Taxi

Marseille. Daniel (Sami Naceri), an ex-pizza delivery boy, quits his job and becomes a taxi driver. However, his real dream is to race in Formula 1. His home-built taxi is a road monster which he drives faster than the local speed cameras can pick up. Eventually he gets caught by Emilien(Frederic Diefenthal), a looser-cop who failed his driving test 8 times! In order to stay on the road Daniel will have to help Emilien and accept a deal with the cops to a top a group of German bank-robbers that drive high performance cars.

Luc Besson is a talented director, but this time he left the camera to Gerard Pires and remains as producer and writer. The film enjoyed great success in France, so much so that when it was released it boasted an audience 6 million people at the time. This was part due to its aggressive realisation and stylistic photography. Marseilles was the ideal location to shoot this film with its maze of narrow busy streets and major highways. The contrast between its reputation as a mean city and a cosmopolitan Mediterranean port adds both depth and character. Gerard Pires transforms it into a little San Francisco with amazing car races, making impressive play on contrasts between light and shadow.

Taxi is an action-comedy film which brings together two characters that hate each other but, will eventually become best friends as they help one another. Unusually Besson shamelessly indulges in fantastic c races where the characters' importance is perhaps put behind the action. A rare 'cat and mouse' chase film - well worth seeing.

Rene Medge.