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The Family (2013)
Luc Besson has a reputation now as a producer of cheesy action films, but I've long been a big fan of his personally directed efforts.
So I was surprised to hear very negative responses to hear "The Family", particularly since the trailer seemed like so much fun.
On the one hand, the film is enormous fun. On the down side, the jokes aren't always enormously funny.
I've heard it suggested that "The Family" is too derivative, but actually an ex-mobster family causing trouble while in witness protection seems like a novel approach to the material by my reckoning.
DeNiro is great, Pfeiffer is great, the child actors are great, ACTOR'S NAME is great as the officer keeping track of the family and there are even some awesome action sequences towards the end.
With a better script this could have been brilliant. With Besson in the director's chair, he makes the most of the material, but he's clearly very limited.B-
Ranked Luc Besson films
I haven't seen "The Big Blue" or any animated movies directed by Besson and I have as yet to see "Lucy", but below I rank 7 major entries from Luc Besson's filmography.
7. Angel-A (2005)
After a long time off from directing Besson came out with this black and white comedy about a man who meets an angel, with both characters somewhat down on their luck.
It wasn't all that funny and the twist in the story seemed rather daft and pointless.
The biggest problem is that the central couple have nothing in common and absolutely no chemistry, so why are they put forward as a romantic pairing? Meh, fake sentimental rubbish!
High expectations due to Besson's name can't have helped.
D-
6. The Family (2013)
Not brilliant. Clearly Besson can do a lot better, but put a smile on my face. A well-constructed film, though it felt like it should have been funnier.
B-
5. Nikita (1990)
Nikita starts off as a lunatic, becomes a surprise hero and then seems to be randomly softened in the second half.
When Jean-Hughes Anglade turned up I was expecting something akin to his performance in the"Killing Zoe". Instead he plays a rather bland character who only serves to make our protagonist more bland.
And this is a pity, since for the most part Nikita is great film with Besson's seal of quality guaranteeing a lot of fun for the audience.
Nikita is a solid action thriller, but I didn't feel that the central character's criminal background was sufficiently explored for me to find her change of role convincing. The script, rather than the direction or performances, made it hard to believe in the premise. Our protagonist seems to go too quickly from violent lunatic to sensitive romantic.
Still, throughout we still get the Besson touch.
B-
4. Joan of Arc: The Messenger (1999)
You have to recognise that this is a film with *serious trigger warning here!* a graphic rape scene in the first half. Also Joan D'Arc is known for her martyrdom and that element is included here too. So it may be surprising to hear that this is a pretty upbeat action film with a lot of comic elements.
Milla Jojovich is mostly known for her role in the Resident Evil movies, but her career as an action movie star (as opposed to being secondary to another star, such as Bruce Willis) starts here. Joan of Arc is a pretty awesome action role.
Dustin Hoffman's small role towards the end is also very cool. It gives an added depth to what is mostly an action film. Jovovich portrays Joan's unhinged religious side brilliant and it really makes her a unique protagonist.
Considering the inevitably tragic elements of any film about Joan of Arc, this is remarkably fun and actually pretty silly. But the Besson factor ensures this is also a lot of fun.
B+
3. The Fifth Element (1997)
While not an absolute favourite sci-fi movie, this endlessly inventive action film holds a special place in my heart.
I've long been a fan of Bruce Willis (making recent Willis films like "A Good Day To Die Hard" all the more upsetting). He's on top of his game here and really translates a sense of fun to the audience.
I will also note that, while his performance doesn't wholly work here (to put it lightly) I've enjoyed his work in the (first two) Rush Hour movies and I can see what he was going for with his hyperactive futuristic DJ role. (I also love Chris Tucker's more serious roles in "Jackie Brown" and "Dead Presidents". Honestly, he's great!)
Mustn't forget Gary Oldman in his slightly more cartoonish villain than his role in "Leon".
The Fifth Element is just plain fun. Nothing wrong with that.
B+
2. Adele Blanc-Sec (2010)
Adele Blanc-Sec is fantastically crazy. It has its own weird brand of internal logic whereby a Teradactyl can be revived after millions of years and get about someone eating a (chicken) egg.
So much fun. So wonderfully mad. Plus there's a highly expressive central performance.
A-
1. Leon (1994)
One of my favourite films of all time. This features probably Gary Oldman's best performance of all time and certainly Natalie Portman's best performance. There's even a director's cut that is even better.
Leon really pushes the boat out on emotion, action and Lolita-esque controversy.
There are also some unforgettable camera shots. There's a first person perspective of being shot in the back, some awesome shots from a doorway and a camera panning left to capture the fireball of an explosion.
Leon was my favourite film for a long time and it's not such a surprise that, in my teens, the film to just about overtake it was "The Matrix". They are both action films which succeed through iconic imagery, intense moments and clear exploration of themes. Despite being caught up in the initial Matrix craze thanks to my love of sci-fi, I always knew Leon was the stronger film.
Will Jean Reno be in the next Expendables? While I'd like to say he's too classy for that, his career after Leon hasn't been as high profile as his awesome performance here might suggest. But for me, Leon is just too cool to be expendable.
A+