Louis Cyphre = Lucifer...so lazy
Talk about completely giving the plot away with that character's name. So lazy couldn't they have done better?
shareEver heard the term "Hiding in plain sight?"
It's supposed to be obvious! And even more so in the novel, where Angel first meets Louis Cyphre at the address 666, and Angel's detective bureau is called Crossroads.
The whole point is that Louis Cyphre goes so far in trying to appear like the devil, that it becomes a bit goofy. Which is why Angel won't believe he really is the devil, even when he decyphers it. (pun intended)
"Hiding in plain sight."
Exactly.
The film tries its best to let you in on the reveal from the very beginning. Which I find unique in and of itself. "Harry" doesn't know that "Johnny" is hidden within, so is clueless about the vortex he will eventually get sucked into. So we're waiting for the reveal to come to the main character -- not for us, the audience.
That's the intended source of tension, that builds, throughout the film.
I think that perhaps, in general, people are so accustomed to the big reveal at the end (i.e., big reveal intended for the audience) that this makes Angel Heart unappealing, for some. As far as that goes, to each his/her own. But this film worked for me.