Mathie Kassovitz is something of an enigma. Likely still best known in North America for his acting role in Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Amelie the man is also one of France's most sought after directors, the creator of an acknowleged masterpiece (La Haine) and some other films (Gothika leaps to mind) which are somewhat less than masterful. The man's got technical chops, though, so I'm more than a little curious to see what he does with a big budget and a big, international cast that includes Vin Diesel, Michelle Yeoh and Gerard Depardieu in his film version of Babylon AD. Rumblings are that Diesel's on-set behaviour has been less than ideal and the first bit of footage from the film has just released. Will the strife make it on to the finished product? This reel is very much a promotional piece, a blend of finished footage and behind the scenes stuff weighed heavily toward sthe behind the scenes. But still, the scope is impressive.
Babylon AD promo teaser (downloadable WMV)