Angel-A movie review. Luc Besson is someone who lives in another world. In his own words, he is “someone who has been living in the future since he was Metro, Deep Intoxication, Nikita, The Power of Love, especially the 5th Element, are not the work of a normal-minded man. Storytelling, editing, use of music, framing, stage setting, costume design, actor direction, flow/pace; Whatever you are looking for is there in these works. It is very difficult to achieve in terms of cinema art.
Perhaps we should attribute the fact that such a man did not direct films for six years and instead signed on as a writer and producer for films such as Taxi and The Transporter series, Wasabi and, on top of that, Bandidas, to the fact that he is not a person of this time.
I don’t know if I’m too optimistic. Imagine, Luc Besson is a director whose last movie was a disaster both at the box office and in the eyes of critics. Starring his then-wife in the lead role, Jeanne D’Arc turned out to be a poorly shot and told story that was unexpected from Besson, despite its superb supporting cast and great promotional posters. He got a little angry at the criticism and left the director’s chair and did not sit back for six years. From time to time, he created works that managed to become popular, but never befitting his quality. And now he’s here with his brand new movie.
Angel-A tells the story of Angela and Andre. Then this is the story of good and bad, the good in the bad, the tall and the short, the beautiful and the ugly, the conscious and the unconscious, the human and the unknown. Paris, the city where so many contrasts come together, is one of the leading actors of the film rather than an element.
Wim Wenders was wandering on the rooftops of Berlin, and Besson reminds us, like Andre, that Paris is a city of bridges. And he does it in black and white, just like in the first movie he shot. But Besson’s old cinematographer, Thierry Arbogast, gradually softens the contrast of these two opposing colors. Black seems to be getting whiter and whiter, just like white getting darker and darker. Due to Besson and Arbogast’s formal choices, the film gently enters the waters of Wenders’ Wings of Desire and then immediately charts its own course.
The important thing is that 6 years later, Besson is telling “something” and he does it well again. He is experiencing the peace of having completed his work, the script of which he started to write 10 years ago but could not finish. The issues it raises may seem too specific or too superficial to some. However, Angel-A reunites us with the storyteller we miss so much, and that’s why it’s important…
Jamel Debbouze, who has a very important place due to the structure of the film, is promoted to the main man from the side character that he has not been able to get rid of for years. Despite all his lies and deceit, thanks to his babyish face, he engraves not only Angela’s but also the audience’s hearts. Thanks to the lines Besson wrote for him, there will be laughter in the halls from time to time…
What about Andre’s contrast? Rie Rasmussen, who plays Angela, was an appropriate choice to portray a superhuman person. Rasmussen was nominated for the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2004 with her short film. She deserves attention not only for her extraordinary beauty, but also for taking cinema seriously. As Angela, she does what is necessary and manages to surprise both Andre and us.
Angel-A may be a work that can save the charisma of a director who has already proven his greatness, although the number of films he has shot is not even a dozen yet. However, cinema is a process that continues even after it is shot and reflected on the screen. A good work looks for an audience that will appreciate it. I hope you are one of them.
Angel-A (2007)
Directed by: Luc Besson
Starring: Jamel Debbouze, Rie Rasmussen, Olivier Claverie, Gilbert Melki, Kate Nauta, Serge Riaboukine, Akim Chir, Venus Boone, Jérôme Guesdon, Solange Milhaud, Michel Chesneau
Screenplay by: Luc Besson
Production Design by: Jacques Bufnoir
Cinematography by: Thierry Arbogast
Film Editing by: Christine Lucas Navarro, Frédéric Thoraval
Costume Design by: Martine Rapin
Music by: Anja Garbarek
MPAA Rating: R for language and some sexual content.
Distributed by: Sony Pictures Classics
Release Date: May 25, 2007
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