City of Angels – Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin)
It takes some serious balls to remake a Wim Wenders film, and even more to remake it with Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan. Director Brad Silberling gives it the old college try though with City of Angels, a Hollywood take on Wenders’ 1987 film Wings of Desire, about an angel who falls in love with a mortal woman and sacrifices his wings to be with her.
Wings of Desire overlays spirituality with national experience, making the film as much about the city of Berlin as it is about a romance. City of Angels is played as a straight romance between angel and mortal – and it’s actually bit creepy, given that said angel spends most of his time watching a woman while she’s unaware.
Skip the remake and go straight for the original (and its sequel Far Away, So Close) for a true cinematic experience.