La Femme Nikita
dir. Luc Besson (1990) [French, subtitled]
![Film poster: “La Femme Nikita” dir. Luc Besson (1990) [French, subtitled]](https://www.derelictspacesheep.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/La-Femme-Nikita-1990.jpg)
An influential film that remains more watchable than many of its imitators, despite the 80s vibe and a sense that Besson is making it up as he goes, favouring cinematic moments over plot. Anne Parillaud and Jean-Hughes Anglade bestow an emotional legitimacy.
Anna
dir. Luc Besson (2019)
One of Besson’s better films, albeit offering nothing new either to the genre or within his own oeuvre. Sasha Luss brings emotionally versatility to a role that shouldn’t require any, her performance elevating the nested-dolls Cold War plot-shuffling. Lera Abova also impresses.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
dir. Luc Besson (2017)
Visually arresting. Besson invests in the SF setting from grand scheme to background detail, creating a plush stage for the space opera. Unfortunately, the storyline shows its comic-book origins. The action scenes are mostly pointless and the big emotional moments fall flat.
Colombiana
dir. Olivier Megaton (2011)
A straightforward action revenge film reworked from Luc Besson’s script for the unmade Léon: The Professional sequel Mathilda. Deprived of a counterpoint character with whom to duet, Zoe Saldaña instead performs a flawless solo as orphaned Colombian girl turned contract killer Cataleya.
Léon
dir. Luc Besson (1994)
A moving friendship tale that stops just short of Lolita-ism and owes its impact more to the acting talents of Jean Reno, Natalie Portman (on debut) and Gary Oldman than to writer-director Luc Besson’s attempts to bring French sensibilities to American film-making.
Lucy
dir. Luc Besson (2014)
Marketed as action SF, Lucy hardly even qualifies as a film. Director Luc Besson oversees a mood collage of philosophy and cod-scientific speculation spliced to a b-grade gangster plot. If not for Scarlett Johansson, this would barely have warranted a direct-to-video release.