RNMorton Review of City of Angels

City of Angels (1998)

Wooden performances nullify interesting idea

[7/10 · 17 October 1999]

I just absolutely love the premise of this movie, and the first thirty minutes or so (if you can take a fair dose of saccharine) is so damn good. Cage is one of many angels hovering over us folks, in this case he takes a particular interest in Dr. Ryan, who has left one of her cardiac patients dead on the operating table. I could have taken two hours of the same stuff we get in the first quarter of this movie, that was fascinating enough to me and Cage fits the role of caring soul. But I guess they had to move on from there and the remainder of the story is sort of a damned-if-I-do, damned-if-I-don't tortured romance. I don't think Ryan and Cage click when they exist on the same spiritual plane, so I think where this goes just doesn't work that well. But I still love the set up to it all.