9 1/2 Weeks

Tags

1980's, 9 1/2 Weeks, Adrian Lyne, Drama, Erotic Drama, Kim Basinger, Mickey Rourke, Romance

Film Title

9 1/2 Weeks

Director

Adrian Lyne

Starring

• Kim Basinger as Elizabeth
• Mickey Rourke as John

It may have been savaged by critics upon release who saw it as nothing but a tawdry movie, but over time it is good to see that 9 1/2 Weeks has been reassessed and given a second chance. A film that touches on how addictive a union with someone can be and how it can push you over the edge, 9 1/2 Weeks masterfully casts a strange spell.

Elizabeth is an art gallery assistant who hasn’t been on a date or had a relationship since her divorce; a fact her friends seem to always remind her of. One day while out shopping, her eyes meet with suave Wall Street broker John and an immediate fire is lit. She sees him as mysterious and he slowly gains her trust, despite being a stranger, by whisking her off her feet with romantic gestures. From the start of the intense relationship, John’s preference to take charge when it comes to sex hints at the danger he’ll bring to Elizabeth, but she sees him as loving and exciting. As the union becomes bolder and the sexual games get more perverse, Elizabeth finds herself completely obsessed by John but wanting to escape his clutches. Something within her won’t let him go and as John begins to take charge of everything, she heads down a downward spiral due to John’s hypnotizing influence that threatens to engulf her if she doesn’t break free.

I have to give a lot of credit to Adrian Lyne for the way he shoots this movie and brings the strange nature of obsession to the screen. Capturing scenes in a soft focus glow and glossy finish, events seem sexy and erotic in the beginning before morphing into something unusual and uncomfortable. Lyne knows exactly how to bring erotic fire to proceedings, but as time goes by bring forth the disturbing nature of John’s dominance over Elizabeth. It must be said that while many of the scenes are graphic in terms of sexual content( for instance John using the contents of a fridge and feeding Elizabeth for satisfaction), everything takes on a different tone once John reveals his desire to be the one in control. You can feel a palpable danger growing within the film as Elizabeth becomes completely obsessed with the suave but menacing John and goes almost past the point of telling what is right and wrong, heading straight for disaster. I think critics at the time might have missed this sense of disturbing atmosphere by instead focusing on the sex scenes. Yes 9 1/2 Weeks has a lot of sex that at the start is sensual, but takes a darker turn as the relationship takes a different turn. Upon closer inspection, 9 1/2 Weeks paints a dark picture of brutal obsession and carnal desire that puts us in the shoes of Elizabeth, who knows something isn’t right but can’t walk away from the relationship that she has succumbed to. Now the movie isn’t flawless by any means; it runs a bit too long and some of the dialogue is a bit tin-eared. But even with these flaws, the film captures the attention as an unusual parable about not getting swept into something you may not be able to get out of. A well-chosen soundtrack of songs about passion and dark intensity fits 9 1/2 Weeks like a glove and furthers the heightened feelings of looming darkness that can be found in the encounters between John and Elizabeth.

A film such as 9 1/2 Weeks is can be made or broken by the casting of the leads, thankfully the two leads put it in the former category. Kim Basinger is utterly believable as the spellbound Elizabeth; presenting her as passionate yet slowly seeing the dangerous ruin the relationship could bring as she heads towards mental breakdown. We feel for the character and a lot of that is down to the excellent work from Kim Basinger. Mickey Rourke is just as good as the suave and very dangerous John, who ensnares Elizabeth in his perverse games of sexual pleasure. The best way I can think of to describe Mickey Rourke’s performance is similar to the snake in the Garden of Eden; he knows exactly what to say to be cunning and lure Basinger’s Eve like character in. Both leads have good chemistry, though it has an underlying darkness not often present with most movie couple’s chemistry and this sets it apart from many other movies.

An unusual film that is by turns erotic and disturbing, 9 1/2 is one of those movies that knows how to crawl deep under the skin with its story of a perilous sexual relationship.

Wild Orchid

Tags

1980's, Assumpta Serna, Bruce Greenwood, Carré Otis, Erotic Drama, Jacqueline Bisset, Mickey Rourke, Wild Orchid, Zalman King

Film Title

Wild Orchid

Director

Zalman King

Starring

• Carré Otis as Emily Reed
• Mickey Rourke as James Wheeler
• Jacqueline Bisset as Claudia Dennis
• Assumpta Serna as Hanna
• Bruce Greenwood as Jerome

It doesn’t capture the attention in the guilty pleasure way that Two Moon Junction did, but Wild Orchid is still an erotic film from Zalman King, although hamstrung by attempts to give depth to what is frankly a ludicrous story that needed no attempts to be serious.

Emily Reed is a young and impressionable lawyer who gets a job at a prestigious law firm. Her first assignment is to travel to Rio de Janeiro to finalize the purchase of a hotel. She works under the guidance of the quick-witted and decisive Claudia Dennis, who is a lot more experienced than the novice Emily and knows exactly how to do business. Arriving in Rio, the two set about looking over the run down hotel, that could have a promising future if they manage to save a deal that hangs in the balance. A disgruntled Claudia must go to Argentina for a few days to consult the hotel’s manager who was unaware of them coming, so proceedings are put on Emily, including attending a date with a wealthy man by the name of Frank Wheeler. The self-made millionaire is a strange man who asks personal questions to Emily and hints at a depraved mind. He further introduces her to a world of sexual decadence and carnal pleasure, which disturbs the virginal Emily. The other strange thing is that while Wheeler’s surroundings are sexual, he himself is cold and does not like to be touched even as naive Emily makes plans to get closer; instead getting his kicks from manipulating Emily into strange scenarios that get more exotic as time goes on. Emily finds herself becoming ever more bewitched by the cold and mysterious Wheeler, and can’t quite choose whether to be repulsed or aroused by the world he introduces her too, where he pulls the strings. Add to the fact that Claudia has been infatuated with him for a long time and has in many ways pushed Emily onto him to see if he rebukes her as he had done to her, and events are going to get heavy.

Zalman King with all his directing prowess does fashion a sweltering climate of sexual interaction and carnal desire that knows how to catch the eye. It’s a shame that he also attempts to conjure up some seriousness as Wild Orchid is really about the heat and sensual games being played against the backdrop of steamy Brazil. That isn’t to say that his direction is bad( far from it if truth be told) yet some parts could have done with a fixer upper and just a general sense of wild abandon to suit the story. The atmosphere is there and that’s what people want from a film like this, on that score it delivers. So I can’t for the life of me fathom why anyone on the production or writing team tried to give Wild Orchid any complexity( a movie such as Wild Orchid should really be anything but serious). All attempts at it are really lost and drag the film out for longer than needed. Also, the script is littered with corny lines and the whole exploration of Emily’s awakening does feel a bit slow, which is detriment to Wild Orchid. What people expect and want from movies like this is a sensual emanation of overripe sex and in that department Wild Orchid is very adept. Bodies are shown laced in sweat as a couple makes animalistic love under water, masks are adorned for a voyeuristic ball and Emily is initiated into a strange but tantalizing world that she never knew there was. A heady carnival score that dabbles with sexy percussion and brass lifts some languor in Wild Orchid and at least suits the erotic atmosphere of it.

Carré Otis, while being very beautiful and someone the camera loves, is unfortunately very stilted in her performance as the naive novice Emily. With stunning bright eyes, tousled hair and full lips, Otis is gorgeous and it is easy to see why she was cast in the part of the sexually unaware Emily. It must be said that she does nail the fragile innocence of the part, but her line delivery is problematically bland and needed more expression for it to be at least interesting and lift the weakness of the script. I think if another actress played the part it may have had a bit more about it instead of making the character into something of a blank cypher. Mickey Rourke fares a lot better as the manipulative, sleazy and intriguing Wheeler, who casts a spell on both women present. The role isn’t much of a stretch but Rourke plays it well nonetheless. The most fun seems to be had from Jacqueline Bisset as the silver-tongued and wild Claudia. Bisset brings energy and vigor to her and when she isn’t on screen the movie lags quite a bit. Assumpta Serna and Bruce Greenwood have roles that amount to cameos as two people caught in Wheeler’s web of sexual games.

Filled with taut flesh in various erotic positions, sensuous ambiance and the beautiful locations of Rio, Wild Orchid gets by on these three things, yet suffers from corny dialogue and not surrendering to the sheer implausibility of the story that could have made it at least a very guilty pleasure of sex. It’s safe for me to say that Wild Orchid left me with decidedly mixed feelings.

Body Heat

Tags

1980's, Body Heat, J.A. Preston, Kathleen Turner, Lawrence Kasdan, Mickey Rourke, Neo Noir, Richard Crenna, Ted Danson, Thriller, William Hurt

Film Title

Body Heat

Director

Lawrence Kasdan

Starring

• William Hurt as Ned Racine
• Kathleen Turner as Matty Walker
• Richard Crenna as Edmund Walker
• Ted Danson as Peter Lowenstein
•  J.A. Preston as Oscar Grace
• Mickey Rourke as Teddy Lewis

A truly scintillating and wicked neo noir, Body Heat provides dark-hearted and sexy viewing as temperatures rise and danger lurks. As the directing debut of Lawrence Kasdan, he crafts a sultry tale of seduction and murder that burns with an erotic frisson and superb performances from the leads William Hurt and Kathleen Turner. With this being my first viewing of the film after hearing all the praise it had received, I’m happy to report that Body Heat more than lived up to my expectations.

The setting is Florida as a sweltering and unbearable heat wave grips the area. Ned Racine is a sleazy lawyer who is bored and not exactly the sharpest guy out there. One fateful night while out, he encounters the seductive Matty Walker, a woman married to a very rich man. It is lust at first sight as Ned becomes entranced with the gorgeous Matty and soon begins a steamy affair with her while her husband is away. As the affair grows more intense, Matty begins to plant the seed of killing her husband. It appears that having signed a prenup, Matty wouldn’t inherit anything of her husbands fortune from a divorce. Only if her husband dies first does everything of value go to her. Increasingly bewitched by Matty, Ned agrees to it hoping that his workings with the law will enable the two to escape from justice. Successfully going through with it, Ned kills and seems to cover up any sign of murder, staging it as an arson job that went wrong. Yet as events take a darker turn, the bewildered Ned begins to realise that the alluring Matty has other ideas of her own and for the whole time has used him for her own gain in a devious plan. Yet by this point, it could be too late for Ned as he becomes prime suspect in the case that Matty so cunningly orchestrated and ensnared him in.

Lawrence Kasdan, as writer and debuting director, is on fine form in both seats. Respectfully giving notice to the dark noir of the past and updating it with a sexy pulse, he makes sure Body Heat is deliciously dark and wicked as hell. As writer, he contributes a smart, crackling script laced with double entendres and a keen sense of events unraveling slowly but very surely in a suitably dark and dangerous style. With this movies, the talented Kasdan works utter wonders in the way he brings out the dangerous machinations that femme fatale Matty has crafted in a slow burning way and cloaks them in a sweltering and sexual ambience. There are some excellent moments of dark foreshadowing that are peppered through Body Heat as warnings for Ned that he misses as the plot becomes more sinister.The heatwave that grips steamy Florida almost becomes a character itself and as an audience, we can feel the sweat and steamy passion sizzling from every frame. I think it’s safe to say that after viewing Body Heat, you may need to cool down from the sizzling heat of it all. And speaking of sizzling, no discussion of Body Heat would be complete without talking about the erotic encounters between Ned and Matty. Strikingly shot in bold oranges and shadows, they form the darkly passionate core of the movie and the chemistry between Hurt and Turner practically sets the screen on fire. A score accentuated with smooth jazz from John Barry goes a long way in helping set the sultry tone of this masterful thriller.

William Hurt is well cast as Ned, capturing the womanizing nature, easily led and naive mannerisms of him as he quickly becomes trapped in Matty’s plan and can’t see no way out as he is clearly in over his head because of his blinding passion for her. Yet the biggest impression made in Body Heat is from Kathleen Turner, in what was her debut role. Seductive, husky voiced and coldly calculating beneath the surface, Turner is marvellous at imbuing Matty with a dark sense of deception, masked by come hither glances and sexual energy. It is the definition of a star making role and Turner knows it as she creates a modern femme fatale who is bad to the bone and as manipulative as they come, constantly two steps ahead of all the other characters. Engaging supporting performances from Richard Crenna as the ill-fated husband, Ted Danson as Ned’s nerdy prosecutor friend and Oscar Grace as a detective thinking that Ned knows more than he’s telling all contribute their presence to the film. And watch out for an early performance from Mickey Rourke as one of Ned’s former clients who supplies him with the means to go through with murder.

Body Heat is an excellent example of how to successfully create a neo noir with just the right amount of hat-tipping to the past and the perfect contemporary setting for modern audiences.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

Tags

2010's, Bruce Willis, Christopher Lloyd, Christopher Meloni, Crime, Dennis Haysbert, Eva Green, Frank Miller, Jaime King, Jamie Chung, Jeremy Piven, Jessica Alba, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Josh Brolin, Juno Temple, Lady Gaga, Mickey Rourke, Powers Boothe, Ray Liotta, Robert Rodriguez, Rosario Dawson, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

Film Title

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

Directors

Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez

Starring

• Mickey Rourke as Marv
• Jessica Alba as Nancy Callahan
• Josh Brolin as Dwight McCarthy
• Eva Green as Ava Lord
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Johnny
• Powers Boothe as Senator Roark
• Rosario Dawson as Gail
• Dennis Haysbert as Manute
• Ray Liotta as Joey
• Bruce Willis as Hartigan
• Jamie Chung as Miho
• Jaime King as Goldie/Wendy
• Jeremy Piven as Bob
• Christopher Meloni as Mort
• Christopher Lloyd as Kroenig
• Juno Temple as Sally
• Lady Gaga as Bertha

Coming almost ten years after the startling original Sin City, this second installment had a lot to live up to. Unfortunately, it doesn’t match its predecessor in many ways, but A Dame to Kill For is far from an all-out failure and does have its moments that need praise.

A Dame to Kill For takes the same narrative structure of the first movie, albeit with stories that serve as a prequel to those events that occurred in the original. These stories intertwine at many points along the way of the narrative structure. We first of all have cocky slicker Johnny, who seems to have a lot of luck when it comes to winning in poker games. Arriving in the godforsaken town of the title, he takes on the corrupt Senator Roark in a game that he repeatedly wins. Roark doesn’t take to kindly to this showing of power from the young gambler and has his men violently sort him out. This in turn sets up many more brutal encounters between the two men in a battle of supremacy. The second story and prequel to the first movie, concerns Dwight McCarthy when he was a private detective, intent on not letting violent urges and temptation get in his way. Dwight finds himself caught in a seductive web, spun by the femme fatale Ava Lord. No matter how hard he tries to resist her, he can’t break the spell of the poisonous temptress. She brings him into a plot to kill her husband, by playing the part of the abused wife who needs protecting. Sure enough, the bewitched Dwight agrees and murders her unwitting husband. With her husband dispatched of, the cunning Ava leaves Dwight for dead. Good for Dwight is the fact that he has the brute Marv to help him and take him to the girls of Old Town, lead once again by the kick ass dominatrix Gail. The hookers shelter him and help him through reconstructive surgery alter his appearance, ready for revenge upon the eponymous dame for her betrayal. The last tale focuses on Nancy Callahan, who mourns the death of her protector Hartigan. Knowing that the reason he killed himself was because of the evil Roark, the exotic dancer slips into drunken madness and uncontrollable rage; plagued by hallucinations of Hartigan that warn her not to avenge him. Swearing revenge on the all-powerful Senator, she teams with a willing Marv in her attempt to kill the corrupt leader once and for all.

Visual style is very much on display throughout A Dame to Kill For, it’s just at times it doesn’t feel as fresh as it did in the first film. We do get some nifty visuals mind you( the sinister crimson of Ava’s lips and shining emerald eyes are a particular highlight) and the use of silhouettes is stunning to accentuate the smoky atmosphere of the town. There’s just a feeling of ‘been there done that’ about it that hangs over this movie. Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez both bring style and action to the fray, but the structure isn’t as up to scratch as it once was and the movie suffers as a result. For example, certain parts of the stories are expanded upon enough and other times too much time is spent on one tale. Yet when the action does hit its height, it does deliver in blood-soaked fashion that is still quite electrifying. Once again, a sexy soundtrack that hark back to the shadows of Noir creates a good amount of intensity that provides interest.

Mickey Rourke once again delivers the goods as the brutish Marv, who is more than willing to help out a friend with business, especially if it involves blood, murder and violence. Rourke does get to show a tender side again, this time acting as the helper to the vengeful Nancy in her time of need. Jessica Alba, though often the subject of debate as to her acting credentials, confounds expectations and brings sadness and aggression to the role of Nancy. Rather than just the sexy dancer from the first film, we get to see her as a broken down girl, shorn of hope but thirsty for revenge. Josh Brolin, portraying the character of Dwight before the reconstruction sported in the first movie, gives his part weariness as he navigates his way through violence, yet finds himself ensnared by the manipulative Ava. Eva Green is the definite showstopper in this movie, seductive and sinuous as she traps men with her beauty and brings pain to them. Slinky and cunning, she is a poisonous viper who is adept at making people do her dirty work and then leaving them with the consequences. To say that Eva Green was smouldering and sexy in this movie would be a criminal understatement. Joseph Gordon-Levitt contributes youthful charm and cocky self-assurance as upstart Johnny, who tangles with the wrong man in the form of Senator Roark and pays the price. Power Boothe returning again brings malevolent sneakiness to Roark and exposes his ruthless, power-mad nature that knows no bounds once infuriated by others. Rosario Dawson, although unfortunately used in a reduced capacity, is still fierce and crafty as Gail. Dennis Haysbert has the physical stature and deep voice to make Manute a very physical and dangerous adversary, yet Ray Liotta in a role as another corrupt politician is somewhat wasted. The same can be said about Bruce Willis, who appears as Hartigan in Nancy’s hallucinations. He just isn’t given enough to do to make his appearance here memorable. Jamie Chung doesn’t make for a great replacement as assassin Miho; I believe Devon Aoki did a better job and had the stony faced intensity for the part which Chung lacks. Jaime King returns as twin prostitutes Wendy and Goldie, but scarcely makes an impact this time around. Jeremy Piven and Christopher Meloni make impressions as two cops investigating the murder of Ava’s husband; Piven is the one who is wary of the dame, whereas Meloni is the one who falls under the siren’s spell. Christopher Lloyd gives his part as a sinister doctor who helps Johnny after he is brutalised by Roark’s men. Juno Temple is wasted as a young prostitute saved by Dwight, while music fans should look out for a cameo by pop star Lady Gaga as a sympathetic waitress who takes pity on a wounded Johnny.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For was never going to match the heights of the original movie, but it’s not as bad as people make out. It’s just not as thrilling as it could have been, despite its wealth of potential.

 

Sin City

Tags

2000's, Alexis Bledel, Benicio Del Toro, Brittany Murphy, Bruce Willis, Clive Owen, Crime, Devon Aoki, Elijah Wood, Frank Miller, Jaime King, Jessica Alba, Josh Hartnett, Marley Shelton, Michael Clarke Duncan, Mickey Rourke, Nick Stahl, Powers Boothe, Robert Rodriguez, Rosario Dawson, Rutger Hauer, Sin City

Film Title

Sin City

Directors

Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez

Starring

• Mickey Rourke as Marv
• Bruce Willis as Haritgan
• Clive Owen as Dwight McCarthy
• Jessica Alba as Nancy Callahan
• Benicio Del Toro as Jackie Boy
• Rosario Dawson as Gail
• Brittany Murphy as Shellie
• Devon Aoki as Miho
• Elijah Wood as Kevin
• Jaime King as Goldie/Wendy
• Alexis Bledel as Becky
• Nick Stahl as Roark Junior
• Powers Boothe as Senator Roark
• Michael Clarke Duncan as Manute
• Rutger Hauer as Cardinal Roark
• Josh Hartnett as The Salesman
• Marley Shelton as The Customer

Visually outstanding, brutally realized and violently compelling, Sin City is one hell of a ride. Directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller, from whom the source of graphic novels is based, it may not be for everyone, but it’s definitely a film that is hard to get out of your mind.

Sin City comprises of three stories that intertwine on occasion. The setting is Basin City, a dirty, corrupt and downright nasty city of violence, sex and all things bad. One tale concerns honest cop Hartigan, who is ageing and has developed a heart condition but still trying to carry on with his latest case. He manages to save a young girl by the name of Nancy Callahan from serial rapist and child molester Roark Junior, who is also the son of the corrupt Senator of the city. In a cruel twist of fate orchestrated by the Senator, Hartigan is framed for a crime he didn’t commit and spends time in jail. Upon release, he manages to track Nancy down, she has now grown up into a gorgeous young woman who works as an exotic dancer in a saloon. Roark Junior is actually still alive and comes after them and it is up to Hartigan to stop him before it is too late. The middle tale tells of Marv, a lonely man mountain who is slowly slipping into madness. One night, he has a passionate encounter with a hooker named Goldie. Marv falls deeply in love with the girl, but unfortunately for him she is murdered while he sleeps. Heartbroken and filled with vengeance, he hacks his way through those in his way to track down the perpetrator; a psychopathic man named Kevin, who slaughters and then eats what remains of prostitutes. In the last of these overlapping vignettes, Dwight McCarthy protects his brutalized clandestine lover Shellie from her abusive partner Jackie Boy. Following the sadistic Jackie to Old Town, the red-light district, Dwight prowls in the shadows in an attempt to keep the girls safe. Not that they need to be protected, as they are led by the fierce Gail and have an arsenal of weapons at their disposal. When violence erupts, chaos emerges and bullets fly as the girls fight back against the corrupt powers that be.

Sin City immediately grabs you from its opening frames because of the stylish way in which it is shot. By combing the noir of black and white and the accentuation of certain colours, we are transported into this walking and breathing comic book story come to life. Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller bring so much to the table, skilfully immersing us in this world of violence, broads and deception. It’s like being in a hard-boiled pulp story, and these two really keep you riveted with their assured sense of direction and respect for the material. The structure of Sin City is also a highlight, with the characters slinking their way in and out of the stories at various occasions. Sin City is most certainly not for everyone’s taste, mainly because of the often gruesome and violent content. But for those with a strong stomach, it is well worth a watch. A rip-roaring soundtrack of jazzy riffs and driving guitar rhythms brings more life to the tales of graphic slaying, seductive atmosphere and shadowy dealings.

An accomplished cast fleshes out this cavalcade of tough guys and seductive vixens. Mickey Rourke brings swaggering violence and inconsolable rage to the role of the wronged Marv, who is on a revenge mission even if it kills him. Yet he also brings to the forefront of the tough guy the lonely and severed heart of a man who has the thing he cared about snatched away from him. Bruce Willis is excellent as the emotionally abandoned and ageing Hartigan, whose sole purpose for living is to protect Nancy, who he sees as a daughter. Clive Owen is at his best as the protective but very dangerous Dwight, imbuing the part with grave humour and macho virility. While Jessica Alba is often quite wooden in terms of her acting, she does manage to give the part of Nancy a sense of vulnerability and scorching sex appeal. Benicio Del Toro is skulking menace personified as Jackie Boy, while Rosario Dawson is smoking hot as the tooled-up Gail, who isn’t going to go down without a fight. Brittany Murphy gives sympathy to the role of Shellie and Devon Aoki is a scowling presence as Miho, a mute prostitute who is more than adept with a Samurai sword. Elijah Wood is surprisingly chilling as the light-footed and sadistic serial killer with a taste for blood. Jaime King essays the roles of the ill-fated Goldie and her twin sister Wendy, while Alexis Bledel is suitably naive as Becky, one of the younger prostitutes of Old Town. Nick Stahl is sinister and twisted as Roark Junior, along with a slimy turn from Powers Boothe as his well-connected father. Michael Clarke Duncan is imposing and vicious as a mob enforcer, and Rutger Hauer makes an impression as a member of the Roark family. Josh Hartnett and Marley Shelton give mystery and smoky elegance to the enigmatic opening to the film.

Violent, stylish and unforgettable, Sin City is a film that will definitely leave you awestruck.

 

Angel Heart

Tags

1980's, Alan Parker, Angel Heart, Charlotte Rampling, Horror, Lisa Bonet, Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, Thriller

Film Title

Angel Heart

Director

Alan Parker

Cast

• Mickey Rourke as Harry Angel
• Robert De Niro as Louis Cyphre
• Lisa Bonet as Epiphany Proudfoot
• Charlotte Rampling as Margaret Kruesmark

An unsettling mix of noir and supernatural thriller, Angel Heart contains many visually indelible images and a highly atmospheric score that linger long in the memory. Although polarizing and controversial upon release, in no small part to a graphic love scene, Angel Heart is much more than that. It may seem like style over substance and lacking subtlety, but if you look closer it has a nail-biting premise that culminates in a shocking and unexpected finale. Angel Heart is not a film for everyone, in particular the faint hearted but there is no denying its shock power, sense of creepy atmosphere and memorable lead performance by a young Mickey Rourke.

It is 1955, New York. Harry Angel is an unkempt private detective who is often contacted for simple cases. One day he is contacted by a lawyer whose client wants help with an interesting job. The client is the elegant yet strangely sinister Louis Cyphre, who Harry meets in a church in Harlem. He informs Harry of Johnny Favourite, a crooner during the war who suffered horrific injuries and hasn’t been seen in a long time. Cyphre had a deal which he cryptically talks about that he had with the crooner that he wishes to resolve. He wants Angel to find out simply if Johnny is alive or dead. Harry takes the case, but as he investigates further into Johnny’s life in New Orleans and meets the sexy and mysterious Epiphany Proudfoot, a growing sense of creepiness and uncertainty begins to surround it. His questions are met with hush-hush replies and strange occurrences begin happening as a result of Angel’s curiosity with the crooner. He also becomes caught up in the Voodoo of Johnny’s past and he is plagued by weird dreams that make no sense to him at all.

Special praise should go to the cinematography that captures the darkness and sweltering atmosphere that Harry uncovers through the course of the film. The film is also sonically intriguing, making the simplest of sounds such as the clattering of feet and the turning of a fan sound sinister. A young Mickey Rourke both shows the tough and vulnerable side to Harry, making the audience relate to him and what he is going through. His scenes with De Niro are fantastic and memorable. Robert De Niro relishes the role of Cyphre and plays him with a creepy and cryptic menace that is quite unsettling. Shedding her good girl image of The Cosby Show, Lisa Bonet is enigmatic and sexy as the Voodoo priestess and daughter of one of Johnny’s conquests. Charlotte Rampling is an interesting and mystical presence in her small role as a wronged fortune-teller whose heart was broken by the crooner.

All in all, Angel Heart is a visually intriguing and doom laden movie that takes many twists and turns as it escalates. As I’ve mentioned earlier, the film is not for everyone. But if you like a thriller with a supernatural edge and bizarre images, this is the film I would recommend.