Plot
Veteran-turned-mercenary Toorop takes the high-risk job of escorting a woman from Russia to America. Little does he know that she is host to an organism that a cult wants to harvest in order to produce a genetically modified Messiah.
Release Year: 2008
Rating: 5.4/10 (40,234 voted)
Critic's Score: 26/100
Director:
Mathieu Kassovitz
Stars: Vin Diesel, Michelle Yeoh, Mélanie Thierry
Storyline In a near future, the mercenary Toorop is hired by the powerful criminal Gorsky to take a woman named Aurora from a Noelite Convent in Central Asia to New York. In return, he will receive a large amount of money and a clear passport. Toorop joins Aurora and her guardian Sister Rebeka as they cross the dangerous Russian landscape chased by mercenaries that also want Aurora. On their journey, Toorop discovers that Aurora has special abilities and once in New York, they see on the news that the Noelite Convent has just been bombed. When Aurora discloses that she is a virgin and pregnant with twins, Toorop realizes that there is something sinister behind his mission and that he and Sister Rebeka are not part of Gorsky's plans.
Writers: Maurice G. Dantec, Mathieu Kassovitz
Cast: Vin Diesel
-
Toorop
Michelle Yeoh
-
Sister Rebeka
Mélanie Thierry
-
Aurora
Gérard Depardieu
-
Gorsky
Charlotte Rampling
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The High Priestess
Mark Strong
-
Finn
Lambert Wilson
-
Darquandier
Jérôme Le Banner
-
Killa
Joel Kirby
-
Dr. Newton
Souleymane Dicko
-
Jamal
David Belle
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Kid with Tattoos
Radek Bruna
-
Karl
Jan Unger
-
Fight Promoter
Abraham Belaga
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Assistant to High Priestess
Gary Cowan
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Neolite Executive
Opening Weekend: $11,541,571
(USA)
(31 August 2008)
(3390 Screens)
Gross: $22,531,698
(USA)
(16 November 2008)
Technical Specs
Runtime:|
(extended version)
Did You Know?
Trivia:
The film had to be bailed out by the studio's insurance company, after running over-budget and falling significantly behind schedule.
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes:
Toorop drives through the border town, and the kids start throwing rocks. Once all the kids stop, you can clearly see one of the 'rocks' bounce a few times, because the rocks are rubber.
Quotes:
[first lines]
Toorop:
[voice-over]
Save the planet. Whenever I've read that bumper sticker I've had to laugh. Save the planet. What for? And for what, ourselves? What about God, can He help us? I don't think so. God gave us what we have to see how we use it. Shit, rats in a cage would have done it better. Life's a bitch and then you die - bumper sticker philosophy. Yeah, right. Sometimes, you get a second chance.
User Review
A mess
Rating:
I like Vin Diesel. Even if he is not flavour of the month anymore, if
he ever was, I make no apologies for that statement. I have a story I
would like to share.
In 2002, after the release of "Pitch Black" and "xXx", and even though
I was possibly too old to indulge in such childishness, I wrote Vin a
fan letter. I expressed my admiration for his work and politely
requested an autograph on a magazine, featuring Vin on the cover, that
I had enclosed with a stamped addressed envelope. A month later the
magazine arrived back and it had been autographed.
I have no idea if the autograph is genuine. It may well have been
signed by Vin Diesel, or maybe it was just signed by somebody in Vin
Diesel's office. I will never know. Do you know what? I don't care.
Somebody went to the effort to send that autograph to me for that I
think that Vin is sound, is cool and I give him much respect.
I just wish that Vin appeared in better movies. This brings us to
"Babylon A.D.".
Good things. The presentation of the near future world in "Babylon
A.D." is beautifully done. Compare and contrast the difference between
the collapsing, grunge-like, shabby Eastern Bloc, with the hi-tech,
neon lit New York. Very well put together. "Babylon A.D." also has a
really intriguing cast (Charlotte Rampling, Mark Strong, Michelle Yeoh,
Gérard Depardieu), some good action sequences and an interesting, if
derivative, plot.
Bad things. "Babylon A.D." is a mess. There is evidence of extensive
tampering with and shortening of the movie in the editing suite. (I
read one rumour that 70 minutes had been cut from the movie, although
the Director claims that this was more like 15 minutes.) The ending is
absolutely awful and apparently not the one that the Director intended.
Director Mathieu Kassovitz has mostly disowned "Babylon A.D.", calling
it a movie of 'pure violence and stupidity'. There is nothing wrong
with cinematic 'pure violence and stupidity' as such, but I for one
would like to have seen Mathieu Kassovitz's original vision. It could
have been great.
Such a shame. I have always felt that Vin Diesel could have been the
new Stallone, but bad choices have turned him into new Van Damme.
Still, "Babylon A.D." is currently the #2 film at the US Box Office, so
what do I know?
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