James Murphy bares witness to 'Angels and Demons'

'Angels and Demons'
A review by James Murphy

Vatican Archive File:

Director: Ron Howard
Starring: Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer
Genre: Thriller
Certificate: 12A
Release: The time is now upon is..it cannot be stopped (film still showing in cinemas)

Details Decoded:

The Pope is dead, the election of his successor jeopardised by the kidnapping of four leading Cardinals and a related bomb threat to Vatican City. But the villains have left a clue: a sequence of symbols that can be decoded. And so, the Vatican call in Harvard University’s Dr. Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks), whose skills maybe the answer to their prayers…

‘Angels and Demons’ is outstandingly good in parts, but painfully mediocre on the whole. Director Ron Howard has improved on ‘The Da Vinci Code’, his previous attempt at adapting a Dan Brown novel. This is a tighter thriller, with swift moves between set pieces. But there is little cerebral or sensual merit in the quieter moments.

The film’s strengths and weaknesses are captured within one scene, about half way through. Tom Hanks’ Dr. Langdon is trapped in a Vatican vault. The air is running out. Langdon must escape or die. And if he dies, then so does the Catholic Church. Powerful stuff.

The editing, sound and lighting of the scene are faultless. You feel the decrease in oxygen and you share the stress of being confined in a deadly location. It’s also a visually striking set. But those technical points cannot make us care about Langdon or his fate. That was Hanks’ task, and he flunks it, badly. Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones would be grinning with excitement. Hanks’ Langdon simply mutters a few inanities about smoking.

Hanks is an undeniably accomplished actor and immensely likeable in most roles. But he is simply miscast as Langdon. The script requires enthusiasm, authority and old school heroics that Hanks simply cannot deliver. His speeches about faith and related hints to ‘The Da Vinci Code’ are especially awkward.

It’s just lucky that Hanks is unselfish and gives plenty of scenes to his co-stars. Ewan McGregor has a bad accent and a somewhat unbelievable character arc. But he brings earnest poise to religious exposition and his final scenes remind us of his versatility.

Ayelet Zurer is also an asset, c/o her exotic beauty and earthy charm. What a shame they ditched the romance coda from the book: Zurer would surely have brought those scenes to life most engagingly? As compensation, Zurer’s character treats us to some lectures on advanced physics and the ‘God particle’.

The real star of this film is its production design. Churches, statues, tunnels and streets all have a character and texture. It’s just a shame that they are glimpsed too briefly as the camera moves so quickly. But that is the price of pacing and this is ultimately a pulp story rather than a travelogue, so it is only correct to cutback on the tourist’s pleasures.

The film certainly works as a thriller and arguably as a ‘chiller’. Whilst there is no supernatural element, one does get a sense of the fear that religious imagery can inspire. We do not need a ‘demon’ in the film, because the murky corridors of the Vatican can be far more powerful and deadly. The film manages to use that motif, without demeaning Catholic faith. And that is a great tribute to Ron Howard as a director, even though this is not his best work.


Harvard Grading: B –
Okay, but could and should have tried harder / done better. Some of the action scenes make it worth a trip to the Cinema. But you would be forgiven for missing it.

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