by Jon Partridge
Twilight Time continues its efforts to bring classics both known and unknown into your homes with the 1982 release Angel, a film known in some overseas territories as Danny Boy. Angel marked the directorial debut of Neil Jordan, best known for the films Byzantium, Interview with the Vampire, The Crying Game and High Spirits.
Released originally in 1982, Angel follows Danny, (Stephen Rea), a charming saxophonist who, after a performance with his band, witnesses the shooting of his manager and a innocent bystander outside an Irish nightclub. This incident hits Danny hard and sets him on a path of revenge, destroying his life and relationships and evermore pushing him into darker places.
Angel is a solemn affair, despite being a revenge thriller on the surface it looks more towards the emotional unraveling of Danny as he avenges his loss; a growing obsession more than a need to mete out justice. The low key nature of the film allows Rea to showcase a lot of nuance with his performance, aided by some solid writing, both from a story and dialogue perspective. However, it lacks tension and loses steam towards the final act.
The film is set in Northern Ireland in the early 80s against the backdrop of “the troubles”, a historical period that may lack resonance or context for some viewers. It was a particularly noteworthy time of religious and ethnic conflict between the UK and Northern Ireland. It is folded into the narrative well but a little background reading would go a long way to enhancing the appreciation of when and where the film is set.
Neil Jordan shows off a confidence to his directorial style and approach from the start. His vision complimented by the great work of cinematographer Chris Menges. For fans of his work, his debut is very much worth checking out.
THE PACKAGE
This is the first time Angel has been made available in high definition and the film looks great. The gritty nature of the piece is intact, some light graininess but feels perfectly suited to the film.
Special features are light, with only an isolated music and effects track. There is also the traditional Twilight Time liner notes booklet. Being Jordan’s debut feature, it really is a shame nothing was contributed by him to reflect on the film with its re-release.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Angel is a film with much to appreciate, from a technical perspective. The performances are great, with direction notably impressive for a debut feature, and stunning cinematography done justice by a superb transfer from Twilight Time. The story itself lacks tension and substance, but even with this in mind it is a fascinating film to watch and this release offers the best way to do that.
Angel is available to buy from Twilight Time now in a limited edition release of 3000 units.