Angel-A
Tags: magical realism

Plot synopsis:
A freeze frame shows Andre (Jamel Debbouze), who describes himself via a voice over, stating that he lives in America though is currently in Paris. Andre concludes that he is a good guy, though laments that he is lying all the time, including to himself. When the frame unfreezes, Andre is slapped to the ground, and three thugs demand he pay back the money he owes. In the next scene, Andre is shown being held over the railing of the Eiffel Tower by a bodyguard of Franck (Gilbert Melki), who also demands Andre repay him owed money. Desperate, Andre pleads his case to both the American embassy and a Paris police station, though neither is able to help him.
Andre decides to kill himself by jumping off a bridge into the Seine, but first he notices a beautiful young woman (Rie Rasmussen) who is also standing over the railing. The woman jumps off the bridge, and Andre jumps in after her, dragging her to safety. The woman states her name is Angela, and that she jumped because she had the same problems as Andre. In order to thank him for saving her, Angela pledges her life to Andre, stating she will do everything she can to help him.
Andre goes to visit Franck, believing that Franck will respect him more if he has a beautiful woman with him. Franck is uninterested in Andre, but accepts an offer from Angela to discuss Andre's case in private. When Angela emerges, she informs Andre that his debt has been cleared, and gives him a large amount of cash. Andre eventually accepts the money, though is reluctant to do so, believing that Angela slept with Franck to get it. Upon realising that he needs more money, Angela agrees to help him, and the two go to a nightclub. One by one, Angela lures men into the toilets with her, promising them sex in exchange for money. Andre is disgusted by what Angela is doing, and protests with her. Later, the two of them go to another club to pay off his remaining debt. Andre meets Pedro (Serge Riaboukine), and offers to repay him. Pedro advises Andre to bet the money on a horse, telling him that the race has been fixed. Angela advises him against it, but Andre bets all their money on the horse, which comes last.
Andre finds himself desperate again, whereupon Angela informs him that she is actually an angel sent to help him. Andre is incredulous at first, until Angela demonstrates she has divine powers, such as the ability to levitate objects. Andre is fascinated, and tries to learn as much as he can about Angela. The three thugs from the beginning of the film confront Andre; Andre asks Angela to take care of them, and she knocks them all unconscious. Angela helps Andre find the courage to see the good within himself, and also reveals that she did not have sex with any of the men in the bathroom or with Franck, rather she knocked them all unconscious.
Angela convinces Andre to confront Franck, and be honest with him instead of lying. Angela breaks into Franck's hotel room after knocking out his guards. Franck believes Andre is about to kill him, and pleads for his life. Andre apologizes to Franck for borrowing his money, stating he should not have done it. He then tells Franck of his love for the woman who came into his life and opened his eyes. Angela, who is emotionally moved by Andre's speech, leaves. Andre pursues her, eventually catching up to her on the bridge where they first met. Angela reveals that she is going home as her work as done. Andre pleads with her to stay, professing his love for her. An emotional Angela tries to reason with Andre, stating they cannot be together. She sprouts wings from her back, and begins to ascend, though Andre grabs hold of her. They crash into the Seine for the second time. Andre climbs out of the water and Angela climbs out after him. Angela has lost her wings, and she rejoices when she sees Andre.

Review: And that makes me suspect that Besson likes to play it safe by trying to please as many viewers as possible.Anyway, a very important reason to watch this movie is the atmospheric black & white-photography by cinematographer Thierry Arbogast, who also worked on Besson's previous films.
The movie also has some impressive shots of 'la Tour Eiffel', a cathedral in 'le XVe arrondissement' and the many bridges to be found in Paris.Most likely ANGEL-A will have as many defenders as adversaries, not necessarily to be divided in Besson-fans and not-fans respectively.
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.
Though it is a film about love, it shows its real meaning, in a truly artistic way, just as a work of art would speak..In addition, as a film, you can not really categorize it, just as you can not do so for a work of art.It makes you laugh so many times, has moments of pain, moments you feel like crying, some action, in a few words:It has everything life is made of.
In this sense the best description of Angel-a is given above by Elizabeth Arthur when she says that this is "a film about learning to love yourself".Only one question remains: Why a director like Besson, who has been making movies about violence, decides to read about cognitive therapy and bring angels to earth and make a film like this?.
I liked all the strange ideas of Luc Besson - there are no car-chases, no explosions, just a romantic drama.The scenario, the cast, the play of the actors (the role of the nervous Andre is hard to be played, but Jamel Debbouze is a great choice, just like Rie Rasmussen with her infinite legs)...It was too interesting for me that the film was shot early the morning, when the streets are empty and Angel-A and Andre are all alone in the beautiful black-and-white Paris (and world).
It was just the acting from main 2 characters that made it and the cinematography (blacck and white.) I have seen Debbouze in other films and he starts off as the supporting actor here but ends up being the leading role.
It is only an aspirin." That doesn't mean we don't sometimes like our aspirin in posh packaging and that's exactly what we get with Besson's new movie, his first directorial venture for six years.Angel-A is a romantic comedy shot in black and white and with subtitles.
Moments away from the desperate act, he peers to his left, only to see a statuesque blonde, twenty feet away, about to do the same thing.Rie Rasmussen plays "Angel-A" (pronounced like Angela with a French accent), a 6-foot beauty with the body of a supermodel and the face of an angel.
Angel A is one of those wonderful films that is truly an experience and original - as we watched we felt ourselves becoming more and ore drawn to this loser and this impossibly tall girl and their story.Both a fairy tale and a gritty look at Paris' underworld Besson mixes together a wonderful romance adds humor and fear and gives us something unique and magical.We were really moved by this: a tale of love that is definitely out of the ordinary.
Shot in black and white and beautifully lit and composed, there is an ethereal, yet truly gritty tone to this that really does capture the viewer.The plot is almost impossible to describe without revealing spoilers, except to say André, a total loser, jumps from a bridge and saves Angela, and the adventure begins.Above all, this is film, and a film that you can experience and remember: a masterclass in brilliant captivating storytelling it might well be one of the great romantic movies - just different from beginning to end - and warmly recommended..
Angel-A is the title of a lesser-known film by famous french director Luc Besson (Fifth Element) shot in black and white mostly in Paris.
However, much to her surprise, Angela (aka Angel-A) discovers that, even for a celestial being like herself, the process of redemption can turn out to be a bit of a two-way street.Filmed in glorious black-and-white, the movie provides us with a playful tour of a picture-perfect Paris, as Andre and Angela go about the business of raising the exorbitant sums of money Andre will need if he is to avoid being rubbed out by all the unsavory characters out to get him.
Apparently, it takes an intervention by a divine being like Angela to bring out the best in the man.Rie Rasmussen and Jamel Debbouze are both wonderful in their roles of the savior and the saved, but the real star of this sweet, witty and highly stylized motion picture is the rich and glowing cinematography by Thierry Arbogast, which provides the visual equivalent of stepping into a series of Ansel Adams photos brought miraculously to life.
The black and white medium, in this case enhances the film by pointing out the vivid contrasts and dualities in the characters and the story - a major theme throughout the film and in no way inhibits the film's vitality.Shot in Paris, and cognizant of the city's ugly dark side and beautiful light side, Angel-A is the story of a troubled man (André - Jamel Debousse) and the lovely woman (Angela - Rie Rasmussen) who seemingly falls from the sky to save him from a demise of his own design.
Luc Besson's enchanting 'Angel-A' is a modern-day fairy tale film noire fantasy set in black and white Paris.
The very beautiful unknown Danish actress Rie Rasmussen performs the role of a fallen angel assigned to help a man that does not know that he is good like Henry Travers does in "It's a Wonderful Life" with James Stewart's character George Bailey.
Cast: Jamel Debbouze, Rie Rasmussen, Gilbert Melki, Serge Riaboukine.According to the movie reference Web site IMDb.com, French film maker Luc Besson has been involved in the production of 27 different TV and cinema titles over the last 12 months.His job descriptions vary - think producer, executive producer, associate producer, co-producer, extra-special-producer, and what not - but I think you get the gist.It's likely that 90 percent of these flicks you'll never hear about, while the other 10 percent you'll wish you hadn't.By contrast, in 1997 Besson produced just one film: Gary Oldman's exceptional (if harrowing) Nil By Mouth.That year also boasted Besson's final successful directorial vehicle, The Fifth Element.
Yawn.It's on a bridge that this particular story - Besson himself calls it a romantic comedy - unfurls.Minor-league swindler Andre, who happens to owe money to every crook at every level in the Parisian criminal pecking order, is at the end of his tether - so he decides to skip repayment plans by doing le grand jump off a bridge.In that moment Angela miraculously appears, bearing the same suicidal inclinations.
Both somehow survive the waters of the Seine, an event as unlikely as their subsequent team-up, and Angela repairs the tatters of Andre's life - aided only by a limitless supply of self-lighting cigarettes, and a nod or two toward God.Comedian Jamel Debbouze, who plays Andre, lacks the charisma and acting repertoire to hold down the central male role here; the supporting character he played in Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Amelie, as the grocer's assistant, may have had shorter screen time but was a lot more memorable.The fact that the guy bears a spitting-image resemblance to American character actor Luis Guzman (Carlito's Way, Traffic) may be beside the point, but it's downright disturbing.Rie Rasmussen, a Danish former model and short-film maker herself, better fulfills Besson's need for tall, gangly, tough-but-drop-dead-gorgeous girls, and stands literally head and shoulders above Debbouze.She gives the character what seems her best shot, yet Angela remains disconcertingly underdeveloped.
It's also obvious that Arbogast and his director are more concerned with their voyeuristic camera-play.Besson does grant tantalizing moments that entertain aside from the mandatory glimpses of lithe, sexy legs - like Andre being dangled off the Eiffel Tower, and the twist on the club scene where he thinks he's inadvertently acting out the role of Angela's pimp - and the story actually borders on poignant for just a few seconds.The rest of the time the pedestrian acting, the languid script, some clunky angel symbolism, an awkward sense of humor - and quite possibly Besson's long-absent directorial presence - deflates the movie's monochrome sail, and it's just plain dead in the water..
But, if you want to sample something funny and familiar, you could not do better that this French film by director Luc Besson, a director I see frequently with films like Nikita, Leon (The Professional), The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc, and The Fifth Element.It is a familiar story that basically begins with a man (Jamel Debbouze) who is so far down the only place for him is off the bridge.
Angel-a fits right in.This time, Luc Besson chooses a beautiful black-and-white Paris on which to paint his picture of a 6-foot super model Rie Rasmussen (Femme Fatale) standing next to the tiny pathetic crook Jamel Debbouze (Le Fabuleux destin d'Amèlie Poulain).
Film Review: "Angel-A" (2005)The most unlikely characters come together at Luc Besson's first film after a six-year-break from an disappointed, overly ambitious, "The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc" (1999) starring Milla Jovovich, when here an independently-received as charming cinematic black-and-white gem comes along in form of an relationship between a small-time, in-town criminal and a long-legged blonde model "pret-a-porter" character of title-given "Angel-A", portrayed by Rie Rasmussen to the maximum of joyful seduction, enchanting edge-striking actor Jamel Debbouze, known for playing the character of Lucien in world-famous French-export-cinema "Amelie" directed by visionary director Jean-Pierre Jeunet as Luc Besson in his own right must recoup visual story-telling means of a past era of cinema-loving splendor, with counting on already-exhibited pictures as "Le grand bleu" (1988) and "Le cinquième élémente" (1997), to let "Angel-A" become a precision-test, just shot by entrusted as long-term befriended cinematographer Thierry Arbogast in compelling angles in eternal favors of the City of Paris, surrounding quarters as "Montmatre" and "Tour de Eiffel" in stunningly-captured exterior shooting days of less than 50 days in Summer of 2005 to present an unspectacular but honest motion picture of out-of-ordinary way of living in European's metropolis "Paris" with close regards toward the character of North-African immigrant Andre Moussah, completely filled out with beat, humour and bits of action by actor Jamel Debbouze, while Luc Besson as main-time executive producer of the 2000 founded company of "EuropaCorp" keeping close ties to Hollywood for the usual now more Disney Enterprises, Inc. owned "20th Century Fox" presentation as smash-hit-trilogy "Taken" (2008-2015) attracting Hollywood star as Liam Neeson to play action-oriented title roles.
brisk dialogs-check.great camera work-check.serious subject matter hidden behind a well developed fiction/fantasy-check.great lead actors fitting the role made for them-check.an underdog story-check.nobody's perfect-check.OK and i can go on and on...basically if you like the beginning, it only gets "better".upon watching 10 minutes or so i felt there is something original about this feature.then upon checking it here i noticed Luc Besson as its director AND writer.
. .This Capra-esquire movie about an angel who rescues a small-time con artist is a well-meaning but underwhelming effort on the French director Luc Besson's part to shift from his usual profile.
Along the movie you'll unconscionably perform some introspections at the very same time the main actor does them, so actually you'll come out the cinema feeling very good about yourself.So, in a brief summary, you'll have access to stunning visuals with wonderful filming perspectives (the french don't play with that), a sense of humor which is to die for, a superb story with virtually no plot flaws, and an unpaid visit to the shrink, because I believe it has the same effect.It is without a doubt a wonderful movie, and it will sure get in the top 15 of my favorite movies ever..
A French film by Luc Besson, shot in black and white, which is fundamentally an examination of life with a love story and a fantastic creature as the female lead for good measure.
"Angel-A" is a black & white French film that seems to have been heavily influenced by WINGS OF DESIRE and both would make a wonderful double-feature.André (Jamel Debbouze) is standing on the ledge of a bridge in Paris...contemplating killing himself because he owes so many people money...and these sorts of people are NOT the sort to call bill collectors.
But I swear that it is of the jaw dropping kind, and probably the top moment of the whole movie, with all the action geared in its direction, to fulfill with plenty of adrenaline the episode, the definitive solution required as a perfect ending.The photography in black and white is outstanding, most of the time one isn't aware of the lack of color, and Paris (filmed very early during Sunday mornings) looks magnificent in its surreal emptiness, what a city!
a movie which touched me deeply...the "sexy bitch" long legged Angel-A is like the "perfect" red headed Fifth Element.Well i must write more, I'm not much of a critical writer, but I am big Luc Besson fan so let me attempt this because I did enjoy the 45 min.
The story might not be too original, but the way it was shot (the entire film is in Black and White), the characters chosen (she's an angel that looks like a prostitute!) and the deepness and intimacy between them, turns it into a very beautiful, touching and remarkable film.
However, I must say I didn't appreciate the ending so much I think it could have been a different ending to the plot I think it was too average and expected, and a story like this deserved a more original and remarkable endingAnyway; the movie has a great and subtle sense of humour, especially in the beginning when the two main characters start to relate; and there are a few scenes with deep thoughts, which made me think about life and human relationships.
The soundtrack and the settings (Paris suburbs) give it a modern and urban ambiance, like it was a fairy tale in a current and busy city The Black and White gave it an artistic touch The production of the movie is excellent, the plot too, the deepness of the story either; I just don't score it higher than 8/10 because of that ending.
I loved the film very much.I especially would think of watching it again even only for views.Great views from Paris.Historical places and all those beautiful bridges.Making the film in black and white is a very correctly taken decision.Beside the views, characters are enjoyable.Despite their opposite physical appearance they managed to look good and fit to each other.Angela was breathtaking and her very pale blonde hair and black dress looked perfect on black and white.And this made her look really holly.Also I liked her natural acting.Last but not the least, dialogs were strong.About life, about respecting yourself, loving yourself as you are....
The twist is that she needs him just as much as he needs her, if only to feel the emotional connections that divinity has denied her.Angel-A (2005) takes director Luc Besson back to his roots to some extent; giving us a slight, though no less charming little tale of love and loneliness that forgoes the kind of balletic, exotic action and violence that came to pepper his more iconic work throughout the 1990's, and instead, looks back to the quirky, stylish, character driven films that he produced in the early to mid 1980's.
Luc Besson delivers.Not just as a director but as a visionary.We see exactly what he wants us to see.And believe me,what he sees is indescribable beyond words.Angel-A is not your typical love story.It breaks your heart and takes your breath at some points.A story revolving around Andre- a scamster who gets into deep trouble with Parisian loansharks finds himself standing on a bridge ,ready to jump off into the Seine below,having few other choices with his life.He turns to look around and sees a beautiful woman ready to jump off too.As she jumps into the river,he saves her.In return,she offers him any favour he wants.Soon,the story gathers pace as we see Andre and Angel-A,working their way to get Andre out of trouble with the mobsters.but as time flies on,Andre finds himself falling in love with the woman.Those who haven't watched the movie,my advice to you is-Please do.A beautiful love story set in the romantic city of Paris,Angel-A will steal your heart.A story that mainly focuses on character-development rather than mindless script work,Angel-A is a gem from Luc Besson..
The main female character, Angel-A tells André and the audience how to look at one's self and bring out the positive things one have within, how to accept and to give love.This movie also have good humor and the romance is very well executed.
The actor and actress perform a very strong acting in the two best scenes (including the ending) of the movie.One thing I didn't like was the black and white.
And hence, a love story, in the good or bad tradition that you would expect.There are still beautiful parts in the movie, starting with the exquisite acting of Jamel Debbouze and Rie Rasmussen and ending with the splendid camera work.