Angel

It is a really splendid first film and although this is in the terrible times of the Northern Ireland troubles Neil Jordan can still use some great photography and some music. At the very start there is a wonderful portrait which captured the excellent Stephen Rea, the haunting saxophone and the young deaf mute wanders over, the name he calls Angel. There is great atmosphere in the Ballroom, especially Honor Heffernan probably Ireland's first and foremost jazz singer but then there will be violence and Rea will find a way to acquire a machine gun. It is a clever way that Jordan mixes the great dialogue, the wonderful music, the horrible killing and some detection.