Almost an Angel (1990) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

A criminal earns spiritual redemption by helping others and passing a final test of faith.

Story Structure — 6 Plot Phases

A Burglar Gets A Second Chance

Terry leaves prison and successfully robs a bank through technical deception. After saving a child and being struck by a van, he experiences a vision offering him angelic probation.

Key Events

• Prison Electronics Prank — Terry makes the prison electronics malfunction before his release, amusing Guido and fellow inmates. Characters: Terry Dean, Guido Location: Prison
• Bank Robbery Proposal — Terry decides to rob banks using camera manipulation and celebrity disguises. Characters: Terry Dean Location: Prison release area
• Willie Nelson Heist — Disguised as Willie Nelson, Terry successfully completes his first bank robbery. Characters: Terry Dean Location: Bank
• Child Rescue Collision — Terry pushes a child away from a van and is struck himself. Characters: Terry Dean Location: Road
• Probation Officer Vision — Terry experiences a vision in which God offers him a second chance as an angel in training. Characters: Terry Dean Location: Hospital

Crime Meets The Impossible

Terry attempts another robbery, but amateur criminals disrupt the plan and a gun loaded with blanks makes him reconsider his supposed immortality. He returns the stolen money and follows mysterious signs.

Key Events

• Rod Stewart Disguise — Terry attempts another hold-up disguised as Rod Stewart. Characters: Terry Dean, Thug Location: Bank
• Amateur Robbers Intervene — An amateur robbery group disrupts Terry's plan, and Thug tries to shoot him. Characters: Terry Dean, Thug Location: Bank exterior
• Blank Ammunition Revealed — The gun fails because another robber loaded it with blanks, making Terry question his mortality. Characters: Terry Dean, Thug Location: Street
• Repentance at Church — Terry seeks advice and donates or returns the money from the Willie Nelson robbery. Characters: Terry Dean Location: Church
• Signs Lead North — Terry follows signs connected to Moses Bros. Moving Company and Paradise Bar. Characters: Terry Dean Location: Road

A Friendship At Paradise Bar

Terry meets Steve, an embittered man with a terminal illness, and confronts him through a fair fight. Steve responds to Terry's acceptance and brings him into the youth center.

Key Events

• Barroom Challenge — Terry fights Steve on equal terms while seated on a stool, challenging Steve's self-pity. Characters: Terry Dean, Steve Garner Location: Paradise Bar
• Youth Center Invitation — Steve befriends Terry and offers him shelter at the youth center. Characters: Terry Dean, Steve Garner Location: Paradise Bar
• Dealers Driven Away — Terry intimidates two drug dealers while Steve assists him at the center. Characters: Terry Dean, Steve Garner Location: Youth center
• Terry Helps The Children — Terry teaches boxing and repairs arcade games, proving his value to the center. Characters: Terry Dean, Steve Garner Location: Youth center

Saving The Youth Center

Terry helps protect the center, teach boxing, and repair arcade games. When George withdraws funding, Terry engineers a religious television and lighting spectacle to change his mind.

Key Events

• Terry Helps The Children — Terry teaches boxing and repairs arcade games, proving his value to the center. Characters: Terry Dean, Steve Garner Location: Youth center
• Funding Crisis Deepens — George refuses further funding, leaving the youth center in financial difficulty. Characters: Terry Dean, Steve Garner, George Bealeman Location: Youth center
• Manufactured Divine Broadcast — Terry edits a religious broadcast and rigs the rooftop cross with remote-controlled lighting. Characters: Terry Dean, George Bealeman Location: Youth center church
• George Funds The Center — Inspired by Terry's display, George promises a new center and new furnishings. Characters: Terry Dean, George Bealeman Location: Youth center

The Final Sign

Steve is fatally injured while warning Terry about the detectives. Terry reassures him with the illuminated cross, then leaves after revealing that he is almost an angel.

Key Events

• Steve Warns Terry — Steve escapes pursuing detectives to warn Terry, but broken bottles cut his femoral artery. Characters: Terry Dean, Steve Garner Location: Youth center
• Steve Accepts Death — Terry creates a sign with the cross, and Steve dies peacefully after losing his fear of death. Characters: Terry Dean, Steve Garner Location: Youth center

The Angel Revealed

The remote works without batteries, and the cross shines independently. Terry survives a truck passing through him, proving his transformation and continuing his divine mission.

Key Events

• Angelhood Confirmed — A truck passes through Terry, proving he has become an angel after completing his test. Characters: Terry Dean Location: Road

Story Breakdown

• Criminal Beginnings — Terry begins as a technically gifted burglar whose prison release leads directly to another robbery.
  • Prison Electronics Prank — Terry disrupts the prison electronics before release.
  • Celebrity Bank Heist — He uses disguises and surveillance manipulation to rob a bank.
• The Second Chance — A selfless rescue and a strange hospital vision force Terry to reconsider his life.
  • Child Rescue Collision — Terry saves a child and is struck by a van.
  • Angel Probation Vision — Terry is offered a chance to become an angel in training.
• Rejecting His Old Life — Terry's encounter with blank ammunition encourages him to abandon ordinary criminal behavior.
  • Failed Second Robbery — Amateur robbers interrupt Terry's disguised hold-up.
  • Church Repentance — Terry returns or donates the money from his earlier heist.
• Steve And The Center — Terry forms a transformative friendship with Steve and joins the youth center community.
  • Paradise Bar Encounter — Terry challenges Steve's despair through a fair fight.
  • Protecting Young People — Terry drives away dealers and helps the center's children.
• Funding Through Deception — Terry uses his technical skills to solve the center's financial crisis.
  • Manufactured Religious Sign — He edits a religious broadcast and illuminates the rooftop cross.
  • George Reverses Course — George becomes inspired and promises a completely new center.
• Steve's Final Warning — Steve's loyalty protects Terry but results in a fatal injury.
  • Escape From Detectives — Steve races to warn Terry about the approaching detectives.
  • Peaceful Death — Terry uses the cross to comfort Steve before he dies.
• Proof Of Angelhood — Terry's supernatural nature is finally confirmed after he leaves the center.
  • Batteryless Cross — The cross shines even though Terry's remote has no batteries.
  • Truck Passes Through Terry — The truck passes through Terry, confirming his angelic transformation.

Directed by

John Cornell

Key Cast

• Paul Hogan — Terry Dean
• Elias Koteas — Steve Garner
• Linda Kozlowski — Rose Garner
• Doreen Lang — Mrs. Garner
• Douglas Seale — Father