City of Angels

A movie by Brad Silberling

With Meg Ryan, Nicolas Cage, André Braugher, Dennis Frantz

Christina says:

Angel Seth (Nicolas Cage) falls in love with the surgeon Maggie (Meg Ryan). But there is a problem. Angels are able to let humans see them, but they can't feel anything or share human pleasures. Still, Maggie is drawn to this mysterious stranger who seems to look straight into her soul.

When Seth meets Maggie's patient Nathan (Dennis Frantz), he points to a way out of his dilemma. Nathan used to be an angel himself and gave up everything for a woman. Seth is torn between immortality and the woman he loves, while Maggie tries to figure him out. Then he takes the decisive step.

CITY OF ANGELS is a romantic love story with an excellent cast and filmend in beautiful pictures. I have never seen the original movie by Wim Wenders, so I can't tell how they compare.

Meg Ryan gets to show her talent and once more proves that she has more to offer than just being cute. Nicolas Cage is not your picture book angel with white robe, wings and halo. All the angels in the movie are dressed in black. But his soulfull looks and the beatific attitude are very convincing. For me they are the movie couple of the year.

Dennis Frantz as hard-living Nathan who shows Seth the joys of being human and André Braugher, known from his grim police detective part in Homicide: Life on the Street, who is here argueing the case for the angels are two more casting highlights.

Los Angeles, the City of Angels, is captured in wonderful images by John Seale (THE ENGLISH PATIENT, DEAD POETS SOCIETY, RAIN MAN). If you're not satisfied wait till you see his take on Lake Tahoe. Beautiful. The score by Gabriel Yared is the perfect musical background.

In spite of all this the movie resists the temptation of being just kitschy and guarantees a wonderful time at the movies.

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Christina Gross

Last changes: 01/04/03