Luc Besson's Angel-A

[BioMechanic]

I had no idea this film existed until yesterday. Wondering if anyone's seen it? I'm a Besson fan (I even liked The Messenger), so I'm going to buy this asap.

Doesn't sound like his usual fare, but that's fine with me.

Amazon's synopsis:

It's a Wonderful Life meets Wings of Desire in French director Luc Besson's Angel-A, a surprisingly charming fable of low-life redemption. The low-life in question is André (Jamel Debbouze, from Amelie), a mousy, disheveled Parisian scam artist who's deeply in debt to various underworld thugs. Suicide seems like the best available option, but just as he's about to leap into the Seine, he encounters Angela (Danish model/actress/filmmaker Rie Rasmussen), a leggy blonde beauty who's going to change André's life in ways he never expected. Filmed in gorgeous black and white in a shimmering Paris that seems almost completely depopulated (most of the filming took place in early-morning sunlight), Angel-A is a rough-edged yet ultimately sweet-natured tale of two chatty characters who find new hope through mutual devotion, and that's likely to disappoint any Besson fans who are expecting another high-octane crime thriller like Leon--The Professional. And yet, Besson's tenth film has a light, feathery quality that works in its favor, even when the characters lack interest and their scenes together grow slightly redundant. Debbouze is perfectly cast as a likable loser who deserves a break, and Rasmussen (who memorably appeared in Brian De Palma's Femme Fatale, wearing nothing but lavish diamonds and a killer smile) is, to say the least, angelically seductive. How well you respond to this romantic fantasy will depend on how attracted you are to these characters, but if you give Angel-A a chance, you might find it to be a worthy companion to Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, two other appealing films about love in the City of Lights.

I'll post impressions once I've watched it.

[Dolemite]

What ever happened to this guy? The Professional was awesome.

[YellerDog]

He's mostly producing nowadays.

[Dolemite]

What a waste.

[sleeve]

Oh, man.

I remember seeing the promotional stills when this came out. I wanted to see it so bad.

[YellerDog]

Hot chick anyway.

I remember a lot of "eh" buzz about the movie, I'll probably see it eventually.

[Space Pirate Roberts]

He wrote Unleashed, right?

[YellerDog]

He had something to do with it, definately.

[Space Pirate Roberts]

Yep, just checked it on IMDB - written by Besson and directed by Louis Leterrier. Also, the original title was Danny the Dog (much better IMO - Unleashed sounds so generic and Segal-y).

[BioMechanic]

Watched it yesterday, and really enjoyed it. It's very different from Besson's usual, and has more similarities to The Big Blue than anything else I've seen of his.

It's mostly dialog, with very little action, but action was never the focus. The amazon.com review called it "a charming fable of low-life redemption", and I think that's a perfect description. Angel-A is derivative, to be sure, but was made with a lot of care. I respect Luc Besson a lot for making a film like this rather than cranking out spinoffs of what he's already done. His heart was in this production.

Rie Rasmussen is lovely, both in her looks and mannerisms. I'd be interested in learning if something was done to digitally increase her size (or shrink Andre), because she just towers over him.

Anyways, it's a wonderfully done, ethereal love story, mostly concerned with a troubled soul learning a lot about himself and where he fits in the world. Nice to see something different once in a while.....I recommend this, especially for those of you who like foreign films.