The Films of Luc Besson
Le Dernier Combat
Subway
The Big Blue
Nikita
Atlantis
Leon
The Fifth Element
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc
Angel-A (June 5/07)
Beautifully shot and superbly acted, Angel-A overcomes its ruefully uneven first half to eventually become one of the most unusual and flat-out affecting romances to hit theaters in quite some time. The spare storyline - which revolves around the relationship that forms between shifty schlub Andre (Jamel Debbouze) and a leggy blonde (Rie Rasmussen's Angela) - is initially just a little too light-hearted for its own good, as writer/director Luc Besson plays up the comedic exploits of the central characters (ie their efforts to pay off several loan sharks). But there comes a point at which Besson essentially drops the breezy tone - following a fairly substantial mid-movie plot twist - and instead places the emphasis on a surprisingly contemplative and melancholic vibe, with Debbouze's character forced to re-evaluate his shady lifestyle as he starts to fall for Angela. It's during this portion of the film that things really get interesting, and Andre finally becomes the compelling figure that Besson has undoubtedly meant him to be since the outset. Besson's increasingly inventive directorial choices, coupled with Thierry Arbogast's beautiful black-and-white cinematography, infuses Angel-A with a dreamy quality that ultimately proves impossible to resist, while the uplifting conclusion leaves the proceedings on an almost overwhelmingly positive note.
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Arthur and the Invisibles (January 5/07)
Arthur and the Invisibles purportedly marks filmmaker Luc Besson's final directorial effort, and there's little doubt that the movie is far from the crowning achievement that one might've hoped for. The film mixes live-action and computer-animated footage, and follows precocious adolescent Arthur (Freddie Highmore) as he travels into the magical world of the Minimoys - where he must find his grandfather's hidden treasure in order to save his home from imminent destruction. Though Arthur and the Invisibles' early scenes hold some promise - Besson does a nice job of envisioning Arthur's off-kilter real-life world - the film goes downhill in a hurry once the action shifts to the Minimoys' mystical landscape. Crudely animated and infused with juvenile bits of humor, there's no overlooking the tediousness of this aspect of the movie - which, as it turns out, forms the bulk of the too-long running time. It's cute enough, certainly, and there's little doubt that children will thrill to the Minimoys' colorful antics - yet there's exceedingly little here to hold the interest of even the most patient adult.
