The Fifth Element (1997)
- Before Bruce Willis was cast, several major A-list stars turned down the lead role because they felt the script was too risky.
- Eagle-eyed viewers have noticed a hidden easter egg referencing Luc Besson's previous film in the background of the opening scene.
- The incredible score for The Fifth Element was composed in just a few weeks after the original composer dropped out.
The Fifth Element is a 1997 French science fiction action film directed by Luc Besson. Set in a colorful, maximalist vision of the 23rd century, the film stars Bruce Willis as Korben Dallas, a former special forces operative turned taxi driver in a flying cab in New York City, who becomes entangled in a cosmic struggle when a mysterious woman named Leeloo, played by Milla Jovovich, literally crashes into his cab. Leeloo is the "Fifth Element" — a supreme being destined to combine with four ancient elemental stones to form a weapon capable of defeating an approaching Great Evil that threatens to destroy all life in the universe.
Luc Besson had been developing the concept since he was a teenager, and the resulting film was an explosion of visual imagination that drew from French comic book art, particularly the work of Jean "Mœbius" Giraud and Jean-Claude Mézières, who both contributed to the production design. The costume design by Jean Paul Gaultier created some of the most outlandish and iconic looks in science fiction cinema, including Leeloo's bandage outfit and Chris Tucker's extravagant costumes as the flamboyant radio host Ruby Rhod. Gary Oldman's scenery-chewing performance as the arms dealer Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg was a highlight.
The Fifth Element earned $263 million worldwide on a $90 million budget, making it the most expensive European film at the time of production. The film's unique visual style — candy-colored, operatic, and deliriously entertaining — has made it a perennial cult favorite and one of the most visually distinctive science fiction films ever made.
