Few directors know female-led action flicks better than Luc Besson, with films such as The Professional, La Femme Nikita, Lucy, and Colombiana to his credit. Besson took a big gamble on the expensive sci-fi flick Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets which looked gorgeous but bombed at the box office. Hey, they can’t all be The Fifth Element. Perhaps in a bid to recapture the $463M magic of Lucy, Besson is back with the similar-looking and similarly-titled Anna.
In the past Besson has favored casting gorgeous European models of questionable acting ability to be eye candy. He did it all the time with the Transporter movies. For Anna he has cast Russian supermodel Sasha Luss in the title role, and she definitely looks the part of a sexy femme fatale. Doubtful she’s actually called on to do much emoting, which makes it fortunate she’s surrounded by a cast that includes Helen Mirren, Luke Evans, and Cillian Murphy.
I’ll admit to being a sucker for Besson’s take on the chick flick, and this is one I’ll be there for with bells on. But it’s hard to escape how old-fashioned this movie looks in today’s culture, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this gets crushed stateside but does well in France where Besson is revered. It doesn’t help that Besson has been mired in sexual assault allegations, guaranteeing that even fewer women will want to pay for this.
Anna hits theaters on June 21st, when it faces Toy Story 4. Oof.
