Angel Eyes movie overview

Officer Sharon Pogue (Jennifer Lopez) has looked death in the eyes and doesn't like what she sees. A tough, Chicago cop with a troubled past is forced to look again at her relationships after she faces a near death experience. Two street thugs are gunning for police officers in an act of revenge when Pogue is caught off guard and nearly killed. Only the intervention of a strange man, who goes only by the name of "Catch" (James Caviezel), allows her to walk away unharmed. What happens next is a relationship that deepens throughout the movie as both troubled souls struggle to reconcile pasts that they would sooner forget. This is a tale of romance and discovery with abounding plot twists and a somewhat realistic ending. A surprisingly enjoyable movie with a storyline sure to hold the attention of those willing to involve themselves in the lives of these emotionally scarred characters.

The plot in this movie was terrific. This is truly a film for adults about people with life issues. Jennifer Lopez and James Caviezel depict two very believable people with real life struggles. It's not often that Hollywood can portray people in turmoil without either being shallow or going overboard. But this movie tends to have a good balance of conflict while still letting the characters be fun and have lives outside of whatever it is they are dealing with. It is a realistic depiction of the way people have to juggle life in order to handle pain. As the plot twists and the characters develop you are drawn in to their feelings, both the pain of their past and the excitement of their new found, if somewhat unexpected, and at times rocky, relationship. You sat wondering what the next scene would reveal about lives and people who come into contact with the major figures of the movie. It is impressive the way "Angel Eyes" reveals the struggle but doesn't necessarily have to solve all the problems (another normal Hollywood drawback). These two are allowed to exist in their situations without being overly glorified or condemned to lives of never ending despair. They are people living life, and that's all. Character development makes this picture what it is.

The actors themselves also did a great job. I'll have to be honest, I'm not usually a big Jennifer Lopez fan, but she did good here. Partnered with James Caviezel her character seemed more believable. Both played their roles well and tended to complement each other. Lopez is a fiery cop and her acting style tends to be a person on the move while Caviezel is subtler with most of his character being portrayed in his eyes or expressions. It was fascinating to watch the two combine on screen.

I had a hard time believing in the "tough cop" routine that Lopez tried to pull off at the beginning of the movie. She seemed somewhat out of place in the role at first, almost being too rough or mean spirited. As the movie unfolded you began to see the need for a tough image but I still think it may have been overplayed a bit.

The movie has a tendency to drag somewhat. There are a couple of scenes that I was wishing for a fast forward option, but then again I've never been one to want to sit around and watch two people make calf eyes at each other. I also don't care to watch them dance around the floor holding to each other as slow music plays in the background (Am I unromantic?!). This is probably a good date movie because of those scenes, but I was never one for date movies either.