Lucy (2014)

A woman, accidentally caught in a dark deal, turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic.

Director:

Luc Besson

Writer:

Luc Besson

Stars:

Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman, Min-sik Choi

1 win & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Scarlett Johansson	...	Lucy
Morgan Freeman	...	Professor Norman
Min-sik Choi	...	Mr. Jang
Amr Waked	...	Pierre Del Rio
Julian Rhind-Tutt	...	The Limey
Pilou Asbæk	...	Richard
Analeigh Tipton	...	Caroline
Nicolas Phongpheth	...	Jii
Jan Oliver Schroeder	...	German Mule
Luca Angeletti	...	Italian Mule
Loïc Brabant	...	Professor
Pierre Grammont	...	Professor
Pierre Poirot	...	Professor
Bertrand Quoniam	...	Professor
Pascal Loison	...	Drug Addict

Storyline

It was supposed to be a simple job. All Lucy had to do was deliver a mysterious briefcase to Mr. Jang. But immediately Lucy is caught up in a nightmarish deal where she is captured and turned into a drug mule for a new and powerful synthetic drug. When the bag she is carrying inside of her stomach leaks, Lucy's body undergoes unimaginable changes that begins to unlock her mind's full potential. With her new-found powers, Lucy turns into a merciless warrior intent on getting back at her captors. She receives invaluable help from Professor Norman, the leading authority on the human mind, and French police captain Pierre Del Rio.

---

Plot Keywords:

drugs | brain capacity | fictional drug | synthetic drug | tough girl | 

---

Taglines:

The average person uses 10% of their brain capacity. Imagine what she could do with 100%.

---

Genres:

Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, disturbing images, and sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook [Italy] Official Facebook [Japan]

Country:

France Germany USA Taiwan

Language:

English Mandarin French Italian German Spanish Korean

Release Date:

25 July 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

Lucy

Filming Locations:

Studios de Paris, La Cité du Cinéma, Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, France

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$43,899,340, 27 July 2014

Gross USA:

$126,663,600

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$458,863,600

Company Credits

Production Co:

EuropaCorp, TF1 Films Production, Grive Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Datasat Dolby Digital Dolby Atmos Auro 11.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although the scenes in Asia take place in Taiwan, Mr. Jang and his henchmen speak Korean.

---

Goofs

A fence near the horizon, just below the trees (with white post), can be seen when the camera faces the American Indians up-close at 01:16:56, and when the camera faces Lucy at 01:56:57. You can see a forest watch tower just above the Indian on the right.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Lucy: [narrating] Life was given to us a billion years ago. What have we done with it?

---

Connections

Referenced in Tu mourras moins bête: Le cerveau de Lucy (2017)

---

Soundtracks

God's Whisper
Written by Raury (as Raury Tullis) and Michael Holt
Performed by Raury
Published by Thank You Chi-City (ASCAP)
Produced by Michael Holt and Raury Tullis

User Reviews

Lucy is a ridiculous but very entertaining film

Lucy is a spectacularly ridiculous but very entertaining film which is the best one Luc Besson has directed in a long time... even though, considering all the missteps he has had since he returned from "retirement" 9 years ago, that isn't a big compliment. For better or for worse, Lucy employs Besson's habitual style, combining abundant action, a creative visual style and an accelerated rhythm which, in this case, distract us from the parade of nonsense and inconsistencies from the screenplay (Hasn't the "we only use 10% of our brain" myth already been discarded?). Fortunately, this film counts with solid performances from the whole cast, starting by Scarlett Johansson, who brings charisma and credibility. Morgan Freeman brings his usual conviction, serene presence and persuasive voice, while Choi Min-sik and Nicolas Phongpheth bring quite a personality to their villain roles. Besides, with only 89 minutes of running time, Lucy ends as quickly as it began, it never gets boring at all and it leaves us with some philosophical reflections I found interesting. Lucy is not a great film, but it entertained me very much, and I recommend it as a pleasant distraction which doesn't require us to pay too much attention. And besides of that, I like to see Besson back on the right track in his career as a director.