Angel-A

Starring: Jamel Debbouze, Rie Rasmussen, Gilbert Melki, Serge Riaboukine, Akim Chir, Erik Balliet

Written by: Luc Besson

Directed by: Luc Besson

Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics

Rated: R

One of the most tender, romantic films in years also features death threats, beatings and hints of prostitution. Luc Besson is one of the few directors working today who could successfully pull off a wicked dichotomy like that. Besson’s latest film to make it to the States in limited release, Angel-A, continues in the tradition of thoughtfully brutal works he’d previously established in films like La Femme Nikita, The Professional and The Fifth Element. Angel-A joins these films as another expertly executed, brilliantly aggressive picture with a memorably strong female character.

Jamel Debouze (She Hate Me) stars as Andre – a man who has fallen on extremely hard times. He owes money to people in Paris who want him dead. Things get progressively worse until he finally turns himself into the police for protection. When it becomes apparent that Andre literally can’t get arrested to save his life, he stands on a bridge contemplating suicide. There he meets a beautiful, towering blonde played by Rie Rasmussen (Femme Fatale). Andre saves the woman’s life and his own in the process. She tells him that her name is Angela and as he will find out in time, she is an angel who has been sent from heaven to help Andre turn his life around. It’s a long and harrowing journey that finds Angel and Andre delving into the darker side of human nature. The story may feel tired and predictable, but Angela and Andre have the kind of screen presence that makes the plot seem dazzlingly fresh.

While the plot may be a bit formulaic in places, Besson’s script has some inspired moments. As Angela and Andre meet for the first time, we see a dialogue unfold between two people who just attempted suicide. It’s a clever cinematic moment with a powerful immediacy as two strangers have an impassioned conversation about whether or not life is worth living. Later on, Angela reveals who she is to Andre from across a table at a cafe. Andre reacts the way anyone would in that situation. When she finally convinces him, a fascinating conversation follows in which Angela reveals that there are no cigarettes in heaven. Clever stuff.

Besson’s camera work is every bit as spectacular here as it has been in the past. He’s chosen a visual feast of locations in Paris that are both familiar and novel. From a gravity-defying shot of Andre dangling from the Eiffel Tower to beautifully symmetrical footage of decayed Parisian squalor, Besson’s direction is brilliant. The decision to film the entire feature in black and white makes Angel-A’s sprinkling of special effects feel like a revelation even in a summer overcrowded with disposable CGI-augmented blockbusters. Besson even manages to make simple things like a levitating ashtray and a cigarette seem spectacular. Ashes fly up and re-form into a perfectly new cigarette. It’s a cheap gag, but Besson makes it work beautifully along with almost every other scene in the film. VS