DVD Review: Angel Heart (1987)

In Attendance- Me, Eryn, The Vanilla Gorilla, and Nick.
Cast Members of Note- Robert Deniro & Mickey Rourke...does it get any more "of note?" than that? Also, this is the movie that made Bill Cosby hate Lisa Bonet.

Harry, a private dick, hates chickens, so guess what happens? Yep... some creepy bastard (Satan) comes along and hires him to find a lost chicken, and forces the poor bastard to watch him eat hard boiled eggs that represent the human soul.

Freaked out, Harry takes off and heads to New Orleans, where all chickens on the lam go to hide out. Lucky for Harry he meets a hot, 17-year-old Voodoo priestess that likes to get naked, or the job would be a total loss. Unfortunately, she also loves chickens, and bathing in their blood while naked, so it's a no-win for Harry either way. Needless to say he still bangs her. 

Nice nose-guard, palooka.

He karate fights some pit bulls, joins a blues band, becomes a morphine dealer, and has a bloodbath orgy... but that's only the beginning! I won't ruin the end here, but suffice it to say that Harry ends up on an elevator... going down! *I'm not talking about Macy's here, folks. 

Does it get any more perfect than Robert Deniro as Satan?

An excellent film, filled with excellent actors, Angel Heart is a must see. That really sums it up. Alan Parker brings us into a world that envelopes us from the get go, and manages to creep us out just enough to make it less than a pleasant ride. Beautifully shot, deft and engrossing script wise, the old 'Devil wants your soul' bit works perfectly here. It also doesn't hurt that Robert Deniro plays the Devil, or that Mickey Rourke plays the private dick that gets in way over his head, because both are world class actors.

For its time, Lisa Bonet's nudity and the graphic nature of the sexuality in the movie was actually considered hugely controversial. Funny, that, because by today's standards, the goings-on in Angel Heart would barely raise an eyebrow.

All of those elements together make for a more than satisfying story about Devil worship and Voodoo that makes us wonder exactly what goes on around us that were oblivious to. Probably a lot.

A 1-2 punch of acting perfection.

Poor Harry, he was doomed from the start. I mean, come on, Louis Cyphre? Even I figured that one out!

Doomed.

Oh man, he had sex with his daughter. Eew.

Then again...

Plenty of the crimson glory to go around in this one; hot gumbo drownings, ripped-out hearts, straight razor slashing, a blood-soaked sex scene... it's all good stuff.

Satan Baby!

Lisa Bonet gets all sorts of "man is Bill Cosby gonna be pissed about this" naked in this one. Also, some blond chick shows her goods.
 

Good girl gone bad!

"No matter how cleverly you sneak up on a mirror, your reflection always looks you straight in the eye."

Avoid Jailbait at all costs. Also, you might wanna avoid Satan at all costs too.
 

Remember when Mickey Rourke was considered one of the sexiest men in the World?

Angel Heart is an excellent movie that pulls you in, lulls you with its imagery, then tries to steal your soul. Even the end credits are filled with symbolism. This one is well worth a buy, but at the very least you owe it to yourself to give it a rental or watch it on TV.

A

Angel Heart is available now on Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD. 

What drove Lisa Bonet to go from America's Sweetheart to sassy sex-kitten? Our guess? Bill Cosby.