Movie Mondays!


I was pleasantly surprised by this movie... I’ve seen other Besson movies - Le Femme Nikita, The Professional and The Fifth Element - and this film is very different from those movies. I was reminded of Jim Jarmusch’s Down By Law, not just because the film was shot in black and white but, also because of its pacing. This is not the big over-the-top action spectacle you may be looking for if you’ve watched the aforementioned Besson films and if that is what you are seeking, you’ll be disappointed. However, it still is a film worth seeing. It’s a quiet movie with a lot of dialogue and since it’s all subtitles with no English track be prepared to focus closely on the film if you truly want to enjoy it. It has a simple message about a man at the end of his rope seeking redemption and finding it from an unlikely source. While I can’t say I ever warmed up to Jamel Debbouze’s character, Rie Rasmussen is infinitely watchable. Plus, the film lovingly shows Paris at its most beautiful, The City of Lights is really another character in this film. There are a lot of nice small details in this flick in dialogue, in composition, in pacing but if that’s not what you look for in a film, don’t waste your time.

I’m repurposing content by taking my NetFlix reviews and posting them here on the blog. If I could figure out a way to do it, I’d post some kind of link for people to connect and make me their friend on the service. Unfortunately, it isn’t altogether clear how one would do that - so if you know a way, pass it along. In the meantime, I’ve got steady content for at least a year.