The following was provided to The King's Room by Warner Brothers:

While pursuing a suspect one night, Chicago Police officer Sharon Pogue (JENNIFER LOPEZ) nearly becomes the victim of a fatal ambush - until a mysterious stranger, Catch (JIM CAVIEZEL) intervenes, disarms the assassin and saves Sharon’s life.

A stroke of luck? A twist of fate? A concerned citizen who just happened to pass by at the right time and wasn’t afraid to get involved? Maybe

But Sharon and Catch have met once before.

As the two fall in love, they discover the truth about each other and are forced to deal with the secrets from their past.

Morgan Creek Productions and Franchise Pictures present a Franchise Pictures and Canton Company production, "Angel Eyes," a film by Luis Mandoki, starring JENNIFER LOPEZ, JIM CAVIEZEL, SONIA BRAGA and TERRENCE HOWARD. "Angel Eyes" is directed by LUIS MANDOKI from a screenplay by GERALD DIPEGO, and also stars JEREMY SISTO, VICTOR ARGO and SHIRLEY KNIGHT. The film is produced by MARK CANTON and ELIE SAMAHA. ANDREW STEVENS, NEIL CANTON and DON CARMODY serve as executive producers. The composer is MARCO BELTRAMI and music supervisors are MANISH RAVAL and TOM WOLFE. JERRY GREENBERG is the editor; DEAN TAVOULARIS is the production designer; and PIOTR SOBOCINSKI is the director of photography. MARIE-SYLVIE DEVEAU is the costume designer. "Angel Eyes" will be distributed domestically by Warner Bros. Pictures, an AOL Time Warner Company, and internationally by Franchise Pictures.

This film has been rated R for "language, violence and a scene of sexuality."


About the Story

"Angel Eyes" is a story about a seemingly unlikely couple who cross paths under life-threatening circumstances as though they are destined not only to meet but to save each other’s lives. Not once, but twice.

Officer Sharon Pogue is an excellent cop. "She’s tough and she doesn’t compromise," explains director Luis Mandoki, "She will do whatever it takes to do the right thing, regardless of personal cost to herself." Assigned to a high-crime district in the South Side of Chicago, her job puts her into danger on a daily basis – arresting drug dealers, confronting armed criminals, breaking up fights. The intense anger that often shows through her professional exterior in the face of such volatile situations leads her partner and friend Robby (Terrence Howard) to suspect she was well-acquainted with violence long before she ever put on a uniform. But it’s not something she chooses to talk about.

Sharon’s dedication to her job does little to compensate for the fact that she has no personal life. She has been estranged from her family for many years. Disconnected from them and from life in general, Sharon fills her days with work and her nights with her private regrets.

"She once took a position and is now continuing to pay the price for it," explains screenwriter Gerald DiPego. "Exposed to violence early in her life, she is now covering her hurt with anger. Nevertheless, she longs for the family that has shut her out."

Somewhere in the same neighborhood a man who goes by the name of Catch is living his own half-life. A strange, haunted soul who sleeps in an empty apartment, he spends his days dispensing little gifts of goodwill to anyone in need. If it starts to rain and he notices a car window open, Catch will roll it up; if a stranger passes by, Catch will offer a smile. Twice a week he delivers groceries to a disabled woman named Elanora Davis (Shirley Knight). He and Elanora exchange the same light banter every time he stops by but she has learned not to ask him the kinds of questions he doesn’t want to answer.

To most people who encounter him, Catch is an odd but harmless figure. To some, he appears dangerous, suspicious…they wonder what he is up to. But Catch is indifferent to the reactions he elicits. He moves through the landscape in a kind of existential daze, performing his services automatically as though this is the only thing he was meant to do. Yet he seems to derive no real pleasure from it.

"He’s actually stumbled onto something," says DiPego. "On the one hand, certainly he’s in denial, trying to escape his pain, but his traumatic experience also triggered in him an appreciation for the preciousness of life and how important it is that we love each other, even strangers on the street. Out of that awakening comes these little acts of kindness."

Like Sharon, Catch has no personal life.

"He’s just applying a Band-Aid," says Mandoki of Catch’s behavior. "He’s keeping a lid on his demons as Sharon does with hers. It’s only when they fall in love and then risk losing that love that they are forced to examine who they really are, present and past."

"They’ve just come together and formed a relationship but it’s still tentative," says James Caviezel, who portrays Catch. "They’re still not willing to give up to each other the stuff they’re scared to reveal."

The story is about "the conflict between isolation and connection," says DiPego. "We become isolated because we’re afraid of opening up to each other, especially these days. On the other hand, there’s a longing inside of us to connect. I think our salvation lies in keeping connected."

When Sharon learns that her parents, Josephine (Sonia Braga) and Carl (Victor Argo) are planning a big party to celebrate the renewal of their wedding vows and she has not been invited, she reaches a crisis. At the same time, Sharon’s investigations into her new lover’s background bring up issues for him that he would do anything to avoid – even if it means never seeing her again.

After years of dealing with their pain in the only way they knew how, Sharon and Catch must make some difficult decisions and risk losing each other if they are going to move forward and reclaim their lives.


About the Production

"Angel Eyes" was born out of discussions at The Canton Company between producer Mark Canton and screenwriter Gerald DiPego, in search of an original screenplay.

"We considered a number of ideas but this is the one I was most excited about," Canton recalls. "It was very original from the inception. I especially liked the inner-city police beat as our setting and the way the two leading characters were developed as brave but damaged souls.

"There have been a number of romantic films like ‘Ghost,’ and more recently ‘City of Angels’ and ‘Michael,’ in which people are touched and changed by some otherworldly force, like an angel," Canton continues. "In this case, I wanted to explore a reality-based story about ordinary human beings in whom we might find qualities that are considered angelic."

After developing the material for over a year with DiPego and director Luis Mandoki, Canton was pleased to learn that the script had attracted the interest of Jennifer Lopez. He then brought it to the attention of Elie Samaha, Chairman and CEO of Franchise Pictures and a producer with a long and wide-ranging list of feature film credits. Canton and Samaha were working together at the time, with Neil Canton, to produce the 2000 update of the classic 1971 action thriller "Get Carter." They selected "Angel Eyes" as their next filmmaking collaboration.

Recalls Samaha, "When Mark told me of Jennifer Lopez’s commitment to this film and her passion for the story, my response was, ‘Let’s do it’."

Samaha had already heard high praise about director Luis Mandoki from Kevin Costner whoworked with Mandoki on the romantic drama "Message in a Bottle," and considered him the perfect choice to helm "Angel Eyes." Mandoki is known for his sensitive treatment of love stories.

"I surround myself with talented filmmakers on all Franchise films," says Samaha, citing some of the most respected names in the industry with whom he has recently worked including Michael Caton-Jones, David Mamet, Sean Penn, Agnieszka Holland, Renny Harlin and Jonathan Lynn. "On this project," he continues, "I knew I was in good hands with a gifted director like Luis Mandoki and a producer like Mark Canton who has excellent taste for material."

"Luis Mandoki understands this genre better than most directors," says producer Neil Canton. "His questions go right to the heart of the matter. Actors are comfortable because they know he’s attuned to their individual performances at the same time he’s envisioning the overall film."

Jennifer Lopez agrees. "It’s not so much that Luis is sensitive to love stories," she clarifies, "it’s that he is sensitive to human beings and the human condition. He understands what people go through in their daily lives and, because of that, he can tell any story well."

"I’ve done many love stories," Mandoki says, "so I tried to resist doing another. But this one was so compelling. All the elements appealed to me, even the setting. These characters meet on the street, literally, which is the most unlikely place for people to reveal hidden vulnerabilities to strangers -- a place where vulnerability might cost you your life. They are drawn to one another but they resist. Right away there seems to be an ethereal influence at work and yet these two are always fully grounded in reality which is, for both of them, the downtown streets of Chicago. There was just so much richness to the story that I wanted to bring it to the screen the way I imagined it."

The director credits his stars for helping convey the depth of emotion in their characters with the right subtlety. "Both Jennifer and Jim understood immediately," he explains. "Their interaction on screen has to be intense but subdued. Conversation and looks exchanged have to suggest far more passion, fear, yearning and a whole range of emotions that they are keeping in control. It takes real skill and sensitivity as an actor to play this kind of role. Their chemistry is phenomenal."

Having secured the role of Sharon, it was Lopez who recommended Jim Caviezel as Catch, based upon the impression he had made on her when she watched "The Thin Red Line," although at the time she didn’t even know his name.

"There was a tight close-up of his face," Lopez recalls. "These incredible eyes just stared through me. It was such an intense gaze. And when this project materialized several months, and I wanted to do it, I said to Mark Canton ‘you’ve got to get the guy from ‘The Thin Red Line’ for the lead. It’s amazing what he can convey with his eyes.’"

Caviezel was almost committed to another film at the time but after meeting with Mandoki there was no question that he wanted to do "Angel Eyes." He and the director struck an immediate rapport and Caviezel understood what he was trying to do with the story.

"A couple of my favorite films are ‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington’ and ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’" says Caviezel. "I knew that if I ever had the opportunity to be in a film like that I’d do it. Of course those characters that Jimmy Stewart played are a lot different than this but there’s a familiar theme in some ways: life presents you with a hardship and you need to make a choice. It’s difficult but the more valuable thing for any individual is to take the higher ground. It’s easy to quit. So many films I’ve seen are about people who quit. When I see a film I want to be exhilarated and inspired."

As for this being the actor’s first casting in a love story, he doesn’t attach much significance to that. "Truth is, I just look for great material and this was great material. There’s a wonderful mood to this film that’s very unusual. It’s kind of an old-fashioned story in a contemporary setting."

Mark Canton was primarily attracted to the emotional content of the story. As he explains, "The overriding theme of the movie is that sometimes people can get a second chance and that love itself can be a rehabilitating force. You don’t have to die or move on to another world for it to happen. You can heal, grow, move ahead and have another shot right here in this life - if you only open up and trust someone and trust yourself to make the connection that will make all the difference."

Neil Canton also responded to the emotional element of the story. "I really related to the material," he says. "When I first read the script it moved me deeply. Two years later, on the first day of rehearsals, certain scenes still brought tears to my eyes. It has a gritty setting but it’s a delicate piece."

Screenwriter Gerald DiPego, who originally researched the story in Los Angeles by participating in LAPD police car ride-alongs as an observer, chose Chicago as his "Angel Eyes" setting for entirely personal reasons. "I knew it was an urban story that could work in any American city, but of course I have an affinity for Chicago, my hometown."

To ensure the authenticity of scenes depicting police work, the production enlisted Sergeant Kathy Carter as an on-set consultant. Carter, a police officer for 19 years, 12 of which she spent on Toronto’s downtown division patrol, is also a firearms and CPR instructor. Her job on "Angel Eyes" was to ensure that all the police action in the script rang true, the jargon was correct and even the way equipment was worn on the actors’ belts looked exactly the way real officers would wear them.

Most importantly, Carter was there to be sure that the leading lady would look and sound like a real police officer in the way she moved through a crime scene, the way she handled her weapon and the way she handcuffed a suspect -- all of which might seem like simple actions to a civilian but would be glaringly obvious on screen if done wrong.

Lopez proved a quick study.

"This kind of training is difficult because it’s hard to show actors what to do in a very short period of time," says Carter. "Our officers train constantly, sometimes months and even years before even going out on the street. And some of the situations in this movie are very realistic. They require realistic reactions.

"Fortunately, Jennifer is a very quick learner," Carter continues. "I taught her some handcuffing techniques, which a lot of people think is easy but actually is difficult. I taught her the proper procedure for holstering, for clearing vehicles with a gun, for tackling people. She’s was terrific."

As for whether Jennifer Lopez would be believable as an inner city cop, Neil Canton had not the slightest doubt, having produced the crime thriller "Money Train," in which she played one. "When Jennifer puts on the uniform," he says, "she is absolutely believable. She’s retains her vulnerability as a character but with an added dimension, an edge and a real physicality that maybe she learned from growing up in the Bronx."

It’s that perfect balance between tough and sensitive that defines Sharon’s character. Lopez understands that. Ultimately, she says, "this is a story about a person. A woman. She just happens to be a cop."

Terrence Howard, who plays the part of Sharon’s police partner, Robby, concurs. "Sure there’s a lot of physical action – diving from bullets and running – but overall this is an emotional movie about characters and integrity. The part I play is kind of watchful. Robby is Sharon’s best friend and he cares about her. He knows something is going on but she won’t tell him so all he can do is let her go through whatever it is she has to go through. And hope she makes it."

Lopez, who used to run competitively in her teens and earned a number of trophies for her efforts, performed some of her own stunts for "Angel Eyes," including one scene in which she was required to scale a fence and drop down to the other side.

"They didn’t want me to do it, really," she says of the filmmakers, "and the truth is, usually I won’t try. I don’t try to be Superwoman. But when I was little I used to climb fences and I was really good at it. So I thought, ‘well, let’s just see what happens.’ They were discouraging me from attempting it because if I got hurt that would shut down production. But I knew I’d be fine. So I just did it. I didn’t tell them beforehand because I didn’t want them to worry."

Of course, once she had proved her athletic ability, the filmmakers changed their stance. "I had to do 12 takes after that," Lopez remembers. "Once they realized I could do it, they were ruthless."