It’s All Geek to Me: Les Films d’Action Français — Kicking Derrieres and Taking Noms! » 30ninjas

It’s All Geek to Me: Les Films d’Action Français — Kicking Derrieres and Taking Noms!

Share on Facebook posted 02-05-10 by Dan Kaufman

Hey, everyone! Welcome back to It’s All Geek To Me - your weekly serving of opinions on the only things that matter.

Most of you might remember “France” as that rustic-looking place where everyone talked funny from Inglourious Basterds. Well, it turns out not only does that place really exist, it’s actually an entire country, with a rich history, and a whole culture and everything.

With the news last month that Pierre Morel will be taking over for Peter Berg as the director of the new Dune adaptation, and with his new film, From Paris with Love, opening this weekend, it got me thinking about the significant contributions that the French have made to the world of film (or should I say cinéma?). And no, I’m not talking about Truffaut or Goddard. Get your Criterion fix somewhere else, sunshine, the site’s called 30 Ninjas. I’m talking about bad-ass action and geekery here! So this is a kind of mini retrospective to honor and give props to these particular gents from the land of the blue, white, and red, and to reflect on some of their work.

Let’s start with director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. With collaborator Marc Caro he created two of the most tripped-out movies you’ll ever see – Delicatessen, a post-apocalyptic drama about an unemployed circus clown living in a run-down apartment with a cannibalistic landlord, and the gloriously strange City of Lost Children. Imagine if David Lynch were to direct a steam-punk version of Annie and you might key in to some of the aesthetics of this surreal masterpiece. Hellboy himself, Ron Perlman stars as a timid side-show strongman whose little brother is kidnapped by a mad scientist out to steal the dreams of children. If you’re a fan of unique visuals with a dark edge, seek these out.

Jeunet is also responsible for introducing the controversial Ripley clone to the canon in Alien: Resurrection (though writer Joss Whedon can take a little of the blame), as well as Amelie, in which he applies his quirky frenetic visuals and sense of fantasy to a sweet romantic comedy. And it works.

Now how about Luc Besson? It’s ridiculous how much this guy has contributed to the world of action film. As a producer on the original Ong Bak alone he could stand in the pantheon of behind-the-scenes overlords. But as a writer/director he is much more. Remember The Professional? The best hitman-with-a-house-plant movie ever made? The film that made us all feel pervy about some pre-adolescent kid named Natalie Portman? Good times. Then there’s La Femme Nikita, the greatest female assassin ever, bar none. These two landmark films ooze with an effortless cool, and are required viewing for any self respecting fan of the genre.

More recently, Besson’s pen has given birth to the entire Transporter series starring Jason Statham. You have not lived until you’ve seen Statham give a righteous beat down in the middle of an oil slick. Speaking of The Transporter series, I don’t want to forget about the director of the 2nd film, Louis Leterrier. This young upstart deserves great thanks for delivering the first bona fide movie in which, to coin a phrase, Hulk smash. His upcoming reboot of Clash of the Titans also looks very promising.

So now to Pierre Morel himself. Last year I checked out his directorial debut from 2004 called District B13 (written and produced by Besson!) which I had only heard about beforehand as “that parkour movie”. While that moniker only partly applies, I was still very impressed with this no-nonsense action buddy tale about revenge and rescue in a quarantined section of Paris. The meticulousness and clarity of the awesome fight choreography really bowled me over, and was accomplished without any CG or wires. By the way, the sequel, District 13: Ultimatum, directed by Patrick Allessandrin, opens in limited release… this weekend! 10 francs if you can guess who wrote it.

About 4 years later, Morel directed yet another Besson script with Taken. This film, starring Liam Neeson as an ex-CIA operative out to rescue his kidnapped daughter, is pure distilled awesome. Midichlorians aside, I love it when Neeson does action. This part was perfect for him, and Morel showcases him beautifully.

All this bodes very well for whatever he comes up with for Dune, though to be fair he doesn’t have that much of a tough act to follow. I love me some David Lynch, but all I remember of his take is Kyle MacLachlan’s David Cassidy hairdo, and Sting dancing around in pointy leather underpants. “The spiiiice! The spiiice is liiife”. Ugh, stop whispering!

So, yeah, anyway, the French. They may not like us very much, but they sure as hell know how to entertain us. Remember that the next time you punch a mime.

Not to say that you shouldn’t, just keep that in mind as you do.

Vive l’action!!