Own it:
|
With: Pierre Jolivet, Jean Bouise, Fritz Wepper, Jean Reno, Maurice Lamy
|
Written by: Pierre Jolivet, Luc Besson
|
Directed by: Luc Besson
|
MPAA Rating: R
|
Running Time: 92
|
|
Date: 06/12/1984
|
|
|
|
Raining Fish
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
Luc Besson's feature debut film Le Dernier Combat (The Last Battle) is a technically proficient calling card as well as an amusingly weird experience. It's shot in striking black-and-white (Besson's stylish visuals are already there) and contains technically no dialogue. (There are two barely-whispered "bonjours.") It's a bleak post-apocalyptic future in which no one can speak, and there are only three main characters. "The Man" (Pierre Jolivet) salvages parts to build a makeshift aircraft; he steals a battery from a gang of scavengers and barely escapes. He meets "The Brute" (Jean Reno) and is badly beaten up. He finds his way to "The Doctor" (Jean Bouise), who heals him. The two soon become friends, and The Doctor shares a secret with him. Meanwhile, The Brute is on the rampage. Eric Serra, who — along with Reno — went on to work regularly with Besson, composed the score. The film, which deserves to be a cult classic, has been difficult to find for years. Happily, in 2025, Sony released it on Blu-ray as part of a nine-movie Besson box set.
|
