Sometimes you wonder if directors don't know what to do, or they know what to do with regards to filmmaking, photographing, editing. That's Luc Besson, who inspired continually throughout the '90s, proved he knew how to stage a shootout, and developed unique characters that stood the test of two decades. I had such a visceral reaction to "The Family": the closeups of phones ringing, the slow, zooming, wide shots. All this was fresh and laid groundwork for crisp scenes. Take the opening of "Leon: The Professional," where the Italian restaurant owner (Danny Aiello) gives Leon (Jean Reno) his assignment. Then a well-done shootout, with the aforementioned camerawork, ending with Leon cornering the low-life he was sent for. I saw this 18 years ago when teaching English in South Korea, and it still resonates. Maybe with "The Family" Besson is saying violence invades our lives without consequences. But there has to be consequences somewhere. Otherwise it's just events with no reaction, except mine and my friend's as we left the theater.
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