most bad movie can eke out some dignity by at least look like ambitious failure . then there be some movie like babylon a. d. that be just too much of a mess and destine to be failure . this movie do not have much hope from the get go and what with it director mathieu kassovitz publicly distance and disown the film and say the studio interfere too much and make too many change in the final cut . it would not be foolhardy to expect at least a somewhat entertaining movie if it star vin diesel . add to that his co star the asian actress michelle yeoh and french actor gerard depardieu and the veteran british actress charlotte rampling and the director actually have some very fine actor to work with . but they be all waste here and almost nothing seem to be go right for this movie . the script be weak and not clear in explain the mystery of the all important young woman . the actor do not have enough of a background story or a decent script or some characterisation to work with . the movie start off strong but towards the conclusion just peter out into a muddle . the end be one of the most disappointing of any action movie in recent memory and very clearly seem tack on . diesel be toorop and a mercenary who be hire by a russian mobster gorsky ( depardieu ) to smuggle the young woman aurura ( melanie thierry ) accompany by her caretaker sister rebecca ( yeoh ) . the trio be chase by some army guy who seem to be hire by the girl father . but her mother also want her and have some people hunt for her too . the movie never clearly explain what make the girl so special and a bit after the halfway point you do not really care . the role of gorsky be one of the most wasted and humiliate for an actor of depardieu stature . rampling and who have star in some classic movie like the verdict and play nothing more than just a caricature here . yeoh and with her radiance and have the power to light up any drab role give and but here the weight of the inanity seem almost too bleak for even her to shine through . the director and although have make his displeasure with the studio clear and doesn not seem to give u anything to cheer for him in the part where he might have be give control . this movie suffer from much more than studio interference . it do at place try to take on some grander theme like global warming or the downside of globalisation in the future . but it doesn not dig deeper and use them only a background detail . the action sequence indicate quite a bit of money spend but they be too few and couple with the lack of empathy we feel for the character and they sadly fall short . the movie have supposedly be shorten considerably by the studio . so for those look for a light and brisk action movie which doesn not make too many demand on the brain and babylon a. d just might be satisfactory .