Anna

A fun, silly film that was an entertaining jaunt of escapism. At 118 minutes it was perhaps just a tad too long, but writer/director Luc Besson, for all his faults and same-ness throughout the years, knows how to tell a good story. Mix in an interesting narrative structure and the predictability of the unexpected became fun and engaging. Then again, Anna is no Leon, Nikita or The Fifth Element, but at least a step (or two or three) up from Lucy and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (granted, the latter was campily fun).

But, as with any Besson films, stylistically you know what you are getting. The action sequences are always smoothly choreographed, clearly shot and exudes a sense of possible impossibility which makes it exciting to watch.

Whereas the story almost always certainly take on a secondary role and almost always cliched, overly-dramatic, falsely elevated stakes and misogynistically feminist. And therein lies Besson's genius, he populates his films with great supporting actors to support the usually not-so-well-respected lead actor(s). Just like Gary Oldman in Leon and The Fifth Element, Ethan Hawke and Clive Owen in Valerian and Morgan Freeman in Lucy, here we have Dame Helen Mirren who was almost unrecognisable and yet still acting circles around Sasha Luss and the two boys, Luke Evans and Cillian Murphy.

Mirren, in a role that seemed modelled after a Russian Edna "E" Mode, seemed to be having much fun camping up in her role here.

If Luss is lucky, her career might take off like Milla Jovovich, or it could just bob along like Cara Delevingne's.

Evans and Murphy was good enough in their roles as the love interests, although as pro-feminist as it is to think that for once the men are the pawns, a little deeper thought will just show that men still treat women like objects to be manipulated and the only way that they can be manipulated is when a woman weaponises her sexuality.

Although something could be said for Besson's casting decision of having Mirren, Evans and Murphy play characters not of their nationality, and only having the Russian Luss - our protagonist - remain Russian. Especially in the context of a spy thriller, confused identities and matryoshka dolls.

Given the current climate of prestige television and event series, Besson should seriously consider turning his talents to that medium. With Anna narrative structure, this would play well as a 30 - 50 minutes, 4 - 6 episodes, limited series. It even has a built in seasonal or anthological potential. Think: Russian Dolls or Orphan Black or Henna.