(1984)
2
Donald Guarisco
This sequel-spawning grindhouse favorite is as thoroughly unrealistic as its premise seems: Angel's lifestyle seems rather nice and uncomplicated despite her profession, every denizen of the street (barring the psycho villain) is totally altruistic towards her and she seems remarkably innocent and non-cynical despite her tragic backstory. It sounds like a recipe for disaster but it actually is not: Angel is a surprising watchable and entertaining affair for b-movie fans. The script may be contradictory in its aims (one minute it is gritty exploitation, the next it is trying to be a sincere social-consciousness drama) but Robert Vincent O'Neil keeps things moving at a speedy pace that doesn't give the viewer time to question what's going on. He also keeps switching gears between thrills, comedy and melodrama to keep the viewer off-balance: as a result, it's genuinely difficult to guess what is going to happen next. Best of all, he populates the film with a cast of game, talented actors who give the film maximum energy: Donna Wilkes makes a likable and appealing heroine, Cliff Gorman adds a credible note of drama as her stoic policeman protector and John Diehl is genuinely creepy as the killer. However, the true entertainment comes from the supporting cast: Susan Tyrell and Dick Shawn steal every scene they are in as a lesbian landlady and drag queen duo who bicker like an old married couple. These performances are almost better than the movie deserves and thus keep it from being the usual b-movie fodder. In the end, Angel is probably a little too schizophrenic and sleazy for the average viewer but will work as a guaranteed guilty pleasure for anyone who gets nostalgic about trashy drive-in fare.
Angel on AllMovie
Angel (1984)
