“Angel-A”
Director Luc Besson
Sony Pictures Classics
(Out Of 5)
It’s a wonderful Parisian life.
Or is it?
Down on his luck, small-time crook André, played by “Amélie”’s Jamel Debbouze, is ready to throw it all away George Bailey-style. He owes big to a Paris mob boss and if he can’t pay up, his goons will kill him. So he stands on one of the many bridges in Paris, resigned to jump ““ until a 6-foot blonde beauty (read: angel) beats him to it. André jumps in to save her. Or so he thinks.
As it turns out, Angela is André’s guardian angel, sent down from heaven to save him. By some choice in wardrobe upstairs, she landed on earth in a provocative costume, but don’t let appearances fool you ““ she is André incarnate. And who better to help André than himself? Or himself with magical powers, especially the power of beauty in a youth-crazed culture.
In Luc Besson’s latest film “Angel-A,” Rie Rasmussen and Debbouze wander throughout Paris trying to save André’s life. The film, shot entirely in glorious black and white, highlights the beauty of the City of Light, which itself becomes another major player, the harsh, do-or-die world in which André struggles to survive. With Angela by his side, however, André’s problems take care of themselves. If only he would let them.
The film is short, about an hour and a half, and captivating, with iconic shots of Paris from the Eiffel Tower (from which the mob boss’s crony hangs André out to dry) to late-night brasseries. It’s hard to get bored thanks to all the visual stimulation.
However, Besson’s script is lackluster and the vampire-esque climactic scene leaves a bitter aftertaste. The crux of the story ““ the sorting out of André’s life ““ is difficult to care about, since André doesn’t seem to care himself.
“Angel-A” still touches on a heartwarming message similar to its yuletide predecessor “It’s A Wonderful Life.” André must learn to love himself, regardless of Angela. Besson saves the movie by realizing in his protagonist the importance of all human life.
Debouzze’s own performance is strong and considerate: as with Lucien in “Amélie,” he is hard not to love. And maybe if we love him, he can, too. And really, what can a movie set in Paris be about other than love?