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The denizens of the internet seem determined to fight an irritating battle on the merits of female leads in previously male-dominated genres/roles. It's a spectacle that has become something of a civil war amidst cinephiles and pop culture aficionados. SJWs caterwaul relentlessly about the validity of a gender or race swap or the influx of female cinematic outings while more conservative dweebs lash out in anger at a perceived attack. Sides are taken, threats are issue, people are "cancelled" , and much rage in incited but director Luc Besson goes on unfettered by a discussion he never even saw worthy of having for decades now.
To say that Besson loves Mary Sue style leads is an understatement. The man has practically built a career on it. Hell, you might say he redefined the idea by making his female characters actually have some flaws but still making those flaws essential to everything. Yes, his women inspire the men (and women) to fall unabashedly in love with them, they're usually incredibly capable of feats of prowess that would put a Navy Seal to shame, they're statuesque and intrinsically beautiful, they'll bring foes to their knees and lift heroes to another level previously inaccessible by them, and, more often than not, they are defacto savior figures. This is Besson's bread and butter and it's definitely something that's not new to the world no matter how people want to color the narrative.
"Anna" is no exception to the rule. If anything is a smorgasboard of Besson clichés all vying for the spotlight. As is typical of Besson, he keeps the action constant, the flow breezy, and the aura decidedly European. Despite making films for an international market, Besson has admirably never tried to Americanize his efforts as many tend to do. His casts are usually multi-nationals playing just that, his locations rarely cross the Atlantic, and everything has that distinctly sleek Euro-cinema look and feel to it.
It's well known that Besson co-writes dozens of scripts to put into production and cherry picks the best ones for himself to direct. Though "Anna" is breaking absolutely no new ground you can easily see why he chose to keep this one for himself. Aside from filling all the typical Besson "requirements" it is also gave him an opportunity to potentially catapult a female talent into the spotlight, something he is quite fond of doing. In this case we have model Sasha Luss, previously cast in a small role in one of his previous films, given the titular lead role.
Indeed, the bulk of the film depends on this waif of a girl to keep it afloat and, lo and behold, she manages quite well. Is she a stellar actress? No, she has a ways to go but, to be fair to her, English is not her first language. This may come off as wooden to some, however, when working outside those parameters you can definitely see that she has something more to offer if a different role should come her way. Ultimately, she was portraying a character that was jaded and embittered by the trappings of her lifestyles so one wonders if it was a creative choice.
And there's our story, Anna is a perpetually oppressed Russian woman in a dead-end relationship with a crook. She is cherry picked by the KGB (the film is set in the early 90's) for her proficiency with languages and her noted ambition. Given the chance to escape her life, she is taken into the spy program with the promise of her eventual freedom after five years of service, five years she's not expected to survive. Determined to make her way out, she is involved in a serious of intrigues that may either dig her a deeper hole or get her what she wants.
The story unfolds in a non-linear series of flashbacks and flashforwards that slowly reveal the many layers of her manipulations and those of the agents around her. Honestly, it's the choice to approach the material in this particular fashion that gives a familiar plot a fresh feeling. "Anna" seeks to constantly flip the script on you and make you see events from opposing sides and it is most definitely an engaging conceit. If the movie had not taken this approach it would have easily been a pedestrian affair.
At times "Anna" is surprisingly violent and, thankfully, Besson never overindulges in this and so each time the film goes there it packs a visceral punch that never besmirches the style the film is going for. Yes, the action is delightful to watch and expertly choreographed and never seeks to take attention away from the story, saving its impact for the notable times it roars onto the screen.
Luke Evans and Cillian Murphy play agents on opposing sides and their credentials do much to give substance to otherwise filler "love interest" roles. Most welcome, however, is Helen Mirren as the head of the division in charge of Anna's clandestine affairs. Mirren brings likable, humorous charm and nuance to the role of a rigid former spy with ambitions of her own. It's really amazing how much she says about her character with a look or even a grunt. It is the relationship between she and "Anna" that made me go from just "liking" this movie to truthfully enjoying it.
Without ruining much, is a movie about the often overlooked resiliency and potential of women working in a world dominated by men. It's not preachy though and it isn't burdened by an agenda, it's just what Besson does. As always the men are left in awe of the women and the effect they had on their lives. This is the definition of Besson. He wants to provide fun, action filled entertainment filled with gobsmackingly gorgeous people and the occasional tenured actor to lock it all together.
Despite bringing nothing new to the table, I found myself really enjoying "Anna". It's almost impossible not to. The pace never lets up, the storytelling device hooks you in, the action is engaging, and the ending just sets in nicely. I give it 6.5 out of 10.
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