Payment in Soul

By Christina Harlin, your Fearless Young Orphan

Angel Heart (1987)

Directed by Alan Parker

Angel Heart is quite literally about a deal with the Devil, and is the first Noir Scoire contender that has contained a serious supernatural element. Some might argue that this makes it ineligible for the category in the strictest sense of the term, but I’ll just bet you that it’s going to get a pretty great score anyway.

It’s a great movie, if you can embrace its heavy-handed symbolism (the names of the characters alone are either brilliant or groaningly obvious, depending on your mood about these things) and accept the fact that it’s Faust’s misadventures retold for the noir era. In New York in 1953, Mickey Rourke is private detective Harold Angel (you see what I mean about the names?) who is hired by a bizarre client Louis Cyphre (Robert De Niro, as creepy as he can be) to locate a singer who made a “deal” with Mr. Cyphre and is now trying to back out of it.

A reluctant Angel, more accustomed to divorce cases or insurance matters, tracks down clues about the whereabouts of singer Johnny Favorite, a man who apparently was fond of diving into the deep end of the occult, but the singer himself never seems to materialize. This is a deadly mysterious trail to follow, which leads Angel deeper and deeper into sleazy, rotting corners of the world until he fetches up in New Orleans with the voodoo crowd, seeking out a woman who might have been Johnny’s lover before World War II drafted him away.

The plot is a bit confusing if you don’t pay careful attention, though I think confusion is purposeful. Angel is meant to be confused, as his quest for knowledge is kind of the point. More troubling to him than the confusion is the way that everyone he speaks to – a morphine addicted old doctor who covered for Favorite, Charlotte Rampling as a psychic who was Favorite’s fiancé and co- conspirator in the occult, a jazz musician called Toot Sweet who played for Favorite’s band, these people all end up brutally murdered. Not just killed, but killed with glee, and sliced up in telling ways, hearts and tongues removed. The further Angel goes with the case, the more frightened Angel becomes because he is positive that something is pursuing him. He is plagued by nightmares and visions. He cannot get a straight answer from his bizarre client. There is death everywhere. Harry Angel has something terrible to learn. You know what it is. Everyone knows what it is, except for Angel himself, it seems. Poor guy.

The diner: film noir’s favorite place to grab a burger.

Most people who were around when this was released will remember that this was the movie that caused serious uproar over Lisa Bonet, who stars as Epiphany Proudfoot, the illegitimate daughter of Favorite. Bonet was on The Cosby Show at the time when that show was ruling the Nelson Ratings, and the fact that she was not only naked in Angel Heart but engaged in a rough and nasty sex scene with Mickey Rourke caused a terrible stir. Remember this? It’s kind of funny now because, while the sex scene is fairly ooky, in and of itself it’s not the most shocking thing about her character by a long shot. Anyway if that’s all you remember about this film, I highly recommend you give it another look. You might be surprised at what a terrific looking, fundamentally scary film it is.

Is it film noir? Maybe the appearance of Satan himself causes a problem, but let’s just see here:

The Noir Scoire:

Our anti-hero: Harold Angel, a private detective who seems to live in a trashy overcoat. Everything about him is unkempt, wrinkled, stained. He is hired to pursue Johnny Favorite but Johnny Favorite is a man who has been very careful about never being found. Every clue Angel follows takes him deeper into danger, yet it is always someone else who ends up dead. Does Angel have a fatal flaw? Yes. Probably the most fatal flaw of them all: he has decided to forget who he is. 10/10

As Played by: Mickey Rourke. Rourke is perfect in the part – not a stupid man, but a frightened one who doesn’t want to get himself involved in anything heavy. He is more clever than he acts, mean when he needs to be, violent when he must be, someone you’d never want to trust, sympathetic but merely pathetic too. Rourke has never had a problem with playing the freaks, and he’s wonderful at it, one of the most interesting actors out there. 10/10

The femme fatale: This role is filled somewhat unspecifically by two women. First, Margaret Krusemark is a spoiled rich-girl psychic who knew Favorite and helped him in a scheme that worked a little too well. She’s messing with forces far beyond her control and will pay in flesh: one very particular pound of flesh. Then, Epiphany Proudfoot is the illegitimate daughter of Favorite who likes to play with voodoo. She is an innocent in this matter, but her presence is trouble for Harry Angel. She, more than anyone else, shows him the terrible solution to his missing persons case. 8/10 As played by: Charlotte Rampling is cold and brittle as Margaret Krusemark, an unforgettable performance even though she’s only briefly in the film. Lisa Bonet is a beautiful girl and exudes a lot of sweetness; however, she’s not a powerful screen presence and her role seems to be one of aesthetics only. 8/10

The villain: It’s Lucifer: real, Old Testament, fallen-angel Satan, who is playing with souls on earth and is pretty pissed off that one has tried to get away from him. Being a real bastard, though, he’s not above enjoying a bit of torment appetizer before the main meal. Can one really get any more villainous than Lucifer himself? But you might argue that Lucifer is only doing his job; the real villain here is stupid, arrogant Johnny Favorite, who thought that he might exchange his soul for something as fleeting as fame and then back out on payment in full. 10/10

As played by: Robert De Niro, having a terrific time. It’s the best rendition of Satan I’ve ever seen: a gentleman, a true believer in God, a mischievous joker, ultimately the loss of all hope and light. If for no other reason, you should see the movie to see him play this part. 10/10

The crime: Selling one’s soul is not illegal, but it’s awfully stupid. Even more stupid may be thinking that you can get out of the deal afterwards. But since stupidity isn’t a crime, let’s say that bloody murder features front and center here. Trying to escape Lucifer’s reach is a very messy proposition. 10/10

The location: New York and New Orleans, excellent film noir locations anyway, and here both of these cities are presented as if in an alternate reality of sin and grime. Nothing in the movie looks new or nice; there is a pervading atmosphere of decay. Angel is surrounded by people who seem to represent Deadly Sins themselves: sloth, greed, lust and anger. Everything lies dank and everyone is covered in sweat. The cinematography is gorgeously ugly. 10/10

The mood: Doom, in the most traditional sense of the word. If being damned to eternal hellfire isn’t the very definition of doom, then I don’t know what is. Director Alan Parker never releases us from omen-laden atmosphere, beginning the film with an unexplained murder in a grimy alley, ending the film in a seemingly endless elevator ride downward. The soundtrack, sparse and full of metallic squeaks, sounds like the gibbering of demons. Prepare to be wicked creeped out. 10/10

The sex factor: It’s here, all right, but it is weird and violent. The passions that led Johnny Favorite’s women were deep enough to leave canyons behind. As Angel navigates them, he finds himself trapped and tempted again. We always make allowances for twisted love in film noir, and the “kink” factor of relationships is a welcome addition. Angel Heart goes beyond twisting or kink, though. This is some bad mojo. 9/10

Overall Noir Scoire: 95%. And there you have it, folks. Our first supernatural film noir!

If you know of any other movies that might fit this category, please shoot me an email or visit me on Facebook with suggestions!