Angels & Demons (2009)

Director:

Ron Howard

Writers (WGA):

David Koepp (screenplay) and
Akiva Goldsman (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

15 May 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

The holiest event of our time. Perfect for their return.

Plot:

Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon works to solve a murder and prevent a terrorist act against the Vatican.

Plot Keywords:

Illuminati | Vatican | Pope | Conclave | Vatican City

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Tom Hanks	...	Robert Langdon
Ewan McGregor	...	Camerlengo Patrick McKenna
Ayelet Zurer	...	Vittoria Vetra
Stellan Skarsgård	...	Commander Richter
Pierfrancesco Favino	...	Inspector Olivetti
Nikolaj Lie Kaas	...	Assassin
Armin Mueller-Stahl	...	Cardinal Strauss
Thure Lindhardt	...	Chartrand
David Pasquesi	...	Claudio Vincenzi
Cosimo Fusco	...	Father Simeon
Victor Alfieri	...	Lieutenant Valenti
Franklin Amobi	...	Cardinal Lamasse
Curt Lowens	...	Cardinal Ebner
Bob Yerkes	...	Cardinal Guidera
Marc Fiorini	...	Cardinal Baggia (as Marco Fiorini)

Also Known As:

Obelisk (USA) (fake working title)
Ángeles y demonios (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Ангелы и демоны (Russia) [ru]
Änglar och demoner (Sweden) [sv]
Andelé a démoni (Czech Republic) [cs]
Andjeli i demoni (Croatia) [hr]
Angeles y Demonios (Venezuela) [es]
Angeli e demoni (Italy) [it]
Angels & demons - Het bernini mysterie (Netherlands) (subtitle) [nl]
Anges et démons (France) [fr]
Angyalok és démonok (Hungary) [hu]
Anioly i demony (Poland) [pl]
Anjeli a démoni (Slovakia) [sk]
Anjos e Demónios (Portugal) [pt]
Anjos e Demônios (Brazil) [pt]
Engle & Dæmoner (Denmark) [da]
Engler & Demoner (Norway) [no]
Enkelit ja demonit (Finland) [fi]
Illuminati (Germany) [de]
Illuminati - Oi pefotismenoi (Greece) [el]
Ingeri & demoni (Romania) [ro]
Inglid ja deemonid (Estonia) [et]
Mal'achim Veshedim (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
Melekler ve seytanlar (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Tenshi to akuma (Japan) [ja]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence, disturbing images and thematic material.

Runtime:

138 min | 146 min (extended edition)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian | Latin | French | Swiss German | German | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44269) | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:15 | Finland:K-13 | UK:12A (cut) | Hong Kong:IIB | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Ireland:12A | Singapore:PG | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Czech Republic:12 | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Germany:12 (f) | Sweden:15 | Argentina:13 | Brazil:16 | Germany:12 | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Iceland:14 | Mexico:B15 | Japan:G | France:U | Taiwan:PG-12 | New Zealand:M | Finland:K-15 (Extended cut) | Singapore:NC-16 (extended version) | Australia:M | Netherlands:16 (extended edition) | UK:12 (video rating) (cut) | Ireland:12 (video rating) | UK:15 (blu-ray)

Filming Locations:

Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures

Trivia:

Naomi Watts was originally cast as Vittoria.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When searching for sculpture associated with air in St. Peter's Square, Langdon spotted the West Ponente marker on the ground and said that it could be considered a sculpture since it is a bas-relief. A bas-relief is a relief where the image is projecting out from a flat surface. The image of West Ponente marker is not projecting out, rather it was carved into a flat surface. The correct term for this type of sculpture is sunken-relief or intaglio.

Quotes:

Robert Langdon: It scares the hell out of me.

Movie Connections:

Edited into "The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Echelon Conspiracy/Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li/Crossing Over (#1.1)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Gregorian Chant: Requiem Aeternam-Introitus (VI)

Brilliant suspense thriller with some spectacular photography...

Personally, I enjoyed ANGELS AND DEMONS much more than the DA VINCI CODE. It moves at a quick pace, never becomes boring despite the bits of exposition needed to explain the plot, and is accompanied by another good Hans Zimmer score that accentuates the suspense at every turn.

The plot is much more straightforward and easier to follow than the previous Dan Brown story, although the clues seem a bit hard to swallow for the average man. In this, we trust the screenwriter that a man such as TOM HANKS plays would be able to pick up on all these facets of the church to know what he's doing and where he must turn next.

The assassin played by NIKOLAJ LIE KAAS does a superb job of keeping the sinister aspect of the Illuminati plot chilling enough to keep you glued to your seat. He's highly believable in a pivotal role even though his motivations are never quite clear. EWAN McGREGOR does a fine job as Camerlengo and his participation in the film's final twist is handled with style by director Ron Howard and his screenwriter.

AYELET ZURER is much better at portraying Tom Hanks' assistant in solving the mystery than the woman in the previous film, her accent not as thick as the French actress which was a huge drawback in THE DA VINCI CODE. Others in the cast do commendable work, but it's the whole look and style of the production that fascinates from beginning to end.

The photography is outstanding in its recreation of the Vatican artwork, the night scenes through the streets are done with great flair, and the story builds in intensity toward a very smashing climax.

It's a lot less offensive in dealing with the Catholic Church than the previous work was, using the Illuminati only to provide a chilling current tale of corruption and deception. It works beautifully.

One of the best action thrillers of the year, highly entertaining and full of gripping suspense.