Product Description

After meeting under extraordinary life-and-death circumstances, a Chicago police officer (Lopez) and a lost soul named Catch (Caviezel) fall in love. While uncovering the truth about Catch, she is forced to deal with the secrets of her own past.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14410 in DVD
• Brand: WARNER HOME VIDEO
• Released on: 2001-10-16
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 102 minutes

Amazon.com
Angel Eyes is a mature and levelheaded drama about real people with authentic emotions, clawing through their own hurt and confusion toward a hopeful recovery. In a subtly effective performance as Chicago cop Sharon Pogue, Jennifer Lopez is both gutsy and vulnerable, using her badge as a shield against a past incident of domestic violence that left her estranged from her family and alone with her conviction that good deeds are not always rewarded. This leaves her open to the mysterious appeal of Catch (Jim Caviezel), a haunted loner whose slightly creepy demeanor is merely the cautious façade of a man who, ultimately, has as much to offer Sharon as she does to him. They connect--he saves her life, just as she had once saved his--and Angel Eyes proceeds to reveal the true and fateful depth of their love.

It seems, at first, that Gerald Di Pego's script will turn in a supernatural direction--or at least a metaphysical one--but it doesn't, and director Luis Mandoki navigates an emotional minefield while acknowledging the walls that people build between themselves and the traumatic events they wish to forget. Catch has kept a deliberate distance between himself and a tragedy that Sharon had witnessed--not a repressed nightmare, but a devastating loss from which he will, eventually, recover. That these two characters should rediscover each other at a time of mutual need is not a contrived coincidence. In Angel Eyes, it's the karmic redemption of two wise and deserving souls. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Exceptionally Engaging Story
In the lifetime of every individual, there are defining moments which, when added together, equal the sum total of all the good times and bad that person has ever known. And from that whole list, there is probably one that stands out-- that one “special” moment, or the most significant-- one that was so good you’d like to relive it over and over again, or so bad that you’d like to erase it from your memory forever. In “Angel Eyes,” starring Jennifer Lopez and James Caviezel, director Luis Mandoki takes a look at the effects of such a moment in the life of Chicago Police Officer Sharon Pogue (Lopez), and again with a man who calls himself “Catch” (Caviezel); unrelated moments from their past, that are destined to play an even more significant role in their future, when circumstances bring them together on the streets of Chicago. ...

The mystery surrounding Catch is what drives this film, and Mandoki does an excellent job of presenting it. He creates an atmosphere that cloaks Catch in shadows, yet keeps him elusive, rather than sinister. Catch seems to float through life, calm and strangely prepossessing, yet detached and ambiguous. ...

As Sharon, Jennifer Lopez gives arguably her best performance since 1998’s “Out Of Sight,” in which she also played a cop. After her turn in “The Cell,” which wasn’t bad, and the forgettable fluff of “The Wedding Planner,” it’s good to see her in a challenging role, something she can really sink her teeth into. Which she does, and beautifully. It’s tough for an actress to make a character like this believable (Tyne Daly came close in “The Enforcer,” Jamie Lee Curtis was a disaster in “Blue Steel”), but Lopez pulls it off and proves that there’s more to her than just a pretty face. She makes Sharon a very real person, entirely three dimensional, emotionally complex and a woman who seems very capable of doing what she does for a living. She’s beautiful and tough, but sensitive as well, and most importantly, Lopez makes it convincing.

As Catch, Caviezel gives a memorable performance that really captures the essence of who this guy is. And his success with this character lies in the fact that he plays him straight, making him exactly who he is supposed to be rather than trying to shade him with some kind of “dark side” to enhance the mystery ensconcing him. He makes Catch a person you can readily embrace, who though perceived by others as enigmatic, is really only a man coping with a terrible secret and living his life as best he can. Catch is a unique character, in that he is cryptic and accessible at the same time; and Caviezel captures his spirit with astounding acuity and nuance. It’s an honest portrayal, devoid of any pretentiousness or falseness-- quite simply an excellent piece of acting.

The supporting cast includes Sonia Braga, Terrence Dashon Howard, Daniel Magder, Jeremy Sisto, J.J. Evans, Alfonso Arau, Victor Argo, Monet Mazur and Shirley Knight. Extremely well developed and delivered, “Angel Eyes” is a story of loss and love, and redemption; but more than that, it’s about “Time”-- how much we’re given and how we use what we have. Call it a reflection on mortality; it’s a film that will make you stop, think and consider-- about the way things are, and perhaps how they could be-- if you’d only take the time to make one of those “special” moments that last forever.

JLOve story
Here is a surprisingly good movie that has a poignancy I didn't expect. It revolves around the fallout of a horrible traffic accident and the long-term effects it has on two lives. One is the police officer (Jennifer Lopez) at the scene and the other is one of the many victims (James Caviezel). The accident causes their lives to be bound in a way that neither of them could have imagined.

JLO plays a tough cop who is afraid of getting emotionally attached to people whom she encounters in her austere profession. Caviezel is a nice-guy extraordinnaire who is always looking to give people a hand. In their own way, both characters are out to help people, albeit via different approaches.

The film does an excellent job of engaging an important but often ignored facet of today's society: domestic battery. It happens with egregious frequency these days, yet it continues to be a subject that is "swept under the rug." This DVD is bold in its presentation of what is a very touchy theme.

Although JLO is usually best known for her appearance, in this film she demonstrates some credible acting talent. That was a bit surprising for me as I've only seen a few JLO movies to date. But, surprising in a positive way!

If you like love stories / chick flicks, this one is highly recommended. If you want a love story with a few twists, this one is even better. Most of all if you want a movie that deals with current & relevant themes that effect today's society, this one is a can't miss.

Intriguing character study. Excellent acting and directing.
"Angel Eyes" is an excellent character study that is not likely to have much mass appeal. It requires a very patient viewer due to its deliberate pacing and subtle presentation. The great majority of viewers want to be actively entertained when they go to the movies and this is not that sort of film. Viewing this film is more like trying to navigate a ship through a fog. You have to stay alert and try to figure things out as you go.

The story by Gerald De Pego is well written, presenting two very flawed characters that spend the entire story struggling to overcome a considerable amount of emotional baggage. I give director Luis Mandoki extremely high marks for his presentation. Mandoki takes his time and unfolds the story gradually with great nuance. He takes great care to make sure to avoid being obvious. Despite the fact that it is readily apparent that Catch (James Caviezel) is the same man that Sharon (Jennifer Lopez) helped in the car wreck in the opening scene (no spoiler here, they almost spoon feed this to you on the movie jacket) everything else needs to be discovered.

Mandoki artfully introduces characters in a consistently nebulous way. When we meet a new character we are not exactly sure during the beginning of the scene to whom we are being introduced and why he or she is important. It is as if we are overhearing a conversation between two people and we are trying to figure out how they know one another. The viewer is forced to think (a risky concept with today's fast-food-cinema mentality). Mandoki constantly supplies us with vague information, making us ask ourselves, "Okay, how does this fit in." It makes the film much more intriguing.

My only criticism of Mandoki is that he tries to do too much with Sharon's family relationships. He makes it a full blown subplot that bogs down an already convoluted tale, taking us away from the real story which is about Catch and Sharon. The entire party scene after the renewal of vows is completely superfluous. The scenes of Sharon and her partner having soul searching conversations should also have been cut. Another annoying detail is that Sharon and Catch are constantly driving around wearing no seat belts, which seems to me to be terribly incongruous given that one is a cop and the other a serious auto accident victim.

The acting is terrific. This is the best performance I have seen to date by Jennifer Lopez. This part tests her talent with its breadth and she delivers a full ranging performance. Sharon is an extremely complex character filled with self doubt, anger and misplaced aggression. Lopez plays her flawlessly with a delicate combination of toughness and emotional vulnerability, which is a difficult balance to achieve. Her love scenes are tender and sincere, and her banter with fellow cops is smart and feisty.

I was impressed by James Caviezel's performance in "Frequency", but I enjoyed this role even better. Catch is an enigmatic character drifting through a period of anomie. There is a duality to him, defeated and despondent, yet with a hint of seemingly inconsistent strength that emerges occasionally from his listlessness. Caviezel's performance appears uneven as we watch it, yet it is perfectly presented and fits the character completely once we learn the whole story about him. It is a marvelous interpretation of a complicated and puzzling individual.

This film is a wonderful character study that is likely to be grossly unappreciated for its intricacy and strong direction. The character development is masterfully done and the acting is superlative. I rated it an 8/10. It is an intelligent and sensitive story for the refined viewer.