Angel-A (Luc Besson Collection) - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Angel-A (Luc Besson Collection)



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:



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Movie
To continue on with this really impressive Luc Besson 9 Film Collection, we get to one of the only Luc Besson films that I have never ever seen before. Also, one of his more unique films as he shot it entirely in black and white back in 2005. Notoriously given a HORRIBLE transfer by Optimum Entertainment back in 2009, this newly minted Blu-ray (one of only 3 Blu-rays in this set, with the other 6 being 4K UHD) looks and sounds great, finally giving fans a way to see the film in HD in all of its glory.

Andre (Jamel Debbouze) is a low level criminal out of luck and out of time as his debts have gotten him into hot water with his debtors. They have called in their markers and threaten to kill Andre unless he can get the cash together in a hurry and have it back to them by that evening, or very bad people are going to toss him over the railing of his building. Out of time and in NO position to get together nearly 80,000 Francs in 4-6 hours, the out of luck criminal decides to end it all by jumping off a bridge into the river below. But right as he’s about to do the deed he notices a beautiful blonde woman about to do the same thing, as she hurls herself from the bridge Andre dives in after her instinctively.


His rescuee turns out to be a French prostitute named Angela (Rie Rasmussen), who decides to help the inept scam artist out of his financial jam. At first poor Andre thinks she’s gonna give him some moral support, but before you know it Angela is wining, dining, and manipulating all of his debtors into wiping out his debt (either through finance or feminine wiles). But it’s the second half of the movie where the film leans towards Wings of Desire by revealing that Angela is more supernatural than she is human, giving Andre the edge he needs to get his life back in order.

While Luc Besson is mostly known for his flashy action and sci-fi pieces, this is a much more reserved and controlled film for the controversial director. Shot in black and white it appears much more personal and intimate, highlighting the relationship between Andre and Angela. Both of whom seem to have this extremely likable and comfortable soft romance going on. But really, it’s the beauty and allure of Paris that is the front and center focal point of the entire film, with Besson utilizing long time collaborator and cinematographer Thierry Arbogast to paint a gorgeous image of the city of love, all in black and white.

Angel-A is probably the last film of Besson’s that I would consider inspired. Between Subway and Angel-A Besson was best known for his flashy blockbuster like The Fifth Element, The Professional, and The Messenger, and after Angel-A he went on a downward decline of making mediocre pop culture films. Angel-A is extremely beautiful and intimate, telling a simple tale with luxurious minimalist visuals that capture the eye even more than a sci-fi epic. It may not be his BEST film, but it is certainly one of his better post 1990s works by a good margin.




Rating:

Rated R for language and some sexual content




Video:

Here’s the part where my lack of viewing any version of the film is a bit shaky. I’ve heard that the optimum release from England was terrible, but from what I’m seeing right here it’s not that bad, so I’m GUESSING we’ve had a newer transfer? Or else I’m just a little less critical of it. Either way, the 2.35:1 AVC encode looks very solid all around with decent detail levels all around. The black and white photography is stunning, and black levels look amazing. Now, the thing that made me drop a decent chunk off the score is the fact that his has been VERY obviously filtered and smoothed. Not to the point that it’s a wax museum piece or anything, but its definitely soft and a bit smoothed around the edges. Part of me wonders if this was a Luc Besson stylistic choice, or whether it was the encode from Sony, but either way, it just means that this release isn’t as detailed or clean as it COULD be.









Audio:

The French 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix is quite solid though, and a nice step above the video encode. This is a very talky affair, with a heavy focus on dialog and the score. Vocals are clean and locked up in the front of the room like you would expect, while surrounds are mostly used for ambient background noise. Bass is light and soft, adding weight when needed (such as the club scene where Angela makes Andre his first burst of cash), but overall more of a complimentary addition rather than a standout. All in all, it does everything well considering how low key this film is, and while it doesn’t stretch the boundaries of the lossless 5.1 format, I can find no problems with it either.









Extras:

• Making of Angel-A
• Theatrical Trailer

Final Score:

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Coming from someone who has only HEARD of Angel-A, I ended up being very satisfied considering my reasonably high expectations of the film. It’s a wonderfully personable love story mixed with beautiful aesthetics in a way that only Luc Besson can pull off. It is most definitely not as pop culturally accessible like his blockbuster films, but still a nice return to form for the French director. The Blu-ray looks solid, and sounds good, but sadly the extras are only so-so. All in all, a nice addition to the collection.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Rie Rasmussen, Jamel Debbouze, Gilbert Melki
Directed by: Luc Besson
Written by: Luc Besson
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: French: DTS-HD MA 5.1, French DD 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH, English
Studio: Decal Releasing
Rated: R
Runtime: 91 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: November 25th, 2025

Recommendation: Good Watch

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