''Bright Angel'' is a 1990 American drama film directed by Michael Fields, and starring Dermot Mulroney,

Lili Taylor Lili Anne Taylor (born February 20, 1967) is an American actress. She came to prominence with supporting parts in the films ''Mystic Pizza'' (1988) and '' Say Anything...'' (1989), before establishing herself as one of the key figures of 1990s i ...

, and

Sam Shepard Samuel Shepard Rogers III (November 5, 1943 – July 27, 2017) was an American actor, playwright, author, screenwriter, and director whose career spanned half a century. He won 10 Obie Awards for writing and directing, the most by any write ...

. The film follows two teenagers, George and the transient Lucy, who travel from their home in

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

in order to help Lucy's brother escape from jail. It was adapted from a

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

Richard Ford Richard Ford (born February 16, 1944) is an American novelist and short story writer. His best-known works are the novel ''The Sportswriter'' and its sequels, ''Independence Day'', ''The Lay of the Land'' and ''Let Me Be Frank With You'', and the ...

's collection titled ''Rock Springs''. Although it received some critical acclaim, the film earned only $158,243 at the domestic box office.

Plot

George is a

teen whose sanity is deteriorating due to his parents' marital woes. He links up with Lucy, a runaway headed for

with a dark background who is trying to get her brother out of jail. George tries to help her, but finds himself crossing paths with people even more emotionally disturbed than his mother and father.

Cast

* Dermot Mulroney as George *

as Lucy *

Valerie Perrine Valerie Ritchie Perrine (born September 3, 1943) is an American actress. For her role as Honey Bruce in the 1974 film ''Lenny'', she won the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles, the Cannes Film Festival Award for Bes ...

as Aileen *

Bill Pullman William Pullman (born December 17, 1953) is an American actor. After graduating with a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater, he was an adjunct professor at Montana State University before deciding to pursue acting. He made his film debut in ''R ...

as Bob *

Mary Kay Place Mary Kay Place (born September 23, 1947) is an American actress, singer, director, and screenwriter. She is known for portraying Loretta Haggers on the television series '' Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'', a role that won her the 1977 Primetime Emm ...

as Judy *

Burt Young Gerald Tommaso DeLouise (born April 30, 1940), known professionally as Burt Young, is an American actor, author and painter. He played Rocky Balboa's brother-in-law and best friend Paulie Pennino in the '' Rocky'' film series. He was nominated f ...

as Art *

as Jack *

Benjamin Bratt Benjamin Bratt (born December 16, 1963) is an American actor and producer who has worked in film and on television. He had supporting roles in the 1990s in such box office hits as ''Demolition Man'' (1993), ''Clear and Present Danger'' (1994), ...

as Claude * Delroy Lindo as Harley *

Will Patton William Rankin Patton (born June 14, 1954) is an American actor and audiobook narrator. He starred as Colonel Dan Weaver in the TNT science fiction series '' Falling Skies''. He also appeared in the films ''Remember the Titans'', ''Armageddon'' ...

as Woody

Production

Principal photography began on July 10, 1989. The film was shot on location in

Billings Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Met ...

and Broadview, Montana and in

. Filming wrapped on August 30, 1989. The shoot was reportedly tumultuous for Lili Taylor, who was nearly fired over aesthetic decisions she'd made in presenting herself as the character. In a 2016 interview, she referred to it as the single most difficult film shoot in her career, stating that she had essentially been fired from the project, but was forced to finish her work on the film.

Critical reception

Roger Ebert of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' enjoyed the film and gave it 3 1/2 stars: However, reviews such as Kathleen Maher of ''The Austin Chronicle'' did not think highly of it, gave it 2 stars and had differing views of the acting:

Soundtrack

*"Where Did God Go?" by Jody Alan Sweet *"Too Long Crying" by Jody Alan Sweet *"Cheshire" by Jody Alan Sweet *"Heal Somebody" by Sheryl Crow *"Hung Over Heart" by Jody Alan Sweet

References

External links

* * *{{amg movie, 7125 1990 films Films scored by Christopher Young Films based on short fiction Films set in Montana Films set in Wyoming Films shot in Montana Films shot in Wyoming 1990s road movies American road movies Films about runaways 1990 directorial debut films 1990 independent films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films