Babylon A.D. (2008)

Veteran-turned-mercenary Toorop takes the high-risk job of escorting a woman from Russia to America. Little does he know that she is host to an organism that a cult wants to harvest in order to produce a genetically modified Messiah.

Director:

Mathieu Kassovitz

Writers:

Maurice G. Dantec (novel), Mathieu Kassovitz (screenplay),

Stars:

Vin Diesel, Michelle Yeoh, Mélanie Thierry

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vin Diesel	...	Toorop
Michelle Yeoh	...	Sister Rebeka
Mélanie Thierry	...	Aurora
Gérard Depardieu	...	Gorsky
Charlotte Rampling	...	The High Priestess
Mark Strong	...	Finn
Lambert Wilson	...	Darquandier
Jérôme Le Banner	...	Killa
Joel Kirby	...	Dr. Newton
Souleymane Dicko	...	Jamal
David Belle	...	Kid with Tattoos
Radek Bruna	...	Karl
Jan Unger	...	Fight Promoter
Abraham Belaga	...	Assistant to High Priestess
Gary Cowan	...	Neolite Executive

Storyline

In a near future, the mercenary Toorop is hired by the powerful criminal Gorsky to take a woman named Aurora from a Noelite Convent in Central Asia to New York. In return, he will receive a large amount of money and a clear passport. Toorop joins Aurora and her guardian Sister Rebeka as they cross the dangerous Russian landscape chased by mercenaries that also want Aurora. On their journey, Toorop discovers that Aurora has special abilities and once in New York, they see on the news that the Noelite Convent has just been bombed. When Aurora discloses that she is a virgin and pregnant with twins, Toorop realizes that there is something sinister behind his mission and that he and Sister Rebeka are not part of Gorsky's plans.

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Plot Keywords:

new york | convent | mercenary | future | russia | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, language and some sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official MySpace Official MySpace blog

Country:

USA France UK

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

29 August 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Babylon Babies

Filming Locations:

Barrandov Studios, Prague, Czech Republic

Box Office

Budget:

$70,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£536,968 (UK) (29 August 2008)

Gross:

$22,531,698 (USA) (14 November 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Babylon, MNP Entreprise, StudioCanal

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 101 min (extended)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The aircraft on which Toorop, Sister Rebeka and Aurora are flying to NY is a Boeing-787 "Dreamliner". This is the first appearance of this airplane in a movie. However the interior shot shows them sitting on seats most likely belonging to the cabin equipment of a Boeing-737.

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Goofs

Despite Toorop's ranch house having been abandoned for years, with trees fallen on top of it and so on, the timbers are all very clean and dry when they should be covered in lichen and mosses and in fairly advanced stages of decomposition.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Toorop: [voice-over] Save the planet. Whenever I've read that bumper sticker I've had to laugh. Save the planet. What for? And for what, ourselves? What about God, can He help us? I don't think so. God gave us what we have to see how we use it. Shit, rats in a cage would have done it better. Life's a bitch and then you die - bumper sticker philosophy. Yeah, right. Sometimes, you get a second chance.

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Connections

References The Wizard of Oz (1939)

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Soundtracks

"Dead Embryonic Cells"
Written by Igor Cavalera, Max Cavalera, Andreas Kisser, Paulo Jr. (as Pinto Paulo Xisto Jr)
Performed by Sepultura
Courtesy of Roadrunner Records, Inc.
Published by Universal Music - MGR Songs (ASCAP)

User Reviews

Actually, not all that bad

Considering the problems reported with this production I thought the film wasn't all that bad. Sure, some of the dialogue was hokey, but I'd like to see a director's cut. That way perhaps it might help support the director's claims, or it might suggest otherwise. The location's were great and some of the ideas were interesting. When will studio knobs learn stop meddling. Unless there are really serious and legitimate problems they should stay the hell out of the director's way. The IMDb says the budget for this film was $60 million. Interfering has helped ensure that it's unlikely to break even. Maybe on DVD it might. I'd watch a sequel, provided Vin is in it.