Luc Besson's spectacular filmography

Beautiful women, loaded guns — Luc Besson's new movie is no art film for a niche market. The film revolves around Anna Poliaoiva (Sasha Luss), a kind of female 21st century James Bond character. The strong, skilled professional KGB killer adds new features to the female action film genre.

For decades, Luc Besson had a reputation as a guarantor of success. His films were always more expensive than the average European production. He produced films directed by colleagues and wrote the script for many of his own films. But Besson has also faced flops in the course of his career.

After his dark directorial debut, a black-and-white science-fiction film called "The Last Battle" (1983), Besson gained international acclaim through his second movie, "Subway" (1985). The high-energy action film was set in the underground world of the Paris metro, running through its stations and tunnels. It starred prominent actors Christopher Lambert and Isabelle Adjani (picture).

In 1988, Luc Besson dived into deep seas with "The Big Blue," winning more fans throughout Europe. A fictionalized version of a true story, the film follows the rivalry of two free divers fatally competing to set new depth records near the Greek coast. It quickly became a cult classic.

Besson's two following films, "Nikita" (1990) and "Leon: The Professional" (1994), featured the director's strong storytelling skills as well as adrenaline-filled action scenes. "Leon" was the feature film debut of then 13-year-old Natalie Portman, who starred alongside French actor Jean Reno in the role of a professional hitman (pictured).

An expensive science-fiction epic, "The Fifth Element" demonstrated how well Besson could work with high-budget productions. The movie had loads of special effects and big Hollywood stars like Bruce Willis. Although Besson was often signing English-language works by then, they were always produced in France.

It therefore didn't come as a complete surprise when Besson then moved from action and science-fiction to a historical drama in 1999, with "The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc," in which he revisited the life of the French heroine Jeanne d'Arc at a sharp-edged pace, with rapid cuts and bold camera perspectives. Milla Jovovich, Besson's favorite actress, was brilliant in the lead role.

During the first decade of the new millennium, Besson produced increasingly more movies for other filmmakers, while the works he directed himself during that period, such as "Angel-A" and the "Arthur and the Minimoys" trilogy (pictured), weren't as memorable as his earlier works. Yet as a producer, Besson remained extremely successful.

This choice of film appeared somewhat unusual for Besson: He covered the life of the Burmese Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, in "The Lady" (2011). The project was initiated by the main star of the film, Michelle Yeoah. The Malaysian actress is a fan of Besson's films.

After filming the mafia comedy "The Family" (2013), Besson directed "Lucy" in 2014, starring Scarlett Johansson. The movie combined action and science-fiction and proved to be a blockbuster. Once again, it was filmed in English, but was produced in France.

Luc Besson outdid himself with his 16th film. The filmmaker and producer's "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets" was the most expensive European film ever made. A great part of the money was invested in the sets and special effects. It didn't do particularly well at the box offices, however.