Angel Heart works better than most neo-Noir because it steals and samples vintage noir devices, both literally and liberally, rather than paying homage to them a la the Coen Brothers or fetishizing them a la the French. Based on a novel named Falling Angel, Angel Heart snatches the goofy Cornell Woolrich (Black Angel) blackout noir scenarios and the Alias Nick Beal devil in disguise routine. Like B noir of the classic period, bad acting is essential to the film’s success. Mickey Rourke, about to quit film to return to the boxing ring, is totally disinterested in acting at this point and thus nails the deufus detective, the seeker who looks everywhere but can’t see his own crimes, who amasses clues yet remains clueless. I fear contemplate the hideousness of the character if he had actually tried, some blustery world-weary cynic who stomps his way through scenes. DeNiro is horribly exposed as a diabolical Joel Cairo-figure; pure bull when not raging, his contrived attemtps at subtlty quickly render his performance cartoonish, which results in a silly Satan—but a Satan without silliness would have completely ruined the movie, for B noir without camp is just another bad movie. While one doesn’t actually believe the devil made me do it conclusion, it leaves the viewer free to sort it out. Which fiction is the cover for which truth? Which metaphor removes which mask?
Angel Heart (Parker 1987)
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