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51-625: Luc Paul Maurice Besson ( French: [lyk bɛsɔ̃] ; born 18 March 1959) is a French filmmaker. He directed or produced the films Subway (1985), The Big Blue (1988), and La Femme Nikita (1990). Associated with the Cinéma du look film movement, he has been nominated for a César Award for Best Director and Best Picture for his films Léon: The Professional (1994) and The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999). He won Best Director and Best French Director for his sci-fi action film The Fifth Element (1997). He wrote and directed

102-468: A band he claims to be forming (although he himself cannot sing). The full cast of characters is large; most of their lives and personalities are developed only implicitly from their context and mannerisms. Subway was filmed partially on location in the Paris Métro and Paris RER , and partially on sets that were designed by Alexandre Trauner . The opening car chase scene is said to pay homage to

153-504: A daughter, Juliette, born in 1987. Parillaud starred in Besson's La Femme Nikita (1990). They divorced in 1991. Besson's second wife was actress and director Maïwenn Le Besco , whom he started dating when he was 32 and she was 15. They married in late 1992 when Le Besco, 16, was pregnant with their daughter Shanna , who was born on 3 January 1993. Le Besco later claimed that their relationship inspired Besson's film Léon (1994), where

204-470: A feel for the industry. He worked as an assistant to directors including Claude Faraldo and Patrick Grandperret . He directed three short films, a commissioned documentary, and several commercials. He then moved to the United States for three years, but returned to Paris, where he formed his own production company. He first named it Les Films du Loup , then changed it to Les Films du Dauphin . In

255-491: A guy whose brother was a third assistant on a short film. It's true. So, I said: 'OK, let's go on the set.' So I went on the set. The day after I went back to see my mum and told her that I was going to make films and stop school and 'bye. And I did it! Very soon after I made a short film and it was very, very bad. I wanted to prove that I could do something, so I made a short film. That was in fact my main concern, to be able to show that I could do one." Besson reportedly worked on

306-642: A pivotal figure in the Cinéma du look movement—a specific, highly visual style produced from the 1980s into the early 1990s. Subway (1985), The Big Blue (1988) and La Femme Nikita (1990) are all considered of this stylistic school. The term was coined by critic Raphaël Bassan in a 1989 essay in La Revue du Cinema n° 449 . A partisan of the experimental cinema and friend of New Wave (" nouvelle vague ") directors, Bassan grouped Besson with Jean-Jacques Beineix and Leos Carax as three directors who shared

357-537: A popular song of Eastern Mediterranean origin. In terms of box office admissions, the Taxi series is one of the most successful French franchises ever. The first film was the fourth most successful film in France for the year with 6.4 million admissions and a gross of $ 39.3 million. It had 2.2 million admissions abroad. The film also had very good TV ratings with 12 million viewers on TF1 . Almar Haflidason, reviewing

408-630: A stasis salvation .. The theme ... in Subway ... is about freedom from social responsibility." Subway was nominated for the Foreign Language Film award at the 40th British Academy Film Awards . The film was nominated for 13 César Awards in 1986, winning 3: Best Actor (Christopher Lambert), Best Production Design (Alexander Trauner) and Best Sound. The film was released on DVD in the United States in November 2001. The DVD presents

459-488: Is a 1998 French action comedy film starring Samy Naceri , Frédéric Diefenthal and Marion Cotillard , written by Luc Besson and directed by Gérard Pirès . It is the first installment in the Taxi film series . It has four sequels, Taxi 2 , Taxi 3 , Taxi 4 and Taxi 5 and one English-language remake, Taxi (2004). It also provided the premise for the 2014 American television show, Taxi Brooklyn . The film

510-455: Is establishing distribution partnerships in Japan and China. Subway (film) The story opens with Fred speeding his car and being chased by several gangsters ; it is later explained that he stole some documents from their boss at his wife Héléna's birthday party. Fred escapes into the labyrinthine world of the Paris Métro . Over the next several days he attempts to blackmail Héléna for

561-527: Is going to shake the pillars of the moviemaking establishment." Besson directed a biopic of Aung San Suu Kyi called The Lady (2011) (original title Dans la Lumiere ). He also worked on Lockout (2012). Many of Besson's films have achieved popular, if not always critical, success. Reviews were mixed for Le Grand Bleu (The Big Blue) . Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times wrote that

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612-460: Is set in Marseille . In the film, a bumbling police inspector blackmails a taxi driver into helping him track down a German gang. He soon moves into the driver's house. The driver is motivated to complete their crime-fighting mission, in order to get rid of his new housemate. Daniel Morales is a highly talented driver living in Marseille , France , who has little regard for traffic laws and

663-410: Is to do," Sartre, "To do is to be," and Sinatra, "Do be do be do." The message is clear: [director] Besson thinks it's a crazy world up there on the surface what with folks insisting on constantly "doing" things. To him the subway is someplace no square bozo would ever think about not moving swiftly through without a thought, therefore it's the ideal environment for outsiders who seek an eden of in-action;

714-522: Is two families, and I am the only bad souvenir of something that doesn't work," he said in the International Herald Tribune . "And if I disappear, then everything is perfect. The rage to exist comes from here. I have to do something! Otherwise I am going to die." At age 17, Besson had a diving accident that left him unable to dive. In a 2000 interview with The Guardian , he described how this influenced his choice of career: "I

765-693: The investigating judge . Directed features Among Besson's awards are the Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film Critics Prize, Fantasporto Audience Jury Award-Special Mention, Best Director, and Best Film, for Le Dernier Combat in 1983; the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists Silver Ribbon-Best Director-Foreign Film, for La Femme Nikita , 1990; the Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film, Nil by Mouth , 1997; and

816-427: The 1971 film The French Connection , and the film's ending is based loosely on the ending of the 1960 film Breathless . Éric Serra 's score and other musical pieces from the soundtrack, such as Fred's band's song, "It's Only Mystery" (also written by Serra), were released on vinyl and cassette in 1985. The soundtrack sold over 100,000 copies in France. The soundtrack was released on CD in 1996. Subway

867-689: The Best Director Cesar Award, for The Fifth Element , 1997. Besson was awarded the Inkpot Award in 2016. In 2000, Besson superseded his production company by co-founding EuropaCorp with Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, with whom he had frequently worked since 1985. Le Pogam had then been Distribution Director with Gaumont . EuropaCorp has had strong growth based on several English-language films, with international distribution. It has production facilities in Paris, Normandy, and Hollywood, and

918-682: The Dragon and Unleashed . His English-language films Taken , Taken 2 , and Taken 3 , all co-written with Kamen and starring Liam Neeson , have been major successes, with Taken 2 becoming the largest-grossing export French film. Besson produced the promotional movie for the Paris 2012 Olympic bid . Besson won the Lumières Award for Best Director and the César Award for Best Director , for his film The Fifth Element (1997). He

969-871: The French call a 'film générationnel,' a defining moment in the culture." Besson created the hugely successful Arthur series , which comprises Arthur and the Minimoys , Arthur and the Forbidden City , Arthur and the Vengeance of Maltazard and Arthur and the War of the Two Worlds . He directed Arthur and the Invisibles , an adaptation of the first two books of the collection, starring Madonna and Robert DeNiro . A film with live action and animation , it

1020-473: The absence of consent of the civil party is not established and the existence of a constraint, threat, violence, is not characterized". In April 2022, Van Roy submitted a complaint against the magistrate in charge of the case. In June 2023, Besson was definitively cleared of all charges, following a ruling by the Court of Cassation , the highest judicial court in France. This ruling prevents Van Roy from suing him on

1071-421: The accuser was "someone he knows, towards whom he has never behaved inappropriately". In February 2019, French prosecutors dropped the case against him, citing lack of evidence. In December 2021, a judge dismissed the case against Besson following a second investigation. The public prosecutor's office in Paris stated that "the investigations clearly establish that the criminal facts of rape were not committed, that

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1122-691: The bank, Émilien accidentally causes a multi-vehicle collision and a gun fight with the French Minister's escort convoy, allowing the Germans to escape. The next day, Émilien decides to take a taxi to work and rides with Daniel. Not knowing his fare's occupation, Daniel shows off his car and breaks several traffic laws. Émilien detains Daniel, but then asks for his help with catching the German gang in exchange for returning Daniel's license - desperate for respect and Petra's attention. Looking at photos of

1173-572: The best film producers, for refining and revolutionizing action film. He wrote that Besson dramatizes the struggle of his characters "as a conscientious resistance to human degradation". In 2012, film critic Eric Kohn wrote in Indiewire : "Luc Besson’s filmography has been spotty for years, littered with equal amounts of sensationalistic pop art and flashy duds, a tendency that extends beyond his directing credits." Besson has been married four times; first, in 1986, to actress Anne Parillaud . They had

1224-414: The cars. However, the gang stops at a secluded garage and repaints the cars silver, inadvertently sabotaging the tracking device and allowing them to escape again. Émilien then learns that he had left the stove on at his flat and burned it down, forcing him and his mother to stay at Daniel's place. Eager to get rid of Émilien, Daniel correctly deduces the gang's repaint strategy, and through a friend he tracks

1275-483: The creation of more than 50 films . Besson was born in Paris , to parents who both worked as Club Med scuba-diving instructors. Influenced by this, he planned to become a marine biologist . He spent much of his youth traveling with his parents to tourist resorts in Italy , Yugoslavia , and Greece . The family returned to France when he was 10. His parents divorced, and both remarried; of this, he said: "Here there

1326-820: The disc. As well as having no special features, standard versions of the DVD only contain the English-dubbed version; this has significant dialogue differences from the French original, though both Lambert and Adjani performed their own English. Both the UK and French versions of the Blu-ray were released in September 2009. Both only contained the film in its original French audio, though with optional English subtitles. Blu-ray.com awarded both 3½ out of 5 stars for both audio and video quality. Taxi (1998 film) Taxi

1377-452: The documents, although he is clearly less interested in the money than in winning her affection. Meanwhile, the gangsters and police continue searching for Fred, as well as his new friend "The Skater" (who has been living off minor theft and avoiding the police for many months). Héléna struggles with her feelings about Fred and her dissatisfaction as her (much older) husband's arm candy. Gradually, Fred meets musicians and persuades them to join

1428-528: The early 1980s, Besson met Éric Serra and asked him to compose the score for his first short film, L'Avant dernier . He subsequently had Serra compose for other films. Since the late 20th century, Besson has written and produced numerous action movies, including the Taxi series (1998–2007), the Transporter series (2002–2008; another collaboration with Robert Mark Kamen), and the Jet Li films Kiss of

1479-737: The film for BBC , gave it three stars out of five, describing that there was "fun to be had from this film when it's in motion, but the script is a real blow out." In a research article for the journal French Cultural Studies , Ipek A. Celik Rappas from Koç University describes how the Taxi series "reflects the move in Luc Besson’s career from director to producer of big-budget films, and reveals how his relationship with post-industrial spaces changes as his film locations turn into film-related investments." An American remake, also titled Taxi , starring Queen Latifah , Jimmy Fallon , and Gisele Bündchen ,

1530-514: The film in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and contains both an English-dubbed version as well as the original French version with English subtitles. Aaron Beierle of DVD Talk gave the DVD 3 out of 5 stars for video quality, and 2½ stars for audio quality. Jason Bovberg of DVD Talk gave the film 3 stars for both video and audio quality. Both reviewers gave the film only a ½ star for its extra features, noting only cast and crew biographies plus trailers for three of Besson's other films were included on

1581-566: The first drafts of Le Grand Bleu ( The Big Blue ) while still in his teens. Out of boredom, he started writing stories, including the background to what he later developed as The Fifth Element (1997), one of his most popular movies, inspired by the French comic books he read as a teenager. He directed and co-wrote the screenplay of this science fiction thriller with American screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen . At 18, Besson returned to his birthplace of Paris, where he took odd jobs in film to get

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1632-653: The gang is arrested, Daniel and Émilien are given medals by the police commissioner, and Émilien begins dating Petra. The film ends with Daniel competing at the French Grand Prix in a Formula 3000 , sponsored by (to Daniel's dismay) the Marseille Police. Luc Besson came up with the idea for the movie in 1996, but he was too busy with The Fifth Element to direct it at the time, so he decided to simply produce it. He presented his idea to his usual production company, Gaumont , but Gaumont had no trust in

1683-404: The getaway cars, Daniel concludes that the tires come from a garage owned by Kruger, the only German mechanic in town. Daniel reluctantly joins Émilien at a stakeout of the garage, where they spot the German robbers. The next morning, Émilien tries to interrogate Kruger, who opens fire at the duo and escapes. The police locate the gang's next target and manage to shoot a tracking device onto one of

1734-489: The keys and walkie-talkies. After the gang drives away from another robbery, Daniel follows them and successfully taunts the Germans into another race. As the delivery men use the traffic lights to clear a path for the cars, the cars drive onto the freeway. Daniel then speeds towards a bridge that is under construction, and slams on the brake; the gang's cars jump over the gap and lands on the other side, only to discover that they are trapped on an incomplete bridge section. After

1785-435: The movie was "too long and initially awkward but is clearly the work of a visionary. " "When the film had its premiere on opening night at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival , it was mercilessly drubbed, but no matter; it was a smash," observed the International Herald Tribune in a 2007 profile of Besson. "Embraced by young people who kept returning to see it again, the movie sold 10 million tickets and quickly became what

1836-598: The movie," said Jovovich. He married Jovovich on December 14, 1997, when he was 38 and she was 21. They divorced in 1999. On August 28, 2004, at age 45, Besson married film producer Virginie Silla , 32. They have three children. In 2018, Dutch-Belgian actress Sand Van Roy , who appeared in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets , accused Besson of rape. The director's lawyer Thierry Marembert stated that Besson "categorically denies these fantasist accusations" and that

1887-457: The officers on a new case: a German gang that has successfully committed a series of high-profile robberies throughout Europe, and has now arrived in Marseille. The gang is known for their efficiency, skilled driving, and their use of red Mercedes-Benz 500E cars as escape vehicles. Anticipating the gang's next move, Gibert places police officers around the targeted bank. After the robbers enter

1938-409: The plot involved the emotional relationship between an adult man and a 12-year-old girl (played by then 12-year-old Natalie Portman ). Their marriage ended in 1997, when Besson became involved with actress Milla Jovovich , then 19, during the production of The Fifth Element (1997). "We sensed the special chemistry between us immediately at the auditions and it just intensified during the filming of

1989-578: The police, and is in a loving relationship with his girlfriend Lilly. He leaves his job as a delivery man at local pizza parlor "Pizza Joe" to become a taxi driver , driving his white custom 1997 Peugeot 406 , which is equipped with various racing modifications that are mechanically concealed. Young, bumbling police inspector Émilien Coutant-Kerbalec lives with his widowed mother, and has just failed his 8th driver's test. No one takes him seriously at work, including police sergeant Petra, towards whom he harbors an unrequited crush. Commissioner Gibert soon briefs

2040-402: The project and turned Besson down. Besson went to two old friends, Michèle and Laurent Pétin, who headed the small production company ARP. They came to an agreement on a 50/50 split, and Besson began searching for a director. He knew Gérard Pirès from long ago, but Pirès hadn't directed a film in 15 years. He had been directing commercials including ones for Peugeot , which made him a good fit for

2091-401: The project. For budgetary reasons, the location was chosen as Marseille and the actors were relative unknowns at the time. Better known actors were approached, but they turned the project down. The young unknown actors were explained to financiers such as Canal+ as being easier to identify with for a young audience and also being a bet on the future. The main music theme is based on Misirlou ,

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2142-441: The robbers to a racetrack. Daniel provokes the gang into a race and wins, later inspiring Émilien to approach Petra romantically. The duo then become friends, and devise a plan to finally catch the gang red-handed. The next day, having duplicated the control keys to twenty traffic lights throughout the city, Émilien provides Daniel with a closed radio line. Daniel recruits his old co-workers from Pizza Joe, to whom Émilien distributes

2193-490: The same charges in France or elsewhere in Europe. Several other women, including a former assistant, two students of Cité du Cinéma studio, and a former employee of Besson's EuropaCorp , who all wished to remain anonymous, described "inappropriate sexual behavior" by the director. Having no physical evidence to support their stories, they did not press charges and avoided a defamation countersuit. Their stories were not used by

2244-453: The sci-fi action film Lucy (2014) and the space opera film Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017). In 1980, near the beginning of his career, he founded his own production company, Les Films du Loup, later renamed Les Films du Dauphin. It was superseded in 2000 when he co-founded EuropaCorp with longtime collaborator Pierre-Ange Le Pogam  [ fr ] . As writer, director, or producer, Besson has been involved in

2295-429: The style of "le look". These directors were later critically described as "favouring style over substance, and spectacle over narrative". Besson, and most of the filmmakers so categorised, were uncomfortable with the label. He contrasted their work with France's New Wave . " Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut were rebelling against existing cultural values and used cinema as a means of expression simply because it

2346-466: The underground" but added that "[the] characters and situations [are] so thin that they might as well be afterthoughts". According to film reviewer John Cribbs, "[Much] of Subway is meditative but largely plotless, like a dream being described to you by someone who's still trying to figure out the symbolism of it [themself] ... The film and its characters are actually anti-movement: it opens with three philosophical quotes about existence: Socrates, "To be

2397-410: Was 17 and I wondered what I was going to do. ... So I took a piece of paper and on the left I put everything I could do, or had skills for, and all the things I couldn't do. The first line was shorter and I could see that I loved writing, I loved images, I was taking a lot of pictures. So I thought maybe movies would be good. But I thought that to really know I should go to a set. And a friend of mine knew

2448-605: Was nominated for Best Director and Best Picture César Awards for his films Léon: The Professional (1994) and The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999). French actor Jean Reno has appeared in several films by Besson, including Le dernier combat (1983), Subway (1985), The Big Blue (1988), La Femme Nikita (1990), and Léon: The Professional (1994). In summer 2024, Besson directed Dracula: A Love Tale , an adaptation of Dracula starring Caleb Landry Jones and features Christophe Waltz . Critics such as Raphaël Bassan and Guy Austin cite Besson as

2499-547: Was released in the UK and the US, as well as in France. Besson has been described as "the most Hollywood of French filmmakers". Scott Tobias wrote that his "slick, commercial" action movies were "so interchangeable—drugs, sleaze, chuckling supervillainy , and Hong Kong -style effects—that each new project probably starts with white-out on the title page." American film critic Armond White has praised Besson, whom he ranks as one of

2550-556: Was the most avant-garde medium at the time," said Besson in a 1985 interview in The New York Times . "Today, the revolution is occurring entirely within the industry and is led by people who want to change the look of movies by making them better, more convincing and pleasurable to watch. "Because it's becoming increasingly difficult to break into this field, we have developed a psychological armor and are ready to do anything in order to work," he added. "I think our ardor alone

2601-488: Was the third-most popular French film in France in 1986, after Trois Hommes et un Couffin and Les Specialistes . It attracted 2,920,588 cinemagoers. The film grossed $ 390,659 at the box office in the United States. The film holds an 67% rating on Rotten Tomatoes , based on nine reviews. Janet Maslin of The New York Times praised the film's "highly energetic visual style" and "the sheer fun of staging domestic scenes, musical interludes and roller-skate chases in

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