Irish writer and directed Neil Jordan made his feature debut with Angel (released as “Danny Boy” in US), starring Stephen Rea.
The executive producer was famed director John Boorman.
Danny, a saxophonist with a travelling band, witnesses the gangland murder of the band’s manager (involved in extortion payoffs) and that of a deaf-mute girl witness at a dancehall in South Armagh.
Danny tries to hunt down the murderers and in doing so his relationship with Deirdre, the singer in his band, falls apart and he becomes a murderer himself.
Set in Northern Ireland, the film implies that the extortionists-murderers are loyalist paramilitaries (one is described as “a Prod” by his Catholic girlfriend; another is a policeman). But there is little specific reference to the Northern Ireland Troubles.
The film was made in and around inner-city Dublin (standing in for Belfast) and Jordan’s native Bray.
Other locations include the former Butlin’s holiday camp in Mosney, County Meath, and former St. Brendans Hospital, Grangegorman.
Cast
Stephen Rea as Danny
Veronica Quilligan as Annie
Honor Heffernan as Deirdre
Alan Devlin as Bill
Peter Caffrey as Ray
Gerard McSorley as Assistant
Ray McAnally as Bloom
Anthony Tyler Quin as Tony Quinn