Harry Angel (Mickey Rourke) is a small time private detective in 1950's Brooklyn. He receives a call from the mysterious Louis Cypher (Robert DeNiro) who asks him to track down Johnny Favorite, a man with whom Cypher had made a contract and then disappeared without paying his debt. Angel’s investigations lead him to Louisiana, where he meets Epiphany Proudfoot (Lisa Bonet), who he discovers is a voodoo priestess after witnessing a blood ritual in a muggy bayou. Angel becomes the prime suspect for the murders that he encounters along the way as he finds himself in increasingly desperate situations. His decline into self-destruction culminates in a dramatic self discovery.

Angel Heart is a fabulous blend of film noir and modern supernatural horror. The fine performances from Rourke and DeNiro, and Alan Parker’s superb direction make for an unforgettable film, dripping with suspense and atmosphere. Parker creates an often nightmarish, surreal world, full of symbolism and an underlying threat, that creates an uncomfortable yet engrossing  experience. Also, lets not forget the frequent bloody violence and the dark eroticism on display, particularly in Harry and Epiphany's ensanguined conjugation. Angel Heart is an underrated, often ignored classic and remains one of my all time favourite films. Devilishly good. S.J.T.

Angel Heart. 1987

Directed by Alan Parker

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