Angels & Demons (2009)

Angels & Demons is a 2009 American mystery thriller film directed by Ron Howard and written by Akiva Goldsman and David Koepp, based on Dan Brown's 2000 novel of the same title. It is the sequel to the 2006 film The Da Vinci Code, also directed by Howard, and the second installment in the Robert Langdon film series. However, the novel version was published first and acts as a prequel to The Da Vinci Code novel. Filming took place in Rome, Italy, and the Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California. Tom Hanks reprises his role as Professor Robert Langdon, while Ayelet Zurer stars as Dr. Vittoria Vetra, a CERN scientist joining Langdon in the quest to recover a missing vial of antimatter from a mysterious Illuminati terrorist. Producer Brian Grazer, composer Hans Zimmer and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman also return, with David Koepp coming on board to help the latter.

The film grossed $485 million worldwide and received mixed reviews from critics, who considered it an improvement over its predecessor. A sequel, titled Inferno, was released on October 28, 2016.

At CERN, Father Silvano and Dr. Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer) created three canisters of antimatter. Silvano is murdered, and one of the canisters is stolen. The Catholic Church mourn the sudden death of Pope Pius XVI, and prepare for the papal conclave to elect his successor in Vatican City. Father Patrick McKenna (Ewan McGregor), the Camerlengo and a former helicopter pilot, takes control of the Vatican. Four of the "preferiti", the favoured candidates to be Pope, are kidnapped by a man claiming to represent the Illuminati. He sends the Vatican a warning, claiming he will murder each of the cardinals from 8 pm to midnight, when the stolen antimatter will explode and destroy the city, hidden somewhere within.

American symbologist Professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is brought to the Vatican to help. He deduces that the four cardinals will be murdered on the four altars of the "Path of Illumination", in locations relevant to the classical elements. McKenna gives Langdon access to the Vatican Secret Archives to research the altars, against the wishes of Commander Richter (Stellan Skarsgård), head of the Swiss Guard. He and Vittoria examine Galileo Galilei's banned book, following clues to the Chigi Chapel, accompanied by Ernesto Olivetti (Pierfrancesco Favino) and Claudio Vincenzi (David Pasquesi) of the Corps of Gendarmerie of Vatican City. They find Cardinal Ebner dead, having suffocated on a mouthful of dirt and branded with the ambigrammatic word "Earth".

The second, Cardinal Lamassé, is murdered in St. Peter's Square, his lungs punctured and branded with "Air". Vittoria comes to suspect the Pope was actually murdered via an overdose of tinzaparin and this is confirmed when McKenna secretly inspects the body in her presence. Langdon, Olivetti, and Vincenzi eventually identify the Santa Maria della Vittoria as the altar of fire, finding Cardinal Guidera burning to death, branded with “Fire”. The assassin appears, killing Olivetti and Vincenzi, before escaping to drown Cardinal Baggia (Marc Fiorini) in the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi. Langdon intervenes and rescues Baggia with the help of bystanders. Baggia tells Langdon he was held with the preferiti in Castel Sant'Angelo.

Richter confiscates Dr. Silvano's journals, thus convincing Vittoria that he is a conspirator. Langdon, Vittoria, and the police storm Castel Sant'Angelo. Langdon and Vittoria find the assassin's lair, discovering five brands, the last meant for McKenna. The assassin (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) escapes, claiming his contractors are "men of God". Guided to a car by his unseen contractor, the assassin dies when the vehicle explodes upon ignition, as he has now become a loose end. Langdon and Vittoria find a secret passageway leading to the Vatican, warning the Swiss Guard of McKenna's fate. They find Richter hovering over a branded McKenna. He, and Archbishop Simeon, an alleged conspirator, are killed. Langdon retrieves a key from the dying Richter's hand.

The antimatter container is found in Saint Peter's tomb, due to detonate in five minutes, the cold temperature preventing its battery from being charged in time. McKenna seizes the canister, piloting a helicopter into the sky then parachuting out seconds before the antimatter detonates. McKenna is hailed as a hero, with calls for him to be elected Pope by acclamation.

Langdon and Vittoria retrieve Silvano's journals from Richter's office, finding he kept tabs on the Pope with hidden security cameras. Using the key Langdon retrieved from Richter, they find footage of Richter confronting McKenna, revealing that the Illuminati does not exist, and McKenna is the true mastermind behind the attacks. The Pope had invited Silvano to publicly present the antimatter as proof of a divine power, bridging the gap between religion and science. Considering such a claim blasphemy, McKenna orchestrated the Pope's death, and hired the assassin, plotting to have himself elected as Pope while making the Illuminati the scapegoat. The footage is shown to the papal conclave. McKenna, realizing he has been exposed, commits suicide via self-immolation, refusing to be taken alive.

The Vatican announces McKenna has died from injuries from his parachute landing, which leads to calls for Sainthood (since the people are not aware that he was the mastermind). Also announced is that Baggia is elected as Pope Luke I. Cardinal Strauss, the Pope's new Camerlengo, gives Langdon the "Diagramma Veritatis" as thanks for his help, and allows him to complete his scholarly work on Galileo and the history of the Illuminati. The new Pope gives Langdon and Vittoria a thankful nod, before stepping out on the balcony to greet the crowd below and give the traditional first blessing as Pope.