Angel Heart is a 1987 American neo-noir psychological horror film and an adaptation of William Hjortsberg's 1978 novel Falling Angel. Written and directed by Alan Parker, the film stars Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, Lisa Bonet and Charlotte Rampling. Harry Angel (Rourke), a New York City private investigator, is hired to solve the disappearance of a man known as Johnny Favorite. Angel's investigation takes him to New Orleans, where he becomes embroiled in a series of brutal murders. Following publication of the novel, Hjortsberg began developing a screenplay for a film adaptation, but found that no film studio was willing to produce his script. The project resurfaced in 1985, when producer Elliott Kastner brought the book to Parker's attention. Parker began work on a new script, and in doing so, made several changes from Hjortsberg's novel. The independent film studio Carolco Pictures produced Angel Heart with a budget of $18 million. Principal photography commenced in March 1986 and concluded in June of that year; filming took place on location in New York and New Orleans. Before its release, Angel Heart faced censorship issues from the Motion Picture Association of America for one scene of sexual content. Parker was forced to remove ten seconds of footage to avoid an "X" rating and secure the "R" rating that the film's distributor Tri-Star Pictures wanted. An unrated version featuring the removed footage was later released on home video. Angel Heart received mixed reviews and underperformed at the North American box office, grossing $17 million during its theatrical run.