Avenging Angel (1985 film)

Avenging Angel
Directed by	Robert Vincent O'Neill
Produced by	Sandy Howard
Written by	Joseph Michael Cala Robert Vincent O'Neill
Starring	Betsy Russell Rory Calhoun Robert F. Lyons Ossie Davis Susan Tyrrell
Music by	Christopher Young
Cinematography	Peter Lyons Collister
Edited by	John R. Bowey
Release dates	January 11, 1985
Running time	93 min
Country	United States
Language	English

Avenging Angel is a 1985 film directed by Robert Vincent O'Neil and written by Robert Vincent O'Neil with Joseph Michael Cala.^[1]

The movie is a sequel to 1984's Angel^[1] and was followed by the 1988 film Angel III: The Final Chapter and Angel 4: Undercover. It was a box-office failure, as were the other two.

Rory Calhoun claimed Donna Wilkes did not reprise the role she had originated because the producers refused to pay her the salary she wanted.^[2] The film is rated R in U.S. for adult language, violence, and nudity.

Plot

Molly (Betsy Russell, taking over from Donna Wilkes) is off the streets and studying to become a lawyer.

Molly learns that Lt. Andrews (Robert F. Lyons, replacing Cliff Gorman), the person who helped her leave her past life, was murdered. Now she is back to avenge his killing. She seeks to track down the only witness, Johnny Glitter, and enlists the help of her old friends, Yo-Yo Charlie, Solly, and Kit Carson.

They break Kit out of the sanitarium and find Johnny at his home right as the thugs who killed Andrews find him. Kit and Angel save Johnny in a shoot-out. In the mean time Angel discovers a scheme to buy up Hollywood Boulevard by intimidation and violence that Gerrard is perpetrating. Gerrard's men corner Kit, Solly, Angel and Johnny in an alley. Kit shoots the car, causing it to crash, and they capture Gerrard's son. The son gets loose and threatens them with a gun, but the phone rings and Kit shoots him to death.

The caller is Gerrard, who has kidnapped Solly's baby, Little Buck, and offers to trade Buck for his son. They attempt to make the trade anyway. Upon discovering that the son is dead, a shootout ensues with Gerrard taking the baby. Kit takes out one thug and Johnny Glitter, shooting blindly, shoots the other and also himself.

Angel confronts Gerrard on the top floor and Gerrard threatens to throw the baby down. Angel surrenders and Gerrard puts the baby down. But the baby is crawling to the edge, and Gerrard will not allow Angel to move. Solly sees what is happening and goes up to shoot Gerrard.

Angel tries to get to the baby but the baby falls. Kit sees the baby fall and catches him. Angel and Solly come down with the baby safely wrapped in Kit's jacket.

Main cast

• Betsy Russell as Molly "Angel" Stewart
• Rory Calhoun as Kit Carson
• Susan Tyrrell as Solly Mosler
• Ossie Davis as Captain Harry Moradian
• Robert F. Lyons as Lt. Hugh Andrews

Release

Avenging Angel went into production quickly after the success its predecessor. Hoping to recreate the success of the first film, New World Pictures released the film on January 11, 1985, two days shy of the anniversary of the first film's release. The film was a box office disappointment for the company, opening in tenth place and eventually earning $5,622,787.^[3]

DVD release

In 2003, Anchor Bay Entertainment released the Region 1 DVD box set of the first three Angel films entitled The Angel Collection.^[4]

Soundtrack

As Craig Safan was unvailable because of The Last Starfighter, Christopher Young scored the film. In 1990 Intrada Records issued his music on a compilation CD including his work from 1985's Def-Con 4, 1986's Torment and 1988's The Telephone; in 2013 BSX Records released a compilation album called The Angel Trilogy, featuring Young's score, Safan's music for Angel and Eric Allaman and Reinhard Scheuregger's music for Angel III: The Final Chapter.

References

External links

• Avenging Angel at the Internet Movie Database
• Avenging Angel at AllMovie
• Avenging Angel at Rotten Tomatoes