Only one director could take a futzy little guy like Jamel Debbouze, pair him with an uber-goddess, set both of them down somewhere timeless like Paris, film them in black and white, and come up with both pathos and comedy in equal measures. It's gotten to the point where I'll watch anything Besson does, just because I know that it will be like nothing I've ever seen before. Angel*A is a fascinating exercise in both film artistry (oh, lord, misty Paris, Paris lights at night, the Alexander III bridge, Notre Dame!) and very sophisticated comic timing (check out the pinpoint accuracy of Besson's instincts during the police station scene!). This movie was so engaging, so unique, so beautiful to look at that my husband didn't even realize that it was in black and white until we watched the 'making of' feature after the film. Magnifique!
