Angel's Dance (1999)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

David L. Corley

Writer (WGA):

David L. Corley (written by)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Don't mess with an angel and expect to be saved.

Plot:

A young hitman is asked to prove himself by killing an innocent woman.

Plot Keywords:

Hitman | Mafia | Mortuary | Doll | Mafia Accountant

Cast

James Belushi	...	Stevie 'The Rose' Rosellini
Sheryl Lee	...	Angelica Chaste
Kyle Chandler	...	Tony Greco
Frank John Hughes	...	Nick
Ned Bellamy	...	Police Detective
Mark Carlton	...	Bob
Mac Davis	...	Norman
Jon Polito	...	Uncle Vinnie
David Bickford	...	Accountant
Timoleo Flloko	...	The Shank
Joe Luis Garcia	...	Johnnie
John Bigham	...	Young Priest
Chris Barnes	...	Irish Priest
Cameron Corley	...	Choir Boy
Kevin Cooney	...	Theodore Chaste

Also Known As:

Ein hoffnungsvoller Nachwuchskiller (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, sexuality and language.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M | Netherlands:6 | Singapore:M18 | Portugal:M/12 (video premiere) | UK:15 | USA:R | Argentina:16 | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Santa Fe Springs, California, USA

Company:

Promark Entertainment Group

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Steve and Tony are walking through the graveyard, you can see the shadow of the camera on the ground.

Quotes:

Stevie: Ah, the way!

Funny AND intelligent thriller with lots of twists

This comedy-thriller stars Sheryl Lee, Jim Belushi, and Kyle Chandler (from the TV show "Inside Edition").

It is an absolutely wonderful film that showcases Sheryl's acting in a way that none of her films has since "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me." Her character, Angel, goes through a series of transformations that is astonishing, hilarious, and touching. If the film had gotten a major theatrical release, it could have been the "breakthrough" role that would have made a lot of critics and moviegoers recognize her real talent.

It is also that rare thing: a funny *and* intelligent thriller that not only shatters movie cliches, but keeps the viewer engaged for the entire length of the movie.

School for Assassins

The story opens on the streets of Chicago, where a businessman is being stalked by a mob hitman. Just as he is about to strike, the hitman is run over by a truck! We learn that the businessman is the former accountant for the mob boss, Uncle Vinny (Jon Polito of "Miller's Crossing"), and he is entering the witness protection program in order to testify against Vinny.

A new hitman is needed pronto, and Tony Greco (Kyle Chandler), who once took a bullet to protect another mobster, is elected. Tony is sent to California to train with Stevie Rosellini (Jim Belushi), the most-feared assassin in the country. But Stevie turns out to be a laid-back California dude who lives on the beach and quotes Nietzche, so there is plenty of humor involving the clash between their personal styles and values.

After training Tony for a while, Stevie reveals the final test Tony must pass before he can return to Chicago--killing an innocent victim selected at random from the phone book. The victim selected is Angel Chaste (Sheryl Lee), who turns out to be a mortician at a funeral parlor.

As Stevie and Tony start tailing Angel, they learn that her life is a bit more complicated that it appears. When Angel discovers what is going on, she uses her intelligence and wit and turns into a far more formidable target than the assassins ever encountered. I won't reveal any more of the plot, as there are several delicious surprises and twists, and an ending that had the audience cheering when I first saw it at as the opening night film for the '99 Cinequest Film Festival.

Surprising Production Qualities

In addition to Sheryl Lee's superb performance, Jim Belushi is dead-on in his portrayal of Stevie. In a question and answer session after the screening, the writer/director David Corley revealed that Belushi was his first choice for the part, and how he fought with the producers to get Sheryl Lee for Angel after seeing her performance in "Backbeat."

Corley also told of the five-year struggle to get funding for the film, and the reluctance of the Hollywood studios to finance a film with such a strong and quirky female lead character. This time allowed him to hone and perfect the script, however, and the film is perfectly paced for its 102 minutes. The musical score and cinematography are also impressive for a first feature effort. Corley's prior experience was producing industrial films for Silicon Valley companies and running a video rental store. One can only imagine that he watched a *lot* of videos to come up with a script this original!

Unfortunately, the film did not acquire a US theatrical distributor, was bought by HBO, aired a few times on cable with minimal promotion, and was then released to video.

Don't miss this "hidden treasure"!