7 of My Favorite Movies Starring Jean Reno ...

By Neecey

7 of My Favorite Movies Starring Jean Reno ...

I love Jean Reno movies. I’ve always had a bit of a thing for French actors, and Jean Reno is one of my favorites. He’s one of those really versatile actors who can excel whether he’s playing a mob assassin or a comical medieval count. He’s made some strange movies – haven’t they all – but he’s also played some brilliant roles that he has really made his own. Take a perusal at some of my favorite Jean Reno movies.

(Contains no spoilers)

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1

Les Visiteurs

I always think labeling a movie as a comedy is a pretty dangerous thing to do, because we all have such a different and individual sense of humor. I want a comedy to generate real laughter, not just some lukewarm smiles because it is mildly amusing. This is why Les Visiteurs is absolutely, in my opinion, the very best of the Jean Reno movies. Based on a simple time travel tale, where characters are displaced from one century to another – in this case from the 12th to the 20th - Les Visiteurs makes me howl! It’s a classic combination of slapstick, visual and verbal comedy and totally brilliant. If you can understand French then do watch it in the original version, otherwise, the subtitles do a pretty good job of not losing anything in translation. (There’s a Les Visiteurs 2 and a 3rd has also been recently announced - yippee).

2

The Big Blue

I have always been a big fan of Luc Besson (his other movies include Taxi, Taken (and Taken 2), The 5th Element, and The Transporter) and I have him to thank for my first taste of movies starring Jean Reno. The Big Blue is a simple movie about the competition between two free divers (diving without an oxygen supply), and the amazing depths to which they push themselves to achieve. The fantastic scenery and haunting music is plenty reason to watch this one.

3

Roseanna’s Grave

To me, this shows the versatility and range Jean Reno has. Roseanna’s Grave is a little gem that creeps up on you with its beautiful simplicity. It is the story of a man’s reaction to and efforts to achieve his dying wife’s last wish. Roseanna wants to be buried in the village cemetery but there’s only one plot left. We follow a virtuoso performance by Reno as he runs around the village saving lives so no-one dies before his beloved Roseanna can be buried. It’s one of those unique tales where you are full of tears – one eye laughing, one eye crying.

4

The Da Vinci Code

For me, the jury is still out on this movie in terms of the plot. I know the book was a sensational bestseller and Tom Hanks plays a credible Robert Langdon, but I’m still disquieted by the fact that Dan Brown has actually written a work of fiction that could be feasible in reality. Reno’s Captain Fache is played as taciturnly as he was written, and he is eminently believable as a policeman on a mission.

5

Léon

Many critics rate this as Luc Besson’s best film and I like it as one of the Jean Reno movies where he can put his dark brooding looks to use as a villain. The movie also features Natalie Portman as 12 year old Matilda with whom Léon, through a set of tragic and criminal circumstances, builds a strange father-daughter type relationship. It is a beautifully and intelligently crafted movie and it’s easy to concentrate on the relationship regardless of the story that is being played out. It’s gritty and raw, but touchingly familiar too.

Famous Quotes

Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

George Santayana
6

Godzilla

I’m happy to admit that I love the French accent – whether they are speaking French or English - and I will consequently watch any of Jean Reno’s movies for that very reason. I wouldn’t say that Godzilla is a great movie, but it’s fun if you like creature features. It’s fantasy and it’s fun and that’s all it is meant to be. The special effects are pretty good and it’s certainly a step up from those crazy Japanese Godzilla movies. Watch out for the scene where coffee-swigging, gum-chewing Reno impersonates Elvis ! (tiny scene but amusing).

7

The Pink Panther

When I heard they were remaking the Pink Panther, I thought it was nothing short of sacrilege. Could anyone really step into the very big and very great shoes of Peter Sellers? Steve Martin makes a passable attempt at the bungling French detective Inspector Clouseau but thankfully, as his sharper brained assistant, Ponton, Jean Reno gets a much bigger part than previous sidekicks in the original series. He’s the perfect foil to the brainless and ridiculous antics that are a trademark of the hapless Clouseau. This is far from being among the great Jean Reno movies, but I like his characterisation in this one.

Have you seen any of these movies starring Jean Reno? What do you think? Love him or leave him?

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Where Thoughts and Opinions Converge

Love Him! My favourite film is Leon! He looks like my dad

Write a comment ...I liked him in French Kiss as the detective.

Seriously!?! You didn't mention Ronin?

You should watch The Crimson Rivers. Very good movie.

I freakin love him since watching leon when i was a teen. He is the best

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