Angel Heart

Right now you can watch Angel Heart in the US on Kanopy and Hoopla, and in the UK on STUDIOCANAL PRESENTS Apple TV Channel and Studiocanal Presents Amazon Channel — and it earns its twists rather than manufacturing them. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. A 7/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Mickey Rourke leads a cast that carries the story without ever feeling mechanical. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Kanopy.

Angel Heart arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. Angel Heart treats its mystery as a means, not an end in itself. A down-and-out Brooklyn detective is hired to track down a singer on an odyssey that will take him through the desperate streets of Harlem, the smoke-filled jazz clubs of New Orleans, and the swamps of Louisiana and its seedy underworld of voodoo. The writing gets a boost from Mickey Rourke and Robert De Niro, who sell every scene they're in. Angel Heart came out in 1987. What makes Angel Heart hold up is that the resolution matters less than how the characters get there. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

If you cannot walk away from a good mystery, Angel Heart will keep you hooked. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Watch Mickey Rourke work — it is a masterclass in the genre. Few crime dramas earn their twists this consistently.