The Fifth Element (1997)

Incessantly noisy and goofy to the point of pantomime, Luc Besson's scifi fairytale is full of elaborate surface details - wacky costumes, sets, and creatures - that hardly compensate for the movie's threadbare, incoherent and overlong story of a 23rd Century taxi driver embroiled in a battle for control of a powerful weapon.

★★☆☆☆

CINECAL: ONE SENTENCE REVIEW

The Professional (Leon) (1994)

The 12-year-old orphan girl of a family shot to pieces by bad cops seeks refuge with a man from a neighbouring apartment, a hitman who makes the questionable decision of teaching her his trade, in this engaging action thriller that is part American (NY setting, Portman in her Hollywood debut, Oldman, English language), part French (Jean Reno, traditional French accordian music, Luc Besson French cool).

★★★★☆

CINECAL: ONE SENTENCE REVIEW