I wonder how many taxi drivers get a fare they wish they's just driven past! Well I think poor "Dallas" (Bruce Willis) might have wished he had done that with the almost mannequin-esque "Leeloo" (Milla Jovovich) as he finds himself embroiled in a plot to conquer the planet. She speaks in syllables that wouldn't have been out of place in an edition of "The Clangers" but still manages to convey the sense of peril to mankind well enough for him to try to track down the priest "Cornelius" (Ian Holm) who might be able to locate some sacred stones that belong to the benign "Fifth Element" in time to save us from "Mangalores" and his evil henchman "Mr. Zorg" (Gary Oldman). of course, we soon learn that "Dallas" is no ordinary, pie-eating, cabbie. He is a former special forces ninja who is no stranger to an Uzi 9mm or to some nimble fisticuffs. Luc Besson manages to integrate some engaging comedy threat into a decent sci-fi adventure that raises a smile. Willis offers his usual style of charismatic, slightly sarcastic, delivery and Oldman (well, more his hairdo, really) camps up nicely as the baddie in charge of an army of alien soldiers who couldn't hit a cow on the tit with a tin cup. There's loads of action pretty much from the start as somehow we just know that Bruce is going to come through for us. It's a parody fo loads of other sci-fi concepts, but it does work.
