ANNA (2019)

Written & Directed By: Luc Besson 
Cinematography By: Thierry Arbogast 
Editor: Julien Rey 

Cast: Sasha Luss, Cillian Murphy, Luke Evans, Helen Mirren, Lera Abova, Alexander Petrov, Anna Krippa 

Anna is a young beautiful girl who managed to make a career in the fashion world. More recently, she was a simple model from Moscow, but in a very short time she was able to enter the elite. Once she entered the hotel of an influential and very dangerous person, after which a whole mountain of corpses was discovered there. The girl is being interrogated by special services, but she has absolutely nothing to tell on this fact. She looks scared, and no one suspects her. Anna goes free and begins preparing for a new business. Under the guise of a fragile beauty, is hiding the world's most dangerous assassin, who has not yet misfired.


It feels like writer director luc besson has finally Directed one of the films he usually reserves for producing and letting a protege direct. While he usually keeps his better more ambitious scripts for him to direct.

Here he makes a satisfying action thriller. Though it strangely feels familiar with shades of previous films he has made before. (LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL, LA FEMME NIKITA) as once again we have an attractive young woman practically a junkie caught up in the wrong crowd who nearly does and seems to be reborn/saved by becoming a spy/assassin. Only here she fully has various sexual affairs that we see. This film seems to be more of a retread maybe as his last film the Epic VALEREAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS unfortunately wasn’t successful. 

Sasha Luss is the star of this film and might be the first time I have noticed her. She does well in the lead. Where her M.O. is as a international supermodel. Who usually seduces and then kills. Usually when Luc Besson makes these films he has a more season and well known actor as the star and makes it more a vehicle for them. Here he allow Her to have a showcase but as this is the first we have seen of her this is more an introduction rather then a opportunity to stretch or show in another light, but also as usual with besson films the film is filled with beautiful actors playing supposed regular everyday characters. This was supposed to be her breakthrough.

The only thing truly noteworthy is a choreographed fight action scene that happens near the beginning that seems like it is trying to rival the church scene in the film THE KINGSMAN. Though the film likes to play around with time. Where we will have flashbacks and flash forwards while we are still in a flashback or flash forward.

The film wastes no time in opening up in what is supposed to be more a suspenseful fashion but shows pretty early on how gruesome and violent the film is going to be.

The film is pretty typical when it comes to action. Where as it feels like it could have been made in the 90’s. As the time period the film takes place in seems to be more 1980’s/90’s then modern. Which the film never really informs us of but the use of beepers kind of give a hint of.

It’s a fun time waster. Though not a film you will remember all that much once it is over. It gives you some good thrills and is definitely more a popcorn movie with some European flavor.

A film that wants to be an espionage film but is more simple then that so we get an action film that has very little politics in it but involves spies.

When she double crosses characters later in the film who are supposed to be her handlers and become her lovers. When they find out about one another and forced to confront. You wonder is it more anger out of duty and belief in their country or jealous that is the other lover of their intended.


Grade: C+