Didn’t Luc Besson retire? I guess like most people that make such statements the need to stay busy overwhelms the desire to sit around the house in your jockey shorts. So Besson decided to direct this semi-remake of a Christmas classic.
Andre (Jamel Debbouze) is a con man whose time has run out. He claims to be an American but the green card that he won in a lottery isn’t worth the paper that it’s printed on and he owes everyone he’s been associated with money. Some of them have given him twenty-four hours to pay up or it will be the end of him.
He spends a frantic night trying to get the money or get help. When his time is up he has neither so his only choice is to throw himself into the Seine. As he stands on the bridge, about to take his final plunge, he looks over and a leggy blond is on the next section of the bridge.
The blond leaps into the Seine and Andre plunges in after her to save her – thereby scuttling his suicide attempt. He pulls her to safety and finds out her name is Angela (Rie Rasmussen) and since he saved her she starts to tag along with Andre and try to make his life better. However, Angela seems to be more than she appears and has a knack for making things better for Andre but will her secret be the wedge driven between them?
Several years ago Luc Besson announced that he was going to retire and not make any more films. Well, it didn’t seem to have took since he’s continued to keep making a film every now and again. This film was a bit of a mystery to me since the poster reminded me of something like Nosferatu or a similar horror film with the tall Angela appearing to menace Andre.
However, that doesn’t turn out to be the case at all. The film is a black and white, gritty, Parisian urban variation of It’s a Wonderful Life. The film is held together by the fine performances by Debbouze and Rasmussen. The comparison to the other film may give away some of the surprises but it really is a nice little film, that is if you don’t mind subtitles.
However, if you were fooled by the poster, such as I, and were expecting more of a horror film then you may be disappointed. But the human story that is within and the fine acting will redeem the deception.
Angel-A is presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features include the 26-minute “The Making of Angel-A” which interviews Rasmussen, Debbouze, and many behind-the-scenes shots including Besson at work behind the camera. There are also previews for other Sony DVDs.
So Besson didn’t retire, I didn’t believe that he would anyway. This film is an interesting Parisian fairytale that harkens back to another black and white film that you’ll be seeing much on television come this Christmas season. However, what makes this film compelling is the wonderful performance by the two leads. Magnificent
Angel-A is now available at Amazon and AmazonUK . Visit the DVD database for more information.
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