Australia's Paul "Crocodile Dundee" Hogan serves up some heavenly hash in this film, a well-intentioned but (alas) self-defeating comedy about a professional thief named Terry Dean (Hogan) who, having survived a life-threatening accident, convinces himself that God has given him one last
opportunity to redeem himself. On the lam following a bank holdup, Terry finds himself performing an uncharacteristically heroic act by saving a life and winding up in the hospital as a result. Believing he has died and gone to purgatory, Terry fantasizes an audience with Moses (Charlton Heston)
and becomes convinced he has been returned to earth to serve the Lord. Released from the hospital, Terry goes to a bar where he meets a paraplegic, Steve (Elias Koteas). The two men hit it off and Steve takes Terry home with him to meet his sister, Rose (Linda Kozlowski, Hogan's real-life wife and
co-star of his "Dundee" films). Rose has left a good job to devote herself to taking care of her wheelchair-bound brother. During their first meeting, Terry displays a comical and thoroughly unorthodox grasp of Biblical text, which baffles Rose, leading her to take an immediate dislike to this
stranger. However, through a series of misadventures during which Terry consistently displays his good-heartedness, Rose is won over by the reformed thief, as is every other character in the film.
While Hogan's messages about brotherly love, peace, and understanding are certainly noble, he lacks the flair and genius to incorporate them into the type of entertaining film created by masters such as Frank Capra and Leo McCarey, filmmakers he obviously wishes to emulate. Those directors knew
instinctively how to make sweetness and light work onscreen, giving their pictures enough bite and wit to keep them from becoming corny or saccharine. Hogan gives it the old college try and while the attempt is occasionally admirable, most of his bad-man-turned-good-guy jokes fall flat. Scenes
designed to be uplifting sink into preachiness, while much of the film moves at a snail's pace. Hogan does manage to elicit some laughs as he disguises himself as Rod Stewart, Willie Nelson, and others, and he is an appealing performer. Certainly it is commendable that he would attempt to offer an
oasis of love, laughter, and compassion in the midst of a contemporary cinematic desert of lust, hate, gore, and graphic violence. Unfortunately, his talents aren't equal to his intents and ALMOST AN ANGEL commits the unpardonable cinematic sin of being largely dull. (Mild profanity, mild
violence.) leave a comment