Post by Blade Runner 07 on Sept 12, 2013 19:44:25 GMT -5
This isn't a review as much as a recommendation.
After being intrigued and enthralled by Luc Besson's breakthrough action thriller, La Femme Nikita (1990) some 3 years ago, I knew I had to do a follow up on this director. I looked him up and found a spiritual successor, if you will in Léon: The Professional.
This movie has been on my watch list for ever since, and I finally got a chance to sit down and watch it last night. I can not believe I have waited to this long to see this gem of an action movie. I easily rank it amongst the best I have ever seen. This is a stand-out 90's film that shows in true fashion, a turning point in the evolution of the action movie as we know it.
It's villain is over the top, the sidekick isn't mere comic relief, and the hero isn't the ideal. It's tone is somber and the film takes it's time, but the few action scenes it has are some of the most well filmed I have ever seen.
Every actor brings there A-game here and nothing feels phoned in or fake. It stars Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, and Natalie Portman, all in the early stages of their respective careers and it shows with how deep each character feels. They all play this movie like it may be there last and its brilliant.
I got to talk about the music here. It's composed by the same guy that wrote the score for Goldeneye (the movie) and it feels like a near copy and paste job. It fits in this movie just as well if not better than Goldeneye and adds a great sense of suspense and drama. If you know the music of the movie or the game, it won't take long to notice the similarities.
There are allot of references to this film in later movies and video games. I'll leave it to you to find and identify them but if you have played any abundance of FPS games and watched every other half-baked action cash-in through the last decade then you will definitely recognize a few nods.
So go check it out. You won't be disappointed. As always, the trailer doesn't do it justice and can't really convey the tone of the film itself. It's not a balls to the wall action movie and is only advertized as such. Through all the "dime a dozen" craption movies that come out on a weekly basis around this time of the year, it's refreshing to look back and remember that this genre can not only be done right, but in spades. I can only speak for myself in saying that I came away from this film with a rejuvenated feeling.
Do yourself a favor and don't watch anything more on the movie. Don't read any reviews, or watch any clips. Just find the complete film and watch it. You would be doing yourself a disservice to experience it any other way.