Anna [Blu-ray] [Region B] [2019]

Simply the best in the genre (alongside Atomic Blonde of course!) Really good action movie, and brilliant acting by the much underrated Sasha Luss, and the inimitable Helen Mirren.

This is a stunningly good film. Brilliantly played out by all actors, 1st class production, story line, editing etc. A fabulous amount of weaving in and out of the shadows, portraying a series of edited timelines that come together in a perfectly orchestrated 4D chess game. There are several ways in which a writer can present the point of view of a story thread and to whom it is aimed: The main character knows what is happening along with the audience but 2nd and/or 3rd character doesn't. Or the audience doesn't know but everyone in the story does. The main character doesn't know but other characters and audience do know or the audience doesn't. Or, in this case, all versions plus some just for good measure. Well done to all involved. A great multi threaded espionage ride.

Great movie. Good but not faultless story and acting. Really pretty girl. My advice - watch the movie and enjoy but whatever you do, do not argue with Anna unless you have a death wish - lol.

Item as described,Great story well told.Thankyou.

Lots of great action scenes very well acted with good stars, fast paced and very entertaining

Although this is a narrative that's not entirely original - it's even reminiscent of Besson's own Nikita and Lucy - I've given it five stars because of its style, fast pace and the disjointed timeline, which allows the audience to make sense of key scenes at different times from different points of view. Sasha Luss (Anna) is perfectly cast and, along with her stunt double, is in one of the most memorably choreographed fight scenes ever. Cillian Murphy plays the stylish, smooth CIA agent Lenny and, in brawny contrast, Luke Evans plays KGB agent Alex. Now, it's no surprise all these gorgeous characters fall for one other, but only as far as their purposes will allow, Anna's to escape a miserable existence. They're all dishonest, and have to be in their line of work, so they're admirable in their commitment, but very hard to like. I like the fact that the ending is not cheesy (no spoiler!).

I personally thought this film was better than Red Sparrow and Atomic Blonde. Why this film hasn't been give more prominence is amazing. Could it be something to do with Luc and investigations going on into is conduct in the past. If that is the case it explains why this film has gone under the radar and Hollywood etc have blacklisted him without due process. I don't know. I thought this film was really good and the female lead Sasha Luss is a great new actress to watch out for. Recommend.

Anna (2019) 15 1hr 59min Plot: Beneath Anna Poliatova's striking beauty lies a secret that will unleash her indelible strength and skill to become one of the world's most feared government assassins. An electrifying thrill-ride unfolding with propulsive energy, startling twists, and breathtaking action, Anna introduces Sasha Luss in the title role with a star-studded cast including Academy Award winner Helen Mirren, Cillian Murphy, and Luke Evans. Review: I’m usually a big fan of Luc Besson’s work, but this film just seemed like a Nikita, Leon and Lucy mash-up. The action scenes were far-fetched but well choreographed and the storyline had enough twists to keep the audience intrigued throughout, but my main problem was Sasha Luss (Anna), who showed little emotion from the beginning of the film. I know that she went through a lot as a child, and with her boyfriend but I just couldn’t warm to her. With other TV series and movies in this genre, like Killing Eve and Leon, the main character is what made them special, but in this film, it’s really Helen Mirren (Olga) who completely stole the limelight. Luke Evans (Alex) and Cillian Murphy (Lenny) also put in decent performances, and the cinematography went will with the plot, but I was really disappointed with the ending and I lost sympathy for the main character, after watching her murder everyone that came in her path. Anyway, Anna, a young Russian beauty who has been the victim of domestic abuse, will do anything to escape the life she is trapped in. In a twist of fate, she reluctantly accepts an offer by KGB affixed Alex. After a year of training, which is not shown in the movie, she is to work as a KGB assassin for five years under a handler named Olga, after which she will be free to continue her life as she pleases. KGB head Vassiliev is not willing to honour this agreement, implying that the only way out of the KGB is death. She goes undercover as a fashion model and is hired to work in Paris. At the same time, she completes various missions and assassinations. When she is found out by the CIA, she agrees to work for them as a double agent with Agent Miller as her handler, in exchange for the promise of immediate retirement and protected life in Hawaii. Miller later tasks her with assassinating Vassiliev, with the CIA hoping that his absence would lead to smoother relations with the KGB. Anna kills Vassiliev and fights her way out of the KGB. She later arranges a meet with Alex and Miller, bartering information she stole from the two agencies in exchange for a six-month reprieve. As she is leaving, she is ambushed by Olga and fatally shot for betrayal. But all is not what it seems! There are so many twists in the film, you really don’t know what is true or not. The only problem is that the director shows the outcome before you see what really happens, which was a mistake in my opinion. I would have preferred for the outcome to be a surprise, not the plan beforehand. Anyway, it really didn’t do that well at the box office, due to a poor advertising campaign and the fact that it wasn’t that great, so it has to go down as a bad day at the office for Luc Besson. It’s still a watchable film, but once you know the outcome, and the twists throughout, I can’t see it being worth a second watch. Average! Round-Up: This movie was directed by Luc Besson, who also brought you The Last Battle in 1983, Subway, The Big Blue, Nikita in 1990, Atlantis, Leon in 1994, The Fifth Element, Joan of Arc, Angel-A, Arthur and the Invisibles, Arthur and the Great Adventure, The Extraordinary Adventured of Adele Blanc-Sec, Arthur 3: The War of the Two Worlds, The Lady, The Family, Lucy and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. Although he has produced some great movies, most of them have been flops, which is a shame because he has a unique style of directing and storytelling. As he is highly respected in the movie world, it’s not hard for him to get established actors to star in his projects, which he should have done for the lead in this film, but I doubt that the poor box office takings will tarnish his reputation. Budget: €30million Worldwide Gross: $31million Genre: Action, Thriller Cast: Sasha Luss, Helen Mirren, Luke Evans, Cillian Murphy, Lera Abova, Alexander Petrov, Anna Krippa, Eric Godon, Ivan Franek, Jean-Baptisite Puech, Adrian Can and Andrew Howard. 5/10 Please check out my Movie Review blog at leonblackwood.wordpress.com