As he prepares to jump to his death in the river Seine, hapless scam artist André (Jamel Debbouze) spies a beautiful woman (Rie Rasmussen) whos seemingly had the same idea - however, when she dives in, he puts his own suicidal thoughts aside and jumps in to rescue her. She reveals that her name is Angela and tells him that, since he saved her life, she must pledge the rest of her days to helping him. Directed by Luc Besson, a native of the city, its no surprise that this film pays perfect homage to the raw beauty of Frances capital. Shot entirely in black and white, Paris looks at her most stunning in monochrome - moody, sultry and mysterious. Of course, its a cliché that any film set in Paris will simply have to include a scene set on or around the Eiffel Tower: nothing screams were in France quite as plainly as a nice clear shot of this cultural icon. In Angel-A, were mere minutes into the film before we see André being hung over the railings of the tower by three thugs demanding money owed. Its a brilliant subversion of expectations: heres something beautiful being used to menace. To these thugs, its clear the tower simply presents an opportunity to do their dirty work, rather than being any sort of spectacle. Non-natives might be stunned by the beauty of the city, but locals simply see it as their home.
