Director Luc Besson jumped from Léon: The Professional, a heartfelt movie about a hitman and the little girl whom he befriends, to The Fifth Element, a sci-fi action movie about a cab driver who helps save the universe. It’s one of the ‘90s better one-two punches, with Besson proving his skill has an action director twofold. Since then, as a director, Besson has had his share of hits and misses, but as a writer and producer, he's been far more successful — Besson has had a hand in the Taken and The Transporter series, along with countless French productions. The Fifth Element remains a unique film that has yet to be topped by Besson, one that shows off his eccentricities while also embracing the American action aesthetic that has coursed through a lot of his work.

The premise is simple enough for a sci-fi action epic — in the year 2263, an evil force is set to destroy the universe, and it’s up to Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis), a set of priests (one of whom is played by Ian Holm), and an alien known as the ‘Fifth Element’, Leeloo (Milla Jovovich), to save the day. Oh, and the villain of the movie is played by none other than Gary Oldman in a role that goes beyond standard scene-chewing. While the huge threat is a dark blob in space, Oldman as businessman Zorg, thrives for destruction just so he can come in and make a profit from the cleanup (sounds familiar). Oldman has a bizarre accent (I guess you could call it Southern?) to supplement his plasticy, fluorescent outfit and godawful haircut. With Zorg and Léon’s Norman Stansfield, Oldman has cemented his place in Cinema’s Bad Guy Hall of Fame.