Anna

Anna follows Anna Poliatova, a young model whose striking looks conceal trained lethality. Recruited by a covert intelligence outfit, she moves through assignments in different cities, adopting false identities and executing high-risk missions with clinical precision. Her professional calm is offset by private memories and shifting loyalties that complicate what might seem like a simple career in espionage. Relationships with a powerful handler and a determined investigator raise tension as trust frays and power balances shift. The pace leans on tense action set pieces and incremental revelations, keeping the ultimate outcome out of view while showing the personal cost of life under constant disguise. She operates in a world where appearance is weaponized, and survival requires calculated ruthlessness. Small loyalties complicate missions and humanize consequences.

Released in 2019, Anna was written and directed by Luc Besson, who created the project. Sasha Luss stars as Anna, joined by Helen Mirren, Luke Evans, Cillian Murphy, and Lera Abova. The film is built from an original screenplay rather than an adaptation.

Anna wasn't a major awards contender and drew little attention during awards season. It did not receive significant nominations from major film academies, and industry honors were limited. Some stunt and technical communities noted the choreography, but formal recognition remained sparse.

The film entered cultural conversations mostly as another Luc Besson entry centering a stylish female operative, prompting comparisons to his earlier heroines. Its fashion-forward aesthetic and brisk, efficient assassin image showed up in reviews and social media takes, though it didn't establish a new mainstream icon or a long-lasting cultural meme.

Critical response was mixed, mirrored by audience polling, with a vote average of 6.71/10 from 2,890 votes. Reviewers often praised Sasha Luss's physicality and the kinetic action scenes, while criticizing the script's thin character work and familiar plotting. Major themes include identity, agency, manipulation, and the cost of living a life built on performance.