''Dark Angel'' is a 1996 American

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' *Mystery, a seahorse that SpongeBob SquarePants adopts in the episode " My Pre ...

thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

produced and directed by

Robert Iscove Robert Iscove is a Canadian film and television director, television producer and a choreographer. Filmography Film * '' She's All That'' (1999) * '' Boys and Girls'' (2000) * '' From Justin to Kelly'' (2003) * '' Love N' Dancing'' (2009) Minis ...

and written by John Romano, from a story by Romano and

Randall Wallace Randall Wallace (born July 28, 1949) is an American screenwriter, film director and producer who came to prominence by writing the screenplay for the historical drama film ''Braveheart'' (1995). His work on the film earned him a nomination for t ...

. It stars

Eric Roberts Eric Anthony Roberts (born April 18, 1956) is an American actor. He has amassed more than 700 film and television credits since his debut in 1978, making him one of the most prolific English-speaking screen actors of all time. Roberts' career ...

as a police detective on the trail of a

serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

Ashley Crow Ashley Diane Crow (born August 25, 1960) is an American actress. She is best known for her role of Sandra Bennet on the television show ''Heroes''. Life and career Crow was born in Birmingham, Alabama. She moved to Mountain Brook, Alabama at t ...

Linden Ashby Clarence Linden Garnett Ashby III (born May 23, 1960) is an American actor. On television, he portrayed Brett Cooper on the final two seasons of the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox soap opera ''Melrose Place'' (1997–1999) and Sheriff Noah Stilin ...

Gina Torres Gina Torres (born April 25, 1969) is an American actress. Her starring roles include Zoe Washburne in the science fiction series ''Firefly'' (2002–2003) and its feature film sequel '' Serenity'' (2005), and as Jessica Pearson in the legal dr ...

, and

Paul Calderon Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo P ...

co-star. The film was originally produced for

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

as the

pilot episode A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie) in United Kingdom and United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television netwo ...

of a series that never materialized. It aired on the network on September 10, 1996.

Plot

New Orleans Police Department The New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) has primary responsibility for law enforcement in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The department's jurisdiction covers all of Orleans Parish, Louisiana, Orleans Parish, while the city itself is div ...

detective Walter D'Arcangelo is the only link to a

who preys on

adulterous Adultery is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal consequences, the concept e ...

women. In order to clear his name, Walter must solve the case before the killer strikes again.

Cast

as Walter D'Arcangelo *

as Anna St. Cyr *

as Harry Foley *

as LaMayne *

as Vance Pickett * V. P. Oliver as Jerome *

Nicholas Pryor Nicholas David Pryor (born Probst; January 28, 1935 – October 7, 2024) was an American character actor. He appeared in various television series, films, and stage productions. Early life and career Pryor was born Nicholas David Probst in Balt ...

as Richard *

Wayne Péré Wayne Péré (born March 23, 1965), sometimes credited as Wayne Pére or Wayne Pere, is an American character actor. Life and career Péré was born in Houma, Louisiana, and is the youngest of three brothers. After graduating high school, Péré ...

as Vardamon *

Joel Polis Joel Polis (born October 3, 1951) is an American television, film and stage actor. Polis has appeared in over one hundred television programs and films during his career. Career Polis' first film role was the character Fuchs in the 1982 scien ...

as Jastrow * Ray Baker as Wentworth

Production

Fox originally announced ''Dark Angel'' as a series in development for the 1996–97 television schedule, and produced this film as its

. Filming took place on location in

Release

The film premiered on Fox on September 10, 1996, as part of the network's ''Tuesday Night Movie'' series.

Reception

Carole Horst from ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote: "Script by TV vet John Romano doesn't flag as mystery unfolds at a leisurely pace, although Roberts gets the only fully fleshed out character, delivering a sexy, wiseguy performance. Most everyone else has to walk that line between hip irony and outright overacting. Most fall on the wrong side. Robert Iscove's direction is crisp and straightforward; Linda Burton's production design and Francis Kenny's camera make good use of the flavor of the city."

References

External links

* * * 1996 films 1996 thriller films 1990s American films 1990s English-language films 1990s mystery thriller films 1990s police procedural films 1990s serial killer films American mystery television films American mystery thriller films American police detective films American serial killer films American thriller television films American Zoetrope films Fictional portrayals of the New Orleans Police Department Films about adultery in the United States Films directed by Robert Iscove Films set in New Orleans Films shot in New Orleans Fox Broadcasting Company original films American murder mystery films Television films as pilots Television pilots not picked up as a series English-language crime films English-language mystery thriller films {{US-tv-thriller-film-stub