Dark Angel
A renegade Houston vice cop and an FBI agent confront an extraterrestrial predator harvesting a rare drug from human brains.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Breakneck
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- darkly comic
- pulpy
- violent
- late night action marathon
- cult movie night
What critics said
Critics generally found the film derivative and excessively violent, though many acknowledged its imaginative weapons, humor, and energetic cult-action appeal.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Jack Caine and Laurence Smith combine contrasting law-enforcement styles while pursuing the alien killings.
The investigation connects heroin overdoses and forehead puncture marks to an alien harvesting a rare brain-based drug.
Reviews repeatedly describe the film as ridiculous, humorous, brutal, and B-grade science-fiction tomfoolery.
Houston vice-police spaces, drug operations, and shootouts are contrasted with the alien's imaginative weapons and methods.
Films like Dark Angel, and why
The Hidden
buddy cop action, extraterrestrial threat, irreverent humor, and violent genre spectacle
Predator 2
sci-fi action, relentless pursuit, alien menace, and darkly comic police-procedural energy
RoboCop
hard-edged police thriller fused with futuristic technology, cynical violence, and pulpy humor
The Terminator
alien infiltration, muscular action heroics, and fast-moving genre entertainment with comic touches
Movie Details
- Director
- Craig R. Baxley
- Release Date
- 1990-01-26
- Runtime
- 91 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (402)
Cast
- Dolph Lundgren
- Brian Benben
- Betsy Brantley
- Matthias Hues
- Jay Bilas
- Jim Haynie
- David Ackroyd
- Suzanne Savoy
- Sherman Howard
- Sam Anderson
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Dark Angel about?
- A renegade Houston vice cop and an FBI agent confront an extraterrestrial predator harvesting a rare drug from human brains.
- What is Dark Angel like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Dark Angel as breakneck, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Dark Angel violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Dark Angel as graphic.
- What did critics think of Dark Angel?
- Critics generally found the film derivative and excessively violent, though many acknowledged its imaginative weapons, humor, and energetic cult-action appeal.
- Which films are like Dark Angel?
- Films with a similar feel include The Hidden, Predator 2, RoboCop, and The Terminator.
- How long is Dark Angel?
- Dark Angel runs 91 minutes.
- Where can I watch Dark Angel?
- In United States, Dark Angel streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
