Dracula: A Love Tale (2025)

The story of the vampire has been told countless times, often in uninspired ways. It's up to the visually striking flair of Luc Besson to breathe new life into the material, focusing on the romantic aspect that begins his curse and the tragedy at the heart of it all. By leaning into the sentimental approach, it finds an interesting way of telling the same tired old tale; a love story about an immortal being who waits for centuries for the reincarnation of his beloved.

It's more of a Gothic romance with horror elements, and the score by Danny Elfman is a highlight. This is an even better version of Bram Stoker's Dracula.

3½ gargoyles out of 5

Angel-A (2005)

A French language comedy/drama from Luc Besson that's shot completely in black and white. The pairing of a short, dishevelled male (Jamel Debbouze) with a tall, leggy blonde (Rie Rasmussen) has classic comedic value in itself, but it also has a deeper meaning, one that may not be instantly recognisable.
The first half of the film isn't amazing, but you need to stick with it because the story grows with the characters and vice versa. There's a pivotal scene in the second half that changes everything. It adds buoyancy, bringing the emotional level up to sit comfortably alongside the artistic one.

3 invented lives out of 5

Taken 3 (2014)

Olivier Megaton takes the directorial reigns again as Bryan Mills fights to clear his name when he is framed for his ex-wife's murder. This time on American soil, he must circumnavigate the police and one very crafty detective (Forest Whitaker). While Neeson is usually cast now as the grisly yet crafty veteran, I really saw his age in a few of the chase scenes. The camerawork covers it up with nauseatingly jarring close-up shots and movements. I found the vehicular chase scenes completely laughable and groan-inducing. But the close-combat hand-to-hand fight sequences were the true highlight of the film. Predictable twists and a mountain of plotholes and corn-veniences aside, the third installment keeps up the action and thrills despite an aging Neeson.

2½ unwanted crotch shots out of 5

LUCY [2014]

Writer/director Luc Besson sets out to have great fun with the ludicrous sci-fi/thriller Lucy.  Whether or not the audience has as much fun depends on their ability to suspend their disbelief.
Scarlett Johansson plays a drug mule who gains amazingly cool psychokinetic abilities when the drug accidentally leaks into her bloodstream and opens up previously unused parts of her brain.  It's an interesting role that plays like a hybrid of her Avengers' Black Widow role and the alien from Under The Skin, while Besson seems to channel Inception, Limitless and 2001: A Space Odyssey.   What's frustrating is it tries appear smarter than it really is by getting into the science of things, which is more distracting than interesting.  It's nothing but good ol' fashion SFX action with a great cast the elevates it just a bit more than it might deserve.

3 Dinkineshs out of 5

THE FAMILY [2013]

The Family is your typical Luc Besson violent comedy/thriller that will have most Western audiences scratching their heads.
An American family tied in with the mafia are relocated to France under the witness protection act, where they have trouble letting old violent habits die hard.  As a whole the film is a bit of an uneven mess but in pieces it's a highly enjoyable energetic way to spend your time on.  The cast are all spot-on, with Glee's Diana Agron turning in the best performance as a violently bat shit crazy girl falling in love for the first time.
As uneven as the film is, it's still quite funny in the darkest of ways and all comes into it's own in the awesomely intense climatic finale.

3 expressive fucks out of 5

Nikita (1990)

aka: La Femme Nikita

Nikita is an assassin working for the French government; they tell her who to kill and she does it. That makes her sound very two dimensional, but Luc Besson writes strong female characters, so there’s a lot more layers to her that reveal slowly as the film progresses.
It’s not an action movie. It surprises me when people say that it is. I see it as a thriller that explores the steps taken by one woman to get her life back on track (in an admittedly unconventional way). There just happens to be some bloodshed and murder involved.
It has things in common with Besson’s other assassin film, Léon: The Professional (1994). I prefer Léon.

3 places out of 5

The Lady (2011)

The story of Aung San Suu Kyi, a woman torn between loyalty to her country and loyalty to her family. Aung represents one half of a struggle between democracy and a violent, corrupt military regime.
It's split between Rangoon (Burma) and Oxford (England) so it can focus on more than one event at any one time. It's not a happy film; the few and far between moments of joy are short lived but it never drags its heels.
Michelle gives a good performance; she's capable of projecting both great strength and concerned vulnerability.
It's based on true events that you can google if you want more information. The film picks an opportune moment to finish its telling, but parts of the story are still ongoing today.

4 steel orchids out of 5

Transporter 2 (2005)

The Stath returns for a sequel that’s like the first movie but kicked into a much higher gear. He hasn't time to deliver any packages this time because he’s too busy busting bad guy's heads and breaking limbs, as his honour demands. He’s unstoppable, like a cocky T1000 with five o'clock designer stubble. It has a kinetic fight scene with a hosepipe that even the great Jackie Chan would swell with pride to be a part of. Teams Stath with Jason Flemyng again which was fun to see. My only criticism is that it’s too short.

3½ crazy stunts in high heels out of 5

The Transporter (2002)

Jason Statham transports packages from point A to point B with no questions asked, until one day the shit hits the fan and there are more than questions flying his way. It’s a typical Luc Besson penned comedy/action flick. The most amazing thing is that it makes any sense, because the people involved didn't speak the same language off-set. It had a French production, a Taiwanese actress, an English actor and a Hong Kong director. Nevertheless, it’s a fun, fast paced action romp, the kind of thing The Stath does best. Good times.

3 opportunities for Stath to rip off his shirt out of 5

Wasabi (2001)

When Hubert's not playing golf he's putting people in hospital. His boss doesn't like that much because Hubert is a cop. When he's called to Japan on a personal matter he brings his "talents" with him. You can guess the rest.
If you enjoyed the TAXI series of films you'll likely enjoy this, they share the same writer (Luc Besson) and the same director (Gérard Krawczyk) of numbers II, III and IV. They're so similar that a team-up would be possible. Make it so, Besson. I'll watch it.

3 off the plane, into the shit out of 5

Taxi 4 (2007)

Yes, they made a fourth one.
Daniel and Émilien are fathers now, so they try to be responsible.
Petra goes undercover.
Gibert is even more idiotic than usual.
The story is thinner than the paper it was written on, but the characters are such good fun it’s easy to get sucked in. If Luc Besson decides to knock out a script for a fifth film over breakfast someday I’ll watch it too.

3 gimp suits full of piss out of 5

Taxi 3 (2003)

More of the same from the usual gang. There's an attempt to show that they've grown up a little and that their relationships have moved on, but the basic premise of the plot hasn't.
If you liked Taxi 1 and Taxi 2, you'll probably like Taxi 3. It's another fun feature that never takes itself too serious.

2½ guns for Santa out of 5

Taxi 2 (2000)

aka Taxi Taxi

Daniel still drives fast. People still love him.
His girlfriend Lilly still needs a good hard shafting.
The cops are still unable to find their own ass-pipe.
The Germans are out. The Japanese are in.
The Police Chief gets the most laughs.

3 parkour ninjas out of 5

Taxi (1998)

Daniel drives his taxi at 130 mph.
People love him, except the police, but that's okay because they can’t find their own ass-pipe without a map.
His girlfriend wants sex but he just can’t find the time.
It’s a French, fun, fast paced package from the quill of Luc Besson and the laughs are universal.

3½ turbo boosts out of 5