Angel

As part of my preparation for the release of Ti West's third film in his X trilogy, MAXXXINE, I'm revisiting my favorite sleazy 80s crime thrillers, such as 10 TO MIDNIGHT and VICE SQUAD. ANGEL was another favorite in this disreputable subgenera, which boasted the hard-to-ignore tagline on the VHS box, "High School Honor Student by Day. Hollywood Hooker by Night." 25-year-old Donna Wilkes plays 15-year-old prostitute Molly 'Angel' Stewart, and ANGEL would have been an interesting enough film watching her managing her two secret lives, but throw in a necrophiliac serial killer played by John Diehl (MIAMI VICE, STRIPES, THE SHIELD, etc.) and you have an enthralling trashy melodrama and thriller rolled into one! But wait, there's more! You also get a crossdressing Dick Shawn (THE PRODUCERS, IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD) as Mae, a trans prostitute who is a mother figure to Angel, Susan Tyrell (FAT CITY, CRY-BABY, FORBIDDEN ZONE) as Angel's butch lesbian landlord who Angel has convinced her mother is bedridden and simply cannot ever come to the door, and Rory Calhoun (HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE, MOTEL HELL) as a street performer impersonating Kit Carson. The colorful panoply of Hollywood Blvd. Street life has a bit of a Wizard of Oz or Alice in Wonderland vibe to it, albeit a more "downtown" version, but in ANGEL, instead of a Wicked Witch, there's a psychotic killer knocking off hookers. John Diehl nearly steals every scene he's in as the deranged killer, but it's the way the disparate denizens of the LA streets pull together to support one another that gives this sordid film more of a heart than most films of its ilk. Steven M. Porter is particularly moving as Yoyo Charlie, a street performer who does magic while dressed as Charlie Chaplin. It's this "found family" element to the street people of ANGEL that set it apart from similar films. Don't get me wrong, this film is an utter sleaze-fest, but there's a charm to ANGEL you don't typically get in these sorts of films, which makes it one of the better examples of this subgenera, though VICE SQUAD is still the best example.

Released to critical assault(and one surprisingly enthusiastic review from Roger Ebert), ANGEL managed to glean wide audience appeal and raked in the dough. It was ingeniously marketed- "High School Honor Student by Day/Hollywood Hooker by Night" was the memorable tagline, featured with ad images of a knee-socked high school pigtailer and her high-heeled "come-hither-with-cash-in-hand" alter-ego. Our sympathetic young heroine is played on-target by Donna Wilkes(looking a hell of a lot sexier than she did on TV's HELLO LARRY a few years earlier). An eccentric supporting cast(Tyrrell and Calhoun, most notably) shine as various "creatures of the street"

On the surface, it's a fairly conformable psycho-slasher crime picture with a heapin' helping of tittie and some very dodgy scenarios. But there's a distinct tongue-in-cheek subtly underlying the obvious pastiche of ANGEL, implying a wry sendup of the base material. Too, it joyously celebrates its own trashy nature with a good sense of humor about itself, yet still maintains a steady momentum of raw tension, violent action, and crisp direction.

With the surprising box office this film generated, a string of inferior but inevitable sequels followed(without the lovely Ms. Wilkes). Next up was AVENGING ANGEL.

7.5/10

"Angel" can be summed up in one word "entertaining", and nothing else really matters. The story has all the makings of a lurid sexploitation film, with it's high school honor student, hooker, connection, plus a little necrophilia thrown in for good measure. It would be a mistake however to dismiss "Angel" as just another catering to "old men in raincoats" movie. Supporting characters Dick Shawn, Rory Calhoun, and Susan Tyrrell, add immeasurably, as do the seedy Hollywood Boulevard locations. Many movie stereotypes are represented including, female revenge with a big gun, gratuitous nude shower scenes, high school jocks and geeks, but it all pulls together with witty dialog and excellent character development. Even the killer, who doesn't speak until the end, is memorable. - MERK

On watching "Angel", one gets the impression that the movie could have gone one of two ways and been successful - had the filmmakers made enough of an effort. Sadly, the results are somewhat underwhelming. The most obvious way the movie could have gone is down the exploitation route. Surprisingly, there is very little that could be considered that - foul language is almost non-existent, the nudity is generally fleeting and never presented in an erotic manner, violence is not explicit, and not once we never see our heroine seriously involved in her "trade".

The other route the movie could have gone down is presenting the situation in a serious manner. Unfortunately, not much is done this way as well. We have crazy characters, but they really don't do much, nor do we learn much about them. Street life is also presented to be overall not a bad way to live. There are some believable complications that come up in the heroine's life, but once they come up they are barely dealt with. Possibly the reason for this is that the movie seems cut down seemingly from a longer cut. It would also explain why the movie at times jumps unbelievably quick from scene to scene before anything of real importance has the chance to come up.

The movie still remains strangely watchable all the same. Still, one cannot help but see so much wasted potential.

While not being a Hollywood triumph, Angel is a wonderful film. Showing life on the streets is a large premise of the film, it takes care to preserve some humor as well. Not in the sense that it is a funny movie, as it is not; but it shows life as... well, life.

As most people who watch movies can relate, the enjoyment of a movie is not as a critic would describe. If you can feel the emotions of the characters, you can love them. If you can relate to the characters, you can befriend them. If you can care about the characters, the writers did their job, and you are now hooked. While Angel will not likely be a model in film school as one of the great classics, nor as an example of how to make a great movie, it is a highly entertaining film. You can feel the characters, even though they are not deeply constructed. The exception being Angel herself, whom you can see the wear and tear she goes through as an honor student and a prostitute.

I firmly believe that there is a message to be heard here, a storyline full of life, fun and adventure. Granted, it is not the best kept together, it does do the trick of conveying the message of the story across. The film allows you to care for the star, feel for the star, and cry with the star. A compassionate film that has supporting cast as abstract as could be, a little far fetched, maybe... but who really knows what kind of characters are really out there on the streets. But their conveyances of who they are allows you to realize their sense of why they are there. They are scared, they need the money, or they love it. Each supporting role as different as the others, but allows you to see the richness of the film in its entirety.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film numerous times, and am sure that you will too. Regardless of critical un-acclaim, most filmgoers can still see the enjoyment in a movie. Give every movie a chance. Especially Angel, as it is one of the finer forms of the un-acclaimed heroes in rental today