Angel-A (2007)

This is How Movies Should Be Made

Good concept, poorly executed.

Excellent but underrated film

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

I guess every man wants a Angel A. She's so pretty,considerate and do everything he says. Andre's a loser by any standards and Angel comes down from heaven to save his life. It won't happen actually but the film makes it come true. I love the film so much that I took the poster as my wallpaper of my phone.

Talking to a friend about the Cinéma du look title Nikita,I found out that they had recently picked up a Fantasy film by Luc Besson.Caught by the style he had shown with Nikita,I decided to see Besson's angel come down to earth.The plot:Unable to cover his debts to the underworld after the delay in his olive oil business, André Moussah decides to go to a bridge and kill himself. Just before he jumps off, Moussah is joined by a mysterious women called Angela,who jumps off the bridge,and into the river first.Forgetting his suicide plan, Moussah jumps in and saves her.Getting out of the river, Angela tells Moussah that as a thank you she will help him to solve all of life's problems. Laughing it off as he tells Angela about the mountain of debt he is faced with, Moussah soon gets a divine intervention.View on the film:Continuing Besson's major theme of strong female characters,the screenplay by writer/director Luc Besson whips up earthy Film Noir- style crime with a delicate fairy tale mood. Dovetailing Moussah and Angela's relationship,Besson displays lean comedic chops by making the angelic Angela have more of a Punk attitude round the gangsters than the hiding in the shadows Moussah. Bringing their feelings out in the open,Besson casts his fairy tale with a spell of loving yourself,which is stopped from being heavy-handed by the self- discovery deepening the bond between Angela and Moussah.Landing on earth in crisp black and white, Besson and cinematographer Thierry Arbogast light their tale in shimming Film Noir shadows and quirky Art Deco designs which sets a off-beat other worldly backdrop for the mythical tale. Drinking up the Fantasy, Besson and Arbogast use elegant wide shots to give Angela a surrealist,larger than life appearance,which also wonderfully scores the exchange of power taking place between the couple. Jumping into the magic, Jamel Debbouze gives a great performance as Moussah,whose sense of wander is held by Debbouze with a fear about facing all the Noir misdeeds he is stuck in.Coming down from the sky, Rie Rasmussen gives an exquisite performance as Angela,thanks to Rasmussen laying Angela's body and facial language bare,as Moussah finds out how angelic Angela is.

Angel-A is an easy film to knock. Superficially, there isn't a great deal to endear it to any particular type of audience. For example, there's barely any action, no sex or nudity, there are no big Hollywood stars, it's not sufficiently intellectual to be an 'art-house movie' (despite being black & white!) and, although it has amusing moments, it's hardly a comedy. In addition, the film is only focused on the two main characters and, even then, it's only really about one of them. The remaining participants are (quite deliberately it appears) straightforward stereotypes who allow the simple story to progress. The quality of acting from Rie Rasmussen seems far from impressive but, to be fair, she's not speaking in her native language. Mind you, her awkward portrayal of the titular character seems to work well and she certainly stands out as a 'fish out of water'. But despite the film's potential short-comings, there are three saving graces that transform Angel-A from a rather average 7 to a brilliant 9 in my eyes: the breathtaking cinematography (thank you Luc Besson), the magnificent casting (Jamel Debbouze is perfect as André) and the heart- warming gentle story (which stayed with me long after the film had finished). In fact, I would go so far as to say that Angel-A could leave you examining your own life and wondering when was the last time you stopped to 'respire and regard' the beautiful world around you and consider how the way you feel about yourself might well have a direct impact on how others treat you. However, Angel-A is one of those films that you have to be in the right mood to watch. If you don't allow yourself to relax and be drawn into the fairytale, the story can easily fall flat. You also have to give it a chance to get started; the fast-paced dialogue at the beginning makes it hard to watch the pictures at the same time as reading the words (unless you're French of course!). But once Angela enters the frame, the story takes off on a stunningly gorgeous wander around Paris and the way that the tale gently unfolds in the second half of the film is wonderfully touching. There are many moments of outstanding beauty and even the superficially simplistic long-shots of Angela & André crossing the Seine have a mysterious magical quality about them. Actually, the whole film feels slightly unreal; this is partly down to the subject matter but also to the way it was filmed in an almost-empty Paris at odd times of the day. So, in summary, I love Angel-A. It's one of those films you can watch again and again quite happily and find new insights from each viewing. There are so many scenes that quickly become favourite moments as you watch it multiple times. The contrast between the giant Nordic goddess and the shifty little North-African seems to work brilliantly and the backdrop of a beautiful black & white Paris with incredible lighting more than makes up for a few minor flaws. 9/10

My missus brought me this the other month because she knows I'm a fan of Luc Besson, usually the action films he's wrote and produced but it was a nice effort anyway. I found myself pleasantly surprised with this one. I'm not usually into all this soppy romantic b*llocks but with this I'll make an exception. It's actually a really beautiful film, well acted and well made. It tells the story of a no-hoper who finds redemption in the form of a beautiful girl. The film makes you question, for a while, whether or not this girl is actually insane. I was taken with how beautiful and talented Rie Rasmussen was and was even more stuck by the fact she wasn't French and had to learn the language for the role. Jamel Debbouze also did well, his scene in the mirror very well acted (you'll know what I mean if you've seen it). Not for everyone but for fans of a nice night in with the missus, this is a must. Quick note: she cried at the end ***/*****.