On E List of Movie Reviews

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Eyes of an Angel (1991)

Rate: 5
Viewed: 8/21

EyesAngel
8/21: I can see why the release of Eyes of an Angel was delayed in the United States for three years until Pulp Fiction happened because it's baaaaaaaaad!

The plot is as loopy as it can be. A Chicago mob-connected guy wants to get back into the game after the death of his drug-addict wife. He witnesses a dogfight which involves a Doberman Pinscher who loses, is therefore dumped into a freezing river, and survives the ordeal.

Possessing a terrible temper, the guy is mean to his daughter, often treating her as a doormat. To feel better, she befriends the animal, but he doesn't want it. Crazy things happen to him in the meantime. Then, he and his daughter run away by car to Los Angeles while the dog hitchhikes on his own for 2,000 miles to catch up with them. For a minute, her paws are shown badly scarred, but after a night of rest, she's ready to go again.

By the time the father will accept the dog back, he gives his okay to let the animal back into dogfighting although nothing happens and everybody in the audience has a change of heart. A happy ending follows although the dog is never named at any point in the film.

Uh, what prompted John Travolta, who's often at his worst, to do this movie? His career was in a total slump during the 80's, only to be revived by the smash hit Look Who's Talking. He made a huge mistake again by appearing in Eyes of an Angel, but luckily, Pulp Fiction came along and the rest was history. By the way, the girl who plays his daughter is terrible. She did two more pictures, and her career was permanently over afterwards.

All in all, Eyes of an Angel is a rare example of a dog outperforming an established A-list star.