Thursday, November 02, 2006

City of Angel

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Director: Brad Silberling
Producer: Dawn Steel, Charles Roven
Cast:
Nicolas Cage
Meg Ryan
Dennis Franz
André Braugher
Colm Feore
Robin Bartlett

Review:

Seth (Cage, charismatic) is one of many angels who wander LA listening in to people's thoughts, trying to allay their anxieties, and, when death rears its head, leading them 'home'.

He sees heart surgeon Maggie (Ryan) fighting to save a patient: when she fails, he's struck by her sadness, guilt and sense of confusion, and - already wondering what it would be like to experience taste, smell, touch, tears and transient joy - falls so in love that he begins to make himself visible to her.

This is funnier than Wenders' version, and it also succeeds in visualising LA as a magical city while dealing intelligently with the themes of mortality, sacrifice, free will, and the mixed blessings of the human condition

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