Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
When a guardian angel – who invisibly watches over the citizens of Los Angeles – becomes captivated by a strong-willed heart surgeon, he ponders trading in his pure, otherworldly existence for a mortal life with his beloved. The couple embarks on a tender but forbidden romance spanning heaven and Earth.
City of Angels is a competent Hollywood romantic fantasy remake of Wim Wenders' Wings of Desire, softened for mainstream American audiences. The plot is earnest and emotionally engaging but somewhat predictable in its arc. Cage and Ryan have decent chemistry and deliver serviceable performances without reaching exceptional heights. The cinematography captures Los Angeles with some ethereal beauty but lacks the iconic black-and-white poetry of its source material. As a remake, its novelty is limited — it borrows heavily from a more distinctive original and smooths out the edges. The ending, while bittersweet and memorable for audiences, follows through on its emotional premise in a way that resonates without being truly surprising.