Action Directors - Luc Besson
Career Overview of the Cult Filmmaker
Whatever happened to Luc Besson? Why did he go from being a director who made visually stylish films every few years, to a producer who will seemingly put his name to anything? Besson’s Eurocorp Studio churns out movies; some of these are highly entertaining, The Transporter movies for instance, but there is nothing to equal his early directorial work on films like Nikita (1990).
Tarantino and 'Modesty Blaise
In the mid 90’s Besson was highly regarded, though the always churlish detractors of the Cinema Du Look, a name applied to the kind of slick MTV style visuals Besson specialised in, complained his movies were all style and no substance. However Besson was riding high with the critical success of Nikita and the international box-office of Leon (1994). Tarantino wanted to produce a version of the cult comic strip ‘Modesty Blaise’ with Besson directing and Uma Thurman starring, but the Frenchman had other ideas.
Instead the rot sets in and Besson blots his copybook for the first time with the lamentable science-fiction movie The Fifth Element (1997), a film adapted from a screenplay written when Besson was 16 and still rooted firmly in adolescence.
Kathryn Bigelow and The Company of Angels
The Messenger – Joan of Arc (1999) is a bizarre account of the 15th century French heroine whose failure seems to have had a huge effect on Besson. Originally intended as co-production with Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) entitled The Company of Angels, the pair fell out over casting. Besson wanted his then wife and The Fifth Element star Milla Jovovich. Bigelow thought otherwise. It didn’t end well for anybody involved. Bigelow was forced to abandon her dream project and Besson’s version was derided by critics and struggled to find an audience outside France.
Angel-A (2005) is better, but comes across like a poor man’s Wings of Desire (Wim Wender’s 1987) with a guardian angel watching over a hapless immigrant (Jamel Debbouse). The less said about Arthur and the Invisibles (2006) the better, but then it was meant for children and perhaps they were grateful.
Luc Besson's Best Movies
However here are Luc Besson’s glory days and the reason why so many fans of a certain age keep watching out for him and will happily sit through Wasabi (Gerard Krawczyk 2002) simply because his name is attached to it.
Le Dernier Combat (1983)
An intelligent addition to the post-apocalyptic loner genre made popular in the 80’s by the success of George Miller’s Mad Max (1979) and its sequel The Road Warrior (1981). Taking place in a world where the air is contaminated and people can no longer speak; Le Dernier Combat is dialogue-free and features Pierre Jovilet as ‘The Man,’ trying to stay alive in a hostile environment. Besson’s hero is corrupted by the brutality around him and eventually becomes as violent as his persecutors. It remains the most grown-up film Besson has made.
Subway (1985)
Subway is Besson’s first attempt at the offbeat romances that became his forte. Christopher Lambert has never been better as Fred, the impulsive safecracker with a passion for birthday parties. Fred steals documents from the home of Helene (Isabelle Adjani) so she is forced to meet up with him. Helene’s gangster husband wants his stuff back and forcing Fred to hide out amongst the denizens of the Paris Metro.
The Big Blue (1988)
A dreamingly silly movie about a man who is more at home in the ocean than on land, The Big Blue follows free-diver Jacques Mayol (Jean Marc-Barr) as he competes in various competitions. The first half is highly entertaining with beguiling performances from the remarkably handsome Barr and his co-stars Rosanna Arquette and Jean Reno. As the film progresses it loses the plot a little and the ending is excruciating. Although loathed by critics The Big Blue quickly developed a well-deserved cult following.
Nikita (1990)
Stylish and sleek thriller with Anne Parillaud as a junkie turned government assassin, Nikita brought Besson the best reviews of his career. Tcheky Karyo co-stars as Nikita’s mentor, a kind of Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady, if he were training his protégé to kill people. Needlessly remade as Point of No Return by John Badham in 1993.
Leon (aka The Professional) (1994)
Invincible hitman Leon takes orphaned 12-year-old Mathilda (Natalie Portman) under his wing after her family are massacred by an unstable cop (Gary Oldman). Trimmed of 24 minutes of footage for its US and UK releases, involving scenes where Leon actually takes Mathilda out on hits, Leon is Besson’s last great movie and must be seen in its fullest version.
The Last Battle
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Christopher Lambert in Subway
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The Big Blue
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Nikita
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Jean Reno and Natalie Portman in Leon
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