DVD REVIEW

Angel-A

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment || R || Nov 20, 2007

Synopsis

When Andre, a down-on-his-luck gambler, dives into the icy Seine to end it all, he winds up instead rescuing Angela, a gorgeous, mysterious blond. Filled with renewed passion for life, they set out to settle Andre’s scores as they wander the City of Lights. Along the way, Andre finds himself, but he still has some questions about his leggy, lovely companion – can she really be as heavenly as she seems?


Critique

André just can’t catch a break. His business ventures have failed, he owes money all over town, and he has avoided his problems for about as long as he can. The opening voice over has André telling us all about his international businesses, his pad in Manhattan, the fact that he is an American citizen. The opening voice over is André lying to himself. At one point, André literally cannot get arrested.

The American citizen bit isn’t a complete lie, but it’s also not strictly true either. André won a green card in a lottery, but he has never actually been out of France. He is at the end of his rope and is just about to throw himself into the Seine, just about to end it all when, in a scene straight out of It’s A Wonderful Life, André sees a woman drowning and jumps in to save her.

Rie Rasmussen plays Angel-A, and she is gorgeous. Looking at her, it’s not hard to believe someone would throw himself off a bridge for her. As the film moves along, Angel-A boosts André’s self-esteem, partly by stating the obvious (he’s not that big a loser), and partly just by being with him. The fact that a girl like Angel-A would be that into a guy like André makes her all the more attractive.

Angel-A has a snap to it. The energy in the film makes the characters pop off the screen. It’s nice to see Luc Besson directing a film again. It had been six years between this and his last film, The Messenger. Like not realizing how hungry you are until you walk into a restaurant, I didn’t realize how much I missed Besson’s particular style of film until I watched Angel-A.

Through the course of the film, Angel-A helps André learn to like himself. The film has a sweetness to it, a childlike quality that raises it above the kind of patronizing corniness we might expect. This is a fun romantic film that doesn’t take itself seriously.


Video

Angel-A is presented in the original 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The black and white photography is expertly rendered. The black and white levels are solid, and the rest of the grey scale is equally crisp. The photography is full of stark contrasts, all of which are beautifully translated.


Audio

This disc is presented in French Dolby Digital 5.1. The presentation is sharp, with all levels coming through with great clarity. The dialogue and ambient sounds are well balanced, and the whole soundtrack comes off well.


Special Feature

The Making of Angel-A: exactly that. On-set footage is coupled with the cast and crew talking about the genesis of the film from inception to completion. This is interesting.


Final Thoughts

Angel-A is a fun, affecting film with some great moments. The audio-visual presentation is solid, but the bonus material is lacking. This is definitely worth a look, but owning it is for die hard fans only.

VERDICT: RENT IT

 

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Review posted on Feb 5, 2008 | Share this article | Top of Page

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