Angels & Demons

2009. Dir: Ron Howard. Starring: Tom Hanks, Ewan MacGregor, Ayelet Zurer, Stellan Skarsgård and Pierfrancesco Favino. ●●●○○



Before I write anything else down, I know I will need to justify that score. Even for such a generous reviewer as myself 3 out of 5 seems awfully nice, and to be sure the plot is complete bobbins, the acting variable and the script risible in parts, however if you take it for what it is, a thriller set against the backdrop of a conclave for a new Pope then it does go by at a fairly reasonable pace and we learn a lot about the processes in the Vatican.



So, to recap the plo to those who haven't already read it, there's a macguffin about to explode inside the Holy City. Naturally the Church call in their sworn enemy Robert Langdon (Hanks) who you may remember uncovering the secret lovechild of Christ and sporting a strange mullett in The Da Vinci Code. I suppose that Jesus did teach forgiveness and this is especially important when the 4 leading candidates to be the next Pope has been kidnapped and a threat against the conclave has been issued.

Hanks teams up sexy scientist Zurer, who's responsible for the macguffin, and some doomed Vatican detectives (including Favino who stands out in the cast for me) to find the bomb and save the Preferati by following a treasure trail written by Bernini over 400 years ago. Possibly hampering their investigation for their own ends - it's that sort of film - are Skarsgård as the head of the Swiss Guard, MacGregor as the Camelengo (sort of Pope deputy running the show until a new one's in) and Armin Mueller-Stahl as a faintly ambitious, but definitely traditionalist Cardinal.

None of these three are particulary trying hard, but I could accept the moody Swede and the Middle European gnome, but the Irish-Italian helicopter pilot was one step too far.

The first 3/4s of the film work very well. We're either in the middle of the chase (and seeing old churchmen die in painful ways) or we're geting some insights into the workings of the Vatican (fascinating details). Even the set-up in CERN is pretty tense, except for the pointless CGI. Didn't Ron Howard learn from A Beautiful Mind that exhibiting scientific ideas with pretty lines that aren't there is just patronising?

The last 30 minutes are less successful, as the detective story we've been following falls flat and the heroes have to rely on CCTV footage to solve the crime. In the rush to end we also lose any real understanding of the motivations, so was he just mad?

The design elements are pretty good throughout, and I especially liked the costumes. Although I expect we should be congratulating Catholic tradition rather than Daniel Orlandi.

Finally I'd like to congratulate Nikolaj Lie Kaas on being a kick ass assassin. Although he was still pretty ropey - I wouldn't have used that car - at least he was better than our man in State of Play. Looks like it could be a bad year for hired killers.