i did not find the movie such good,i expected it to be better
-
franzkabuki — 14 years ago(May 23, 2011 05:31 PM)
I think its better than just mediocre, but certainly not the kinda masterpiece some are making it out to be as the fusion of noir and supernatural horror often feels rather uneasy & artificial. Its nothing particularly original either despite Parkers efforts to play the conclusion as if it were some earth shattering revelation and have Rourke resort to some rather unconvincing overacting. A lot of the time one cant help getting the impression the films more concerned with the decorative element, the period stylistics, than he was with the story that was told against these expressionistic lanscapes (although, one must admit, the overkill didnt nearly reach the ludicrous heights of Shutter Island - a film to which Angel Heart bears a close resemblence. It is, however, no less heavy handed than the Scorseses piece of muck when it comes to dropping clues about the "actual" situation at hand). Also, a lot of the shock tactics come across as sensationalistic more than anything else.
But of course it IS pretty to look at - albeit a bit in the kitschy kind of way - and the suspense never really slackens throughout; as old hat the film may seem, one cant deny its outstandingly crafted. De Niro as The Devil was fairly amusing, too, although nowhere near as riotously entertaining as Pacinos version of The Horned One in (the otherwise awful) Devils Advocate. I guess it can be taken semi-seriously at least. 7-7,5/10.
"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan -
oiltanker — 13 years ago(April 22, 2012 02:59 AM)
The difference for me is that before watching Devils Advocate I knew that Pacino was the Devil and had a pretty decent idea what was going to happen in it just by seeing 1 ad. It was probably going to be watchable but it wasn't going to have me thinking about it the next day or strongly recommending it to mates.
Was only a kid when Angel Heart came out and seen it maybe 93. I had no idea the Devil would make an appearance and was drawn into the complex story and characters thinking it was a regular detective type show. Since then I have watched it many times and bought the original book, something I have never did in that order. I get an automated email reply every now and again, pop back on here and still manage to learn something new.
Was it obvious at the time of release that DeNiro was playing the Devil? It obviously was a massive plus not knowing.
Either way I must disagree and think AH is head and shoulders over DA and can some it up with a quote from the Devil in each film, a hint each time to the lead character as to who he really is.
"You know, some religions think that the egg is the symbol of the soul, did you know that?"
verses
"Speak of the Devil, HA HA HA!" -
Exar-Sama — 11 years ago(October 05, 2014 03:20 PM)
It's good imo but not worth a rewatch since it's not very entertaining, unless if I wanted to see the scenes with De Niro who I thought was excellent. On the other hand I'll probably rewatch Devil's Advocate sometime. 6.0 from me as well.
-
gargarie — 10 years ago(May 16, 2015 05:17 PM)
Agree. This movie aims higher than Devil's Advocate, but misses, and in the end falls lower. Devil's Advocate aims to entertain and produces a flawed but really enjoyable melodrama. Angel Heart aims at something higher, but lacks the subtlety or wit to achieve its goals. I wanted to love this movie A slow burn psychological occult film noir set in New York and New Orleans? Yes! But I watched it twice, paying especially close attention the second time, and while Rourke and Bonet in particular deliver excellent performances, De Niro seems terribly uninspired (can't blame him), and the script is clumsy (Angel's bad, fake old-timey dialogue; "I'm from Brooklyn!"; "We ain't all Baptists down here";
"Louis Cyphre"
). The twist surprised me when I figured it out about halfway through, and I hoped for an interesting development, but the heavy-handed exposition by Krusemark and Louis toward the end let me down and bored me. Krusemark's flabbergasted description of A Spooky Ritual made me laugh. Really, even though Angel Heart clearly aimed at a more intellectually subtle story than Devil's Advocate did, Devil's Advocate actually deploys its satanic figure with greater finesse: Pacino's devil acts (mostly) not by overt supernatural intervention, but just by tempting Lomax, and profiting from his human weaknesses. -
-
Spyro Bandicoot Elsa Anna Olaf — 6 years ago(August 02, 2019 02:15 AM)
I thought it was okay. Not bad just good/okay. Definitely a spooky film and I enjoy the spooky detective atmosphere but Jesus Mother Fucking Christ it scared the **** out of me when I saw it