Angel Heart Had Some of the Best Editing in a Movie. (Contains Spoilers)

*Contains Spoilers*

The Following is an essay I wrote four years ago in college:

The 1987 Alan Parker film, Angel Heart tells the story of a detective supposedly named “Harold Angel” searching for a murderer named “Johnny Favorite” who sold his soul to Satan. Unbeknown to the detective, he is actually searching for himself the whole time, and Harold Angel is the name of the guy he sacrificed to Satan. It is also revealed throughout the film that Louis Cypher, the man who hired Johnny to search for “Mr. Favorite” is actually the devil himself. He has been toying around with Johnny and his amnesia, making him unconsciously murder people while sending him on a chase for himself. This ironic plot point of a detective hunting down himself makes up the main theme of the film. The way that the filmmakers establish this theme is through the film’s editing and its soundtrack. It uses different editing styles like thematic montage and classical cutting as well as the use of light motifs and music cues in terms of sound.

In terms of editing, Angel Heart doesn’t simply rely on classical cutting or thematic montage alone. Instead, the film uses both types of editing to present the theme in the course of the plot. Whether it’s classical editing’s continuity between cuts or thematic montage’s lack of continuity, the film’s theme is still heavily implied through both editing styles.

A great example of this takes place during Johnny’s first meeting with Louis Cypher. The scene starts out with a simple medium shot of Johnny talking to Louis. However, as soon as Louis brings up Johnny, the scene cuts from Louis to a much tighter shot of Johnny talking to him. As Louis gives more details on Johnny and his past, the camera mainly stays on the same shot of Johnny. This sudden change in the tightness of the frame gives a subtle hint that Johnny, who at this point in the film thinks his name is “Harold Angel,” is the man Louis is talking about.

Mickey Rourke as Johnny

In addition to this scene, the scene where Johnny discovers Margret’s disembodied heart includes a rather clever use of classical cutting. Outside of the house where Johnny murdered Margret in another one of Louis’ inflicted blackouts, children are shown tap dancing. After Johnny first discovers Margret’s corpse, he searches around the room for clues as to who murdered her. As he looks around the room, the scene constantly cuts to one kid tap dancing outside the house. The tap dancing sort of acts as a ticking clock, as the film cuts to it more often as Johnny gets closer to the heart. Once Johnny discovers the heart, the film once again cuts to the child, who has finished his dance. The child finishing the dance signifies the heart being discovered and Johnny getting closer to finding out he, himself is the culprit.

Thematic montage is also used to present the theme throughout the story. One scene where this type of editing is put into use is the scene where Johnny sees his reflection, reminding him of how he stole Harold Angel’s identity and soul. This in turn reminds him of how he killed Harold and sacrificed him to Satan. To signify this, the film flashes back to Harold’s kidnapping by Johnny and the outside of the building where he was murdered. Moreover, it also flashes forward to the ending scene where Johnny is sent on an elevator to hell. Since thematic montage shows no regard towards continuity, flashbacks and flash-forwards are permitted.

Later in the film, the blood-drenched sex scene between Johnny and his daughter Epiphany is another thematic montage worth noting. Before Johnny has sex with Epiphany, he places a bowl on the floor to catch the rain leaking through the roof. This bowl is the exact same type of porcelain bowl that was used to clean the blood off the walls after Harold’s murder. As the water from the roof drips into the bowl, it suddenly turns into blood, signifying another montage inside Johnny’s head. Even more detail from Harold’s murder is shown, including the blood spatter onto the wall and Margret scrubbing the blood off the walls using a brush and the same bowl. Once again, it also flashes forward to the elevator at an even lower position than it was in the last montage, signifying that Johnny is getting even closer to the revelation that he is the one he’s looking for.

Robert De Niro as Louis Cypher

The use of light motifs is another thing worth noting about the film. Throughout the movie, the song “I Cried for You” is played whenever Johnny finds out more about his forgotten past. However, only one specific part of the song is really showcased. This is the part of the song that goes: “I cried for you darling, now it’s your turn to cry over me.” This specific line symbolizes how Johnny took Harold’s soul, but in the end, Satan will have Johnny’s soul. This song is first played is right after Louis tells Johnny to “find Johnny,” and is last played when Johnny realizes who he and Louis really are.

In addition to this light motif, the film uses specific sound effects to emphasize Johnny getting closer to finding out who he truly is. One of these sound effects is a scream, which is played when Johnny discovers both Margert’s heart and Margert’s father burned to death in a pot of gumbo. Both of these are shocking pieces of physical evidence that Johnny committed both murders in trances caused by Louis. Also, the suspenseful music cue containing the sound of water dripping in a pan is played while Johnny is remembering his past rather than when he sees concrete evidence. This sound is played when Johnny gets to New Orleans and finds Margret, when he reminisces during intercourse with his daughter, and when he drives to the house where he finally finds out the truth about him and his satanic deeds. Clearly, this ominous but heart-pounding sound is meant to create suspense for the inevitable, and it certainly is a fine way to do so.

Overall, the editing done in this film really makes a truly incredible film even better. Not only was the acting, writing, and directing flawless, but the editing makes it even more recommendable. Out of all horror films, this is by far the greatest I have seen; it manages to be frightening and intelligent at the same time, something modern horror films struggle to be.

My Top 5 Most Anticipated Movies of September/October 2015.

This summer was certainly a big one for movies. In the past few months, we've gotten smash hits like Avengers: Age of Ultron, Inside Out, Jurassic World, Minions, and much more. While this summer is drawing to a close, the upcoming early fall movie season is nevertheless still exciting. While there won't be nearly as many blockbusters, the amount of promising features coming out in September and October is still worth getting excited about. The hype train is still going strong as we get into awards season.

5. The Martian

Sure, Ridley Scott hasn't had a good track record recently, but that doesn't mean he still can't make a good movie. I know it's kind of an unpopular opinion online, but I actually liked Prometheus. I admired that wasn't afraid to introduce new elements while bringing back the underrated fusion of sci-fi horror that the first Alien film was famous for.

I'm hoping that after the failure of Exodus, Scott will bring his sci-fi prowess back to The Martian to give audiences a hypnotically beautiful sci-fi drama. Plus, with Drew Goddard of Cabin in the Woods and the Daredevil TV series writing, things are certainly looking up for The Martian.

4. Everest

In the past few years, movies like Gravity and Interstellar have delivered visually outstanding Imax experiences with their outer-space settings. While Everest indeed takes place on Earth, it looks no less stunning. 

With beautiful establishing shots the Himalayan mountains, I'm anticipating Everest to remind me of those field trips I used to take to the Aquarium to see immersive nature documentaries in Imax. On the other hand, with the involvement of Slumdog Millionaire writer Simon Beaufoy and A-list talent like Jake Gyllenhaal and Josh Brolin, Everest looks to be much more than just a film about nature. 

How the characters interact with each other in the face of disaster and survival could lead to an excellent and heart-wrenching story. Such a story would blend perfectly with the awe-inspiring cinematography this film is sure to give us. Here's hoping that Everest not only delivers a film that's beautiful to look at, but also ties in a story that truly makes an impact.  

3. Crimson Peak 

The last time Guillermo Del Toro directed a fantasy-horror film was 2006's Pan's Labyrinth, a film which I consider to be one of the most creative and ambitious films of all time. After something as insanely entertaining as Pacific Rim and his hit series The Strain, it's clear that Guillermo Del Toro hasn't lost his touch since then. With Crimson Peak, it is possible that Guillermo Del Toro could breathe some new life into the hit-or-miss library of modern horror films.

Horror films such as The Gallows and Sinister 2 have failed to do the horror genre justice, relying on cheap jump scares and lazy writing, While great horror movies like Oculus and It Follows have made it to the big screen recently, they are few and far between. From what I've seen so far, Guillermo Del Toro seems to be delivering a horror film that focuses on atmosphere instead of lazy scare tactics. Crimson Peak boasts gothic imagery and atmosphere, and its Victorian era setting only adds to how potentially unsettling and dream-like this movie could be. 

2. Black Mass

So Johnny Depp has not had a good past few years. That doesn't mean he can't still make a comeback. With the help of the director of Crazy Heart (and the underrated Out of The Furnace), Johnny Depp looks to finally make that comeback.

In Black Mass, it looks like Depp is going to trade in his recent shtick of playing eccentric, quirky characters to play a sadistic, menacing villain. Based on several documentaries I've watched on the subject, the story of Whitey Bulger is ripe for a film adaptation. Whitey Bulger was a violent, sociopathic individual, and yet had a soft side for his family. Getting to see how the violent and peaceful aspects of his life affected him as a person is sure to be fascinating to watch on screen.

The last time I remember a mainstream movie focusing on a villain was 2013's The Wolf of Wall Street. It was a fascinating character study bolstered by excellent direction by Martin Scorsese and featured a stellar lead performance by Leonardo DiCaprio. I'm optimistic that director Scott Cooper and Johnny Depp can deliver a film that's just as captivating. September 18th seems like a long way away.

1. Sicario

Emily Blunt is perhaps the most underrated actress in Hollywood. She may not have legions of fangirls like Jennifer Lawrence or Emma Stone, but her sheer talent and likability make her just as enjoyable to watch on screen. Having previously showcased her acting prowess in Edge of Tomorrow and Into the Woods, Blunt plays the lead character in Sicario. Sicario is a crime thriller centered around an FBI agent (Blunt) sent by the government to aid a task force on the hunt for a drug lord in Mexico.

In the wrong hands, this plot could easily succumb to cartoonish stereotypes and generic setpieces. However, with Prisoners' Denis Villeneuve directing and the excellent Roger Deakins on cinematography, I expect a beautifully shot and ominously suspenseful film that will keep me guessing throughout. The always welcome presence of Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro just adds to the hype, and I'll be checking this one out on opening night.