Anna - Movie Review



Plot: Beneath Anna Poliatova's striking beauty lies a secret that will unleash her indelible strength and skill to become one of the world's most feared government assassins.
Cast: Sasha Luss, Luke Evans, Cillian Murphy, Helen Mirren
Director: Luc Besson
Certificate: 15 (strong bloody violence, language, sex, suicide references)
Runtime: 118 minutes
Release Date: Friday 5th July 2019
Luc Besson's most recent directorial features have included Cara Delevigne portraying an Intergalactic Soldier, in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets and Scarlett Johansson unlocking full use of her brain, in Lucy. So when it comes to Anna, it's refreshing to see Besson take a step back from gigantic action blockbusters, and settle into a story inside Besson's wheelhouse. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop Anna feeling disappointingly generic and unoriginal.
If you're expecting Anna to follow a similar path to John Wick, as the trailers have appeared to indicate, then Anna is not that film. Instead, this shares a lot more in common with Francis Lawrence's Red Sparrow, starring Jennifer Lawrence. Anna isn't an action spy thriller. It's a cerebral espionage thriller full of double-crosses, triple-crosses, and more betrayals than a drama-filled episode of Love Island. Sadly, despite having a solid formula to build his movie around, Besson never seems to take the risky option, and opts for safe, simplistic and uninspired storytelling. We are introduced to Anna as a highly sought-after supermodel, who is quickly revealed to not be all she seems. After escaping a brutal, poverty ridden life in the slums of Russia, Anna is recruited by the KGB as a new, secret weapon. Unfortunately, when loyalties are tested, and the job begins to reveal a darker side, Anna begins to question the side she fights for. Playing Anna, and accurately securing the supermodel aspect of her character, is supermodel, Sasha Luss. Having little experience in the acting world, Luss doesn't do a bad job, but she lacks the finesse to make the character of Anna remotely interesting. Besson dedicates a hefty portion of the opening act to introduce us to Anna, and her tumultuous past, as well as laying the groundwork for a sense of internal conflict as she battles her loyalty to her country, versus her loyalty to herself. The sad fact is, that Luss struggles to convey any of that in her performance, resulting in significant portions of her character development feeling largely uninteresting.


FACT: A lengthy scene involves a robbery at an ATM in the latter half of the 1980s, but the first ATM (bankomat) was not installed in Russia until 1994.
Thankfully, Luss is able to redeem herself come the action sequences. Besson continues to be able to helm exciting and creative fight choreography, a restaurant brawl is the film's highlight, and Luss gives 110% with every punch, kick, and gunshot showcasing how gritty this film can be. Alongside her, over in the lovely Soviet Union, are Luke Evans (with a seriously dodgy Rusky accent), and Helen Mirren, who is clearly having a blast as Anna's no nonsense, mission handler. Over on the American side is Cillian Murphy, who plays second fiddle to a lot of the action. His character is an absolute buffoon because, instead of using his CIA trained intellect, his every decision is led by the thing that dangles between his legs, as are the majority of the male characters. Thus, many of the supposed twists in the film, aren't surprising, due to Anna manipulating a man's ability to be horny, to suit her own intentions. Besson also relies, far too heavily, on flashbacks. Typically used to depict the events preceding a shocking twist or revelation, Besson dedicates fifteen to twenty minutes explaining the ins and outs of this twist, rather than simply explaining it in a couple lines of dialogue. It's a nifty storytelling trick the first time Besson incorporates it, but by the fourth, it gets a little excessive.
Whilst Luc Besson has stripped away tons of visual effects, and over-the-top sci-fi elements, it unfortunately highlights significant errors in his storytelling. Anna is a by-the-numbers espionage thriller that lacks originality and a compelling lead performance.
Luke's Verdict: 5.5/10
What did you think of Anna? What is your favourite female led spy film? Post your thoughts in the comments below.

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