Stars Robert DeNiro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Dianna Argon, John D'Leo, Jimmy Palumbo, Paul Borghese, Anthony Desio, Stan Carp, Vincent Pastore and Tommy Lee Jones Directed by Luc Besson If it were anyone from his stable of directors, Malavita wouldn't be any different from the rest of the EuropaCorp / Canal+ / Digital Factory output (see From Paris WIth Love, Taken, Colombiana, The Transporter trilogy, Lockout for the more common English output). Thing is, this movie was directed by Luc Besson himself, and it seems lacking compared to anything else he's done before. The story is simple enough. A mob hitman and his family are under the Witness Protection Program, and as the movie starts, they're moving into their new home hidden away somewhere in France. It isn't long before we learn that this family can not settle into a normal quiet life, and it might be something of a series of hilarious escapades. A decade ago, perhaps. Well, some of those moments might tickle someone's funny bone and I did have a chuckle or two throughout the movie… especially so when we hit that meta-moment where Robert DeNiro's ex-hitman gets roped in to have a debate over a movie. The movie in question? Goodfellas! Which is roughly the translation of the movie's title. Even with the presence of DeNiro and Michelle Pfeiffer, the movie does seem to struggle with its story for a while. Most of the entertaining moments come more from the kids John DeLeo and, more specifically, Dianna Argon, who comes across as a typical Besson heroine. Feminine and demure at times, tough when she needs to be like many who came before- Natalie Portman in Leon; Milla Jovovich in The Fifth Element; Anne Parilaud in La Femme Nikita; Louise Bourgoin in Les Aventures Extraordinaires d'Adèle Blanc-Sec. Besson's direction seems lazy at times and there are almost zero stylised flourishes that one would usually find in his typical movie. Even if we go back to his early movies like Subway or Nikita. The only thing that might seem like a typical Besson move is how the events build up to an almost expectedly explosive climax, but the action itself falls a little limp. Any other director and just maybe it wouldn't have been any worse that the usual action movie that Besson has written and produced, but with Besson at the helm, it should and could have been better. It does leave us wanting more given the caliber of the talent involved. Otherwise, it's just average.
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