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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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Angel-A
Tuesday 19 June @ 14:39:57 |
 
FILM REVIEW
by ERIK McCLANAHAN
"You've really had a wonderful life. Don't you see what a mistake it would be to just throw it away."
-It's A Wonderful Life
In the opening shot of Luc Besson's ("Leon," "The Professional," "Nikita") "Angel-A," protagonist Andre' (Jamel Debbouzze, from "Amelie") tells the audience that he is generally a nice guy-right before he gets the shit kicked out of him by some gangsters. His self-assessment is true, sort of, but Besson wants us to see that with a little help this lost soul can find his way.
Heavily inspired by two classics, "It's a Wonderful Life" and Win Wender's "Wings of Desire," this slyly funny film (apparently Besson's last as a director) gives us a loveable loser of a main character in Andre, a petty crook (Besson has an affection for criminals) who decides to kill himself early in the story because he can't find a way out of debt to numerous gangsters. Standing on the edge of a bridge, asking God why he never answers him, Andre is all set to off himself when a beautiful woman appears on the same bridge. She jumps into the river first, only to be saved by Andre.
She calls herself Angela (Rie Rasmussen, "Femme Fatale"), and agrees to help Andre get out of debt in return for his saving her life. Rasmussen, herself a bit of filmmaker---she is currently in film school, and her first short, "Thinning the Herd," was an official selection at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival-is a real treat to watch. She looks taller than Yao Ming onscreen (though her IMDB bio lists her at 5' 10"), and cinematographer Thierry Arbogast and Besson keep a running visual joke the two leads extreme difference in height throughout the film. Rasmussen eats up the screen and spits out an incredibly sexy performance here, and Debbouzze is also great as a guy who keeps blaming the world for his problems.
Angela proves useful as she quickly solves Andres debt issues. He doesn't like it that she whores herself out in a bar to gain some quick cash, but he's not too nice a guy to not accept the money. Angela confesses that she is in fact his guardian angel (she explains that she's the personification of what Andre looks like on the inside), sent to help him become a better person. The film is ultimately about Andre learning how to love himself, and in turn give love (this is nothing we haven't seen in the movies before, but Besson's love of these characters helps the story feel fresh).
If Besson is to end his career with this film, he is going out with a rather strong effort, even with the overly sentimental ending. "Angel-A" looks amazing; every scene crawls with a hipster cool (Paris still remains the most beautiful city in which to set a movie) in Arbogost's crisp and bright black and white photography (used to great effect here). Besson is unashamed to set scenes in the familiar tourist attractions (Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower), framing his actors amongst some great backdrops. Visually speaking, no film yet this year is its equal.
The ending is a bit of a letdown, given how cool and entertaining everything preceding it has been. Besson never shies away from Spielberg-like sentimentality in any of his films, and "Angel-A" is no different. Thematically, the film is rather boring, never delving into anything too complex (the two main themes—love conquers all and real beauty is what's inside-Besson has already covered in other films). Too bad, with a better finale this would be a great film. Instead, it's a good one.
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