The Fifth Element
Director: | Luc Besson |
Writers: | Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen |
Director of Photography: | Thierry Arbogast |
Editor: | Sylvie Landra |
Music: | Eric Serra |
Production Designer: | Dan Weil |
Producer: | Patrice Ledoux |
Columbia; PG-13; 105 minutes | |
Release: | 5/97 |
Cast: | Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, Ian Holm, Milla Jovovich and Chris Tucker |
Besson kept details about this futuristic comic-book epic top secret, which led many to believe he had fashioned something extraordinary. Not the case. Aimless, downtrodden New York City cabdriver Korben Dallas (Willis), a former fighter pilot, gets caught up in saving the universe after a mysterious woman, Leeloo (Jovovich), literally falls into his back seat. The two, with the help of an overwhelmed priest (Holm), must recover the ancient weapon designed to ward off unspeakable evil headed for Earth. Zorg (Oldman), a nefarious arms dealer, is after the same weapon, but for different reasons. The film's visual effects, inspired by Metropolis and Blade Runner, are absolutely stunning, but they dwarf the simple plot and one-dimensional characters.