It has been forever since I saw this film. Maybe early 90s during my video store years. So I decided to take another look at it. And I loved it. It’s dark, twisted, but done so well.

Set in the 50s, Mickey Rourke plays a private investigator, Harry Angel. And honestly, this is one of my favourite roles of his. He looks great, the costumes are top-notch and the way he plays the role, he comes across as competent but floundering more desperately as things escalate.

He’s hired by Louis Cyphre (Rober DeNiro in an absolutely chilling performance) to hunt down someone who skipped out on a contract he had made. He’s looking for a singer, Johnny Favorite, who went missing following the war. Amnesia and facial reconstruction they say.

The clues lead from a mental facility outside New York to New Orleans. There, he finds a beguiling young woman, Epiphany (Lisa Bonet), who is emeshed in the world of voodoo. Along the way, it seems everyone Angel interacts with ends up dead, violently murdered.

And the horrifying reality of what is going on slowly begins to dawn on him, before his world comes down brutally around him.

It’s no real surprise to the audience to discover who Cyphre really is. It’s hinted from the get-go, his nails, the use of fans (an ill wind). DeNiro is so unnerving in this; he’s great.

The film looks spectacular, there’s a mood draped over it, and Rourke carries the film easily. It’s unfortunate that he and DeNiro didn’t get along. He wasn’t keen on DeNiro’s idea of not interacting with him on set (I would call that a character choice), and that effect has hung between them now for decades.

I love the performances and the look of the film. It’s grim, it’s sordid, but it’s done so incredibly well. Parker crafts it incredibly well, and gets fantastic work from everyone on the set. And Rourke shines through it all.

I love his costumes and the way his character interacts with everyone on screen. Except for DeNiro, there’s a friction there that was created by both actors, which works great.

The further the film goes, the darker it gets, and it really isn’t going to be for everyone, but damn if it isn’t a solid supernatural noir. And as far as I’m concerned, everything in it works. It’s smart, dark and so unnerving. And that descent through the end credits. Gah.