his is a great film.

The story is brilliant, the acting is very good, it's got action, romance, gore, mystery, good dialogue, interesting characters, and a great twist ending.  The plot can be compared to The Sixth Sense, in that you learn something amazing at the very end, and then want to watch the movie again to see if they played it fair all along.  They did, it's very consistent and well-written; no holes in the logic that you have to overlook.  In fact once you know the twist, you'll wonder that you didn't catch on sooner.  There are certainly plenty of hints, once you know what to look for.  I'd recommend watching it and not being too suspicious, it'll steal some of the fun away from you.

The story is set in 1955, and the main character is a small-time private detective named Harry Angel (Mickey Rourke).  He's hired by the mysterious and enigmatic Mr. Cypher (Robert DeNiro) to find a missing person.  The missing man is a singer, Johnny Valentine, who made a business arrangement with Mr. Cypher and has now skipped out, in an effort to avoid paying his debt.  Valentine was injured in WW2, and is supposed to be an invalid in a mental hospital, but seems to not be there.

Harry takes the case and investigates, and soon finds that Valentine is indeed missing, and has apparently been gone for over a decade, his absence covered for by a crooked doctor who was bribed heavily to discharge Valentine while pretending he was still there.

From this opening Harry's investigation takes him to palm readers on Coney Island and old band leaders in Harlem, and from there to the deep south, following a trail of voodoo and mystery.

And mystery it is, as the plot unfolds and Harry unravels the disappearance and life of Valentine.  The viewer is right along with Harry, never knowing much more or less than he does, which makes it fun and edge of the seat as you wait to see what will happen next and what more he'll learn.

The biggest oddity is that people keep turning up dead.  Almost everyone involved with Valentine's disappearance keeps being gruesomely murdered, but by who?  Harry talks to them, and the next day he finds them bloodily-murdered. Is Valentine stalking him, covering his tracks and trying to frame Harry for it?  Is Mr. Cypher involved?

Interwoven into the conventional events of the story are lurid and mysterious flashbacks in Harry's thoughts. He is chased by unknown attackers, he keeps seeing a descending elevator and basins of blood, and there is a mysterious woman, shrouded in black.  What relationship do his dreams have to the ongoing investigation?

Eventually all is revealed, and it is indeed a shocking conclusion.

I'm avoiding giving any more details since the first time you see this film it's a tremendous thrill.  I'd give it a 10 on the first viewing.  It holds up well on subsequent viewings; obviously the surprise is gone, but it's fun to see how well directed and plotted the film is; how all the pieces fit together so neatly.  The performances are excellent as well, both by the main characters and most of the supporting cast as well.

Highly recommended, at least for a rental.

All site content copyright "Flux" (Eric Bruce), 2002-2007.