just didn't know that he had the answer all along -- even before Louis entered his office. Also available in the "unrated" video version, Angel Heart is best known as the film that nearly got an X-rating due to a no-holds-barred sex scene involving Mickey Rourke and Lisa Bonet. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Mickey Rourke - Harry Angel
Robert De Niro - Louis Cyphre
Lisa Bonet - Epiphany Proudfoot
Charlotte Rampling - Margaret Krusemark
Stocker Fontelieu - Ethan Krusemark

Alan Parker's horror mystery Angel Heart has grown considerably in stature since its 1987 release, not least because it signposted the way forward for many better thrillers to follow. The film's look and ambience are certainly prescient of Seven, Fallen, and others, making this DVD edition all the more interesting. Parker had initially planned to make the film in black-and-white, but this anamorphic widescreen disc makes it hard to imagine how the film could have looked any better than it does now. The faded color schemes used by cinematographer Michael Seresin to portray 1955 New York are wonderfully rendered (the opening credits sequence looks stunning), as are the more expansive and exotic tones of the Louisiana-set half of the movie. Surprisingly, the audio track is limited to Dolby Surround Sound rather than Digital 5.1. Though the sound quality is adequate, the potential of the haunting soundtrack is possibly not fully realized. Included on the disc is the original theatrical trailer, which is excellent and definitely worth watching before the feature for those not familiar with Angel Heart. There is also a moderately interesting behind-the-scenes featurette, evidently made to promote the film's theatrical release, which includes some brief but telling comments from Parker and star Mickey Rourke. Perhaps the most important factor for purists is that the movie on this disc is indeed the complete and uncut version, meaning that the notorious sex scene between Rourke's Harry Angel and Lisa Bonet's voodoo priestess is fully intact. The Region 1 edition does not include the illuminating commentary from Parker that is on the Region 2 disc, but for the flawless transfer alone, fans of this supernatural film noir will be delighted with this DVD. ~ Patrick Lee, All Movie Guide