Luc Besson kind of disappeared from directing at the turn of the Millennium. I’m not sure why. It could it be that 1999’s The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc was met with such heavy (and IMO unfounded) criticism, or is it possible that his divorce from Milla Jovovich put him in such an incredible depression that he was contemplating killing himself by jumping into the Seine? Hell, I would – and that’s exactly what the protagonist of Angel-A attempts.

Knowing this, it isn’t difficult for me to imagine that during Besson’s six-year absence from the world of cinema that he penned something fairly autobiographical. But regardless of any reasons behind it, it was a great joy just to know that he was back. I remember hearing about the film and getting extremely excited about it.

And I waited…. And I waited… and then Arthur and the Invisibles came and went. Where the hell was Angel-A, the live action film that was supposed to reestablish one of my favorite directors? Well, it seems the boat never made it over here, and if it got a theatrical release at all it was probably relegated to New York and Los Angeles where I wouldn’t know about it. The exhausting wait is now over, for Angel-A has received a DVD release stateside and I’m certain it’s not at all being promoted and that this review is probably the only one being written by any DVD reviewer that had any idea about what they would be receiving. So now the job of promoting and informing about Besson’s newish two-year-old work is in my hands.

As mentioned, our pathetic little slimy hero André (Jamel Debbouze, Amélie) is at the end of his rope. He’s an American citizen living in France with dreams of starting an olive oil company. Sadly, he’s fallen in with the shady characters of the illegal underworld and owes a lot of scary criminals an even scarier amount of money. His time left to pay them back is coming to an end and a long dip in the Seine seems like the preferable way to wrap it all up.

What André never accounted for was that a gorgeous blonde was about ten feet away, teardrops ruining her mascara also about ready to end it all, and instead of letting himself sink to the bottom of the river; he ends up saving the mysterious woman’s life. In return for the favor, the oddly witty free-spirited acquaintance decides to follow André around and help him get his life back in order. Her name is revealed to be Angela (Rie Rasmussen, who some may remember from DePalma’s Femme Fatale) and revealing that her name is more than a coincidence wouldn’t be spoiling a thing.

The story behind Angel-A is nothing original whatsoever. We’ve all seen films where angels come to Earth to save peoples souls. It’s been done in comedies, serious dramas, horror films, etc. What sets Angel-A apart through is how it expects you to know the conventions of this type of film and invites you more to play along with Angela as she comes up with interesting and often uncomfortably funny ways to make André understand his position in life better. It’s not often where you get to see a supposed agent of God do parlor tricks for his subject, particularly when most films in this vein are so “faith” based that doing so would be lowering themselves. So it’s lovely to see Angela go out of the way to convince André that she did “fall from the sky” and still have no desires herself except to smoke and eat. It’s excellent to see Debbouze go a bit mad contemplating that a woman he only just met is prostituting herself out to every guy in a nightclub so that he can earn money back to pay off his debt. But backing off from that, it’s very refreshing to see that André’s self confidence boost that Angela is trying so hard to give him stems through absolute madness instead of sadness. Angel-A doesn’t paint a Capra-esque portrait that the world would be worse off without André. Instead it shows that the world would be better to André if he could simply get his head out of his own ass – That’s a moral that everyone in modern times should be able to relate to.

Since the majority of the film follows just our two actors over the course of two days in Paris, roles like this would more than require good chemistry both intellectually and emotionally and pairing up Debbouze with Rasmussen is an absolute combination that, pardon the pun, feels quite literally like Heaven on Earth. The relative scruffiness and downtrodden vibe that Debbouze shows makes for great comical balance against Rasmussen’s free-spiritedness. The dialog between the two is fast and funny in a way that only two people that enjoy working with each other can converse. This is a duo that I would love to see work together again on another project. It’s a screen couple that I want to see endure.

Angel-A also comforted me in other ways which have nothing to do with the fantastic script and well done ending. Particularly, it put to rest this uneasiness that I had about what Besson would create from behind the camera after so long away. None of his unique visual flair has left him. The decision to go black and white on this film only enhances the timelessness of the picture while Besson’s characteristic exaggerated imagery seen in The Fifth Element and Subway is back allowing for a cartoonish realization of a modern Paris and its peoples. Every single shot in this film is fantastic and if this film was available as a book of stills I would own it in a heartbeat.

It really is a goddamn shame that this didn’t get a wide release and I hope the wait for the next live action Besson project isn’t as long. Anyone with the slightest bit of interest and open to a fun and fluffy romantic film with more than a bit of cynicism is going to be grinning ear-to-ear throughout Angel-A.

The DVD Presentation
Angel-A was shot in B&W although more modernly with a lot of bluish tones. The DVD format has the ability to make B&W transfers look better or worse than intended based upon the quality of the negative. Suffice to say for a film this modern there is no reason for concern. Every single frame of the film was meticulously chosen, and the transfer captures the brilliance. Angel-A could be released as a book of stills – I’d buy it. Sound design is really great as well, with a French 5.1 Surround track being the only option. But despite being a new film, it doesn’t get the speakers roaring either. It’s not that type of film, but the mix does capture the music and ambiance perfectly well. Subtitles are included in English and Spanish. It kind of surprises me that they wouldn’t bother with French or French-Quebec subtitles since this is a North American release. Nevertheless, you likely won’t have any complaints about the transfer, and if you do you’re probably just an asshole that everyone laughs at when you turn around.

And the Extras Are?

The Making of Angel-A – (26:56)
This is the only real film related feature on the set, but at least it is meaty enough to be satisfying. Here, the actors Rie Rasmussen and Jamel Debbouze (as well as their stunt doubles) show us what making the film with Luc Besson was like. The atmosphere shown on the set here is wonderful as pranks are played and both actors seem to have a wonderful sense of humor off screen and share the same sensibilities that make their characters so undeniably charming. Particularly interesting is how Rasmussen had to practically learn all of her lines in French since its only her third language. The one area this suffers is that there is no input from Besson himself. This is par for the course though since he rarely ever reveals anything about this films, no mater how insignificant.

Previews –
As customary for Sony DVDs, trailers for a bunch of other releases are included. Here we get Sleuth, Youth Without Youth, the incredible looking Paprika, Vitus, and Interview. Also included are DVD trailers for The Fifth Element – Ultimate Edition, Molière, When Did You Last See Your Father?, The Counterfeiters, The Company and Léon: The Professional. There’s also a promo bumper for Sony to pimp-out Blu-Ray.

It’s cool to have trailers for a bunch of shit, but why not include the trailer for Angel-A?

The Bottom Line
No, Angel-A doesn’t have the most original plot in the world, but where it goes and how it gets there seems entirely fresh and new. After a six-year absence from the screen director Luc Besson proves he lost nothing of his incredible visual trademarks, and humor. I would strongly recommend Angel-A to anyone. It’s funny, well-acted and actually romanticizes Paris in a way not seen in cinema for a long time. It’s easily one of the most charming films that I’ve seen this decade and while I would have loved the chance to see it in theatres, this DVD is a great way to catch it.