ANGEL-A follows self-described liar and shady businessman Andre (Jamel Debbouze), who is down on his luck and owes Parisian gangsters money. In a desperate and weak state, Andre finds himself on the edge of one of the City of Light's majestic bridges, ready to plunge into the river below. After one last look around him, he catches sight of a statuesque blonde woman, tears streaking down her gorgeous face, also standing on the ledge just a few feet away. She makes Andre forget about his problems for a moment, and he pleads with her not to jump. She does anyway, and he goes in after her, dragging her to safety. The damsel-in-distress, Angela (Rie Rasmussen), insists on hanging around Andre, doing whatever he tells her, as a way to pay him back for saving her life. Finding it hard to say no to her, and resisting her mesmerizing beauty, he recruits her, somewhat begrudgingly, to help him figure out how to settle his debts. What Andre soon discovers is that meeting Angela was no accident, and that they both need saving, not just from death, but also from themselves.
ANGEL-A boasts entertaining performances by Debbouze as the scrappy and quick-tempered Andre and Rasmussen as the optimistic and unassumingly wise and playful Angela. The unlikely pair sparkle onscreen together. ANGEL-A is beautifully filmed, with the black-and-white cinematography capturing all that is engaging and romantic about Paris.
Theatrical Release: May 25, 2007
DVD Features:
Keep Case
Anamorphic Widescreen - 2.35
Full Frame - 1.33
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - English, French
Subtitles - English, French (Parisian), Spanish (Latin American) - Optional
Director of Photography
Thierry Arbogast: Director of Photography
Review 1:
5 stars out of 5 -- "[B]eautifully stylized and fantastical....A refreshingly different romantic comedy..."
Source: Ultimate DVD
p.121 03/01/2007
Review 2:
"[F]ilmed in ravishing black and white....A valentine to the City of Light, even more visually seductive than AMELIE..."
Source: New York Times
p.E15 05/25/2007
Review 3:
3 stars out of 5 -- "[V]isually sumptuous..."
Source: Uncut
p.105 02/01/2007
Review 4:
4 stars out of 5 -- "[A] heart-tugger....The visuals are stunning -- all dreamy B&W shots of Paris..."
Source: Total Film
p.109 03/01/2007
Review 5:
"[A] guardian-angel story that cheerfully evokes oddball romances, noir crime flicks and Capra-esque redemption."
Source: Box Office
p.61 03/01/2007