Its a damn shame too…

Not like he’s dead or anything, but he was good at what he did…

From Darkhorizons.com:

Luc Besson Quits Directing Films
Posted: Wednesday September 13th 2006 12:03am
Source: The Globe & Mail
Author: Garth Franklin

Luc Besson, director of films like “Leon”, “The Big Blue” and “The Fifth Element”, says his latest movie will be his last.

The French moviemaker told The Globe & Mail yesterday that he intends to devote himself instead to civic projects, including starting a foundation to help youths in France’s inner cities.

Besson’s 10th and last movie, “Arthur et les Minimoys”, opens in France in December. Besson, 47, said he was keen to try his hand at an array of new projects.

Leon, for those who don’t know was actually called The Professional here in the US. Leon is its other title. But if you want to look for a director’s edition of The Professional, look for Leon or Leon: The Professional as they decided to combine the two names for us here in the US.

The Professional was a good movie, and I bought it on tape but it was never good enough for me to buy it on DVD. The film boasts the fact that it was the first movie that Natalie Portman ever made.

I liked Luc Besson’s The Professional and The Fifth Element. I never fully saw his Joan of Arc movie (The Messenger with his then wife Milla Jovavich (Leeloo from Fifth Element, but they weren’t married back then) I saw parts of the film but never got into it. That was his last American film, he only directed three I guess. He also directed La Femme Nikita, which was what inspired the tv show. He did write a bunch of movies, most noteably Transporter. I don’t believe he wrote the second one but is probably given the credit for creating the charaters.

I liked his style. Too bad he’s done with film. I don’t think he was understood in the US.

–Socram