Luc Besson is a movie-making maniac, an action auteur whose signature is all over the films he produces and writes, though the ones he directs haven’t measured up since “The Professional,” which is now 16 years ago.

Part Peckinpah, part Hong Kong, the movies Besson creates – including Pierre Morel’s “From Paris With Love,” which he produced and wrote the story for (and, also this week, “District 13: Ultimatum”) – are kinetic juggernauts, as carefully plotted with action beats as any of Jerry Bruckheimer’s or Joel Silver’s films, but with more wit and adrenaline. There’s no pretense or wasted motion in Besson’s films, and that includes little time spent trying to force sense into the script. (More…)