| Review Date: Director: Luc Besson Writer: Luc Besson and Andrew Birkin Producers: Patrice Ledoux Actors: Milla Jovovich as Joan of Arc, John Malkovich as Charles VII |
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Mrs. JoBlo disagreed with me and wholeheartedly enjoyed this film. She thought the character of Joan was shown in all her strengths and weaknesses, lending a stronger credibility to her persona. I did not see that. I wished that Besson would have stuck to one story line in this picture, instead of forcing us to withstand his own interpretation of what might’ve happened, in that, Joan might just have been a psychologically disturbed woman with a penchant for the grandiose. The film basically just ran too long for me with the last act dragging the whole show to a standstill. Were they just voices in her head? Will they allow her to confess her sins? Whatever. Seemed like another movie altogether. I think I’m being harder on this picture because I truly was enjoying its middle half with a female heroine strong enough in her will to kick any Hollywood bullcrap action star in the balls and walk away with her head up high. Jovovich also played her part very well, considering the struggles within herself that Besson’s script needed her to portray. I personally would rather not have seen so much of her schitzo side, which I believed to take away from the film’s momentum, and would have cut about thirty minutes from its length, but all in all, some cool battle scenes, a hip but confusing lead character, great direction and just too much esoteric psycho-babbling.
Some may like it for its battles and dislike its conscience-grinding moments, others may like its head games and dislike its fight scenes. If you’re lucky, you’ll like them both, but if you’re not lucky, well…this movie just ain’t for you.