As it is being tipped to premiere at Venice next month, Luc Besson’s “Dogman” has released its first trailer.
The film is being compared to “Joker” and has its broken protagonist (Caleb Landry Jones) posing as some kind of vigilante. He cross-dresses as a form of self-therapy to overcome the trauma of his father’s abuse — he was locked in a dog kennel for years as a child. As an adult he forms a close bond with canines as they assist him to help take down a local crime boss.
“Dogman” is said to be reminiscent of Besson’s darker, earlier films, notably “Leon: The Professional” and “Subway.” It’s set to be his first film since 2019’s “Anna.”
The film was test-screened last week, and, although the reaction I got was mixed, it sounded delightfully deranged and something I’ll be looking out for on the fall festival circuit.
Besson, who is 64, has been embroiled in controversy these last few years. However, he was exonerated in court twice, including this past June where he was cleared of all charges, following a ruling by the Court of Cassation, the highest judicial court in France.
I still stand by my assertion that his 2014 film, “Lucy,” is a strong action film — very underrated work from Besson and actress Scarlett Johansson, which also featured one of the boldest big studio climaxes of the last decade. Was it a great film? Maybe not, but it was immensely watchable.
Besson is known for his successful streak of ‘80s amd ‘90s films such as “The Big Blue,” "La Femme Nikita," "Leon: The Professional," and "The Fifth Element.” He also wrote 2008’s highly influential “Taken,” which kickstarted a slew of one-man-killing-machine ripoffs such as “John Wick.”
Edward Berger seems to have settled on what comes next. His Lance Armstrong biopic, starring Austin Butler, is now holding casting calls, with production eyed for January.