Anna is another story about another Russian girl turned into an elite spy and assassin.  I am not going to sugar-coat this… it’s not good.  It’s very not good.  It is an absolute mess to follow with no redeeming qualities.  The “twists” are at the same time predictable and nonsensical. There are flashbacks, flash-forwards, flashbacks inside flashbacks, then flash-forwards inside the flashback flashbacks.

While watching Anna, I couldn’t help but think Director Luc Besson has lost his touch. Then as the hodgepodge of mismatched scenes continued, I came to the realization that he never had a touch.  He has been riding high on his one-hit-wonder Leon: The Professional for 25 years.  He keeps luring me to the box office with the trailers that say “From the Director of Leon: The Professional.” Each time I leave thinking, “Well, that was a rare miss for him.” But they aren’t rare misses.  They are all misses.   I have been dying for a sequel staring Natalie Portman as full-fledge cleaner for as long as I can remember.  Now, I have reevaluated my stance.  I cannot have Luc Besson direct that sequel.  He will ruin it.  It isn’t his fault.  He can’t help it.  He just isn’t a good director.

The other Luke, Luke Evans, on the other hand continues to impress me.  He has very little screen time in Anna, but he is a standout when given the opportunity.  I cannot help but think he needs a new agent.  He is an under-utilized talent that has a great onscreen presence.  His casting as Dracula was perfect and I thought that would be the turning point of his career.  Dracula Untold was an adequate origin story with the promise of an expanded Universal Monsters Universe to come. Unfortunately, that all came to a screeching halt with the flop of Tom Cruise’s The Mummy.  It seems now he has reverted back to bit parts and side characters.  He deserves better. Much better than Anna.