Product Review

Stephen Rea stars in the debut feature by writer-director Neil Jordan. Set against the backdrop of Northern Ireland's troubles, a musician witnesses a gangland murder, but his investigations lead him into a nightmarish cycle of violence.

Overshadowed now by his later work, this first feature by one of Ireland's most inventive writer-directors is a tense and intelligent thriller with some unusual visual and thematic flourishes. It also marks the cinematic debut of Jordan-regular Stephen Rea. Angel's artful integration of the personal and the political anticipates the film that would eventually make both their names - 1992's Oscar-winning The Crying Game.


Danny (Rea) is the gifted but unstable saxophonist in an Armagh dance band. One night he witnesses the murder of the band's manager and a girl by local racketeers. Danny is outraged and determines to avenge their deaths. But his search for the killers evolves into a hopeless obsession, destroying first his relationship with musician girlfriend Deirdre (Heffernan), and eventually causing him to violate his own moral code.

AWARDS: Best Feature prize at Durban Film Festival Jury Prize at Antwerp Film Festival; Technical Achievement award at London Standard Film Awards.

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