Babylon A.D. is a 2008 French science fiction action film based on the novel Babylon Babies by Maurice Georges Dantec. The film was directed byMathieu Kassovitz and stars Vin Diesel. It was released on 29 August 2008 in the United States.
In the near future, a mercenary named Toorop (Vin Diesel) accepts a contract from a Russian mobster, Gorsky (Gérard Depardieu), who instructs him to bring a young woman known only as Aurora (Mélanie Thierry) to New York City. In order to reach this goal, Gorsky gives Toorop a variety of weapons as well as a UN passport that has to be injected under the skin of the neck. Toorop, along with the girl and her guardian nun Sister Rebeka (Michelle Yeoh), travels from the Noelite Convent in Mongolia to reach New York via Russia.
The towns and cities of Russia have been turned into dangerous, overpopulated slums by war and terrorist activity, forcing Toorop, Aurora, and Rebeka to face dangers of the human element, while fleeing from an unknown group of mercenaries claiming to have been sent by Aurora's supposedly dead father. The stress of humanity's situation causes Aurora to act out in strange ways that neither Toorop nor Rebeka can explain. On one such occasion, Aurora seems for no reason to panic and run from a crowded train station, just before it explodes.
Later, they board a submarine that carries refugees to Canada. However, to avoid satellite detection, the submarine is forced to leave some behind, even resorting to shooting them. Aurora, infuriated by the loss of life, starts to operate the 30-year-old submarine, without having ever learned about it.
Sister Rebeka explains to Toorop that Aurora could speak nineteen different languages by the age of two, and always seems to know things she has never learned. Three months before leaving with Toorop, she has begun acting in ways she never had before. This occurred after a visit by a Noelite doctor who had administered a pill to Aurora. The doctor tells her to go toNew York City and arranges for Toorop to take them.
Once in Harlem, a news broadcast about the bombing of the convent causes the group to realize that there is more going on than they know. The Noelites have become a major new salvationist religion, which vast numbers of people cling to as the world spirals out of control. However, in private meetings, it is seen that their High Priestess is really just after power, and tries to use various invented miracles to get more people to believe in the truth of her religion. Gorsky, working for the Noelites, had planted a tracking device in Toorop's passport, and then bombed the convent when he knew they were in theUnited States. The doctor who earlier saw Aurora in the convent then appears to examine her again. When he leaves, Aurora reveals (without being told) that she is pregnant with twins, even though she is a virgin.
Looking outside, Toorop sees Gorsky's men as well as the Noelite group, heavily armed and waiting for them. The High Priestess then calls Toorop and asks him to bring Aurora outside. Just before they take her away, Toorop changes his mind and starts a firefight with the two groups with the ultimate goal of getting the two women to safety. However, because of the tracking devices, Gorsky's men can lock onto Toorop with tracking rockets. Rebeka is shot and killed defending Aurora, who in turn shoots Toorop saying the words, "I need you to live". By dying, the rocket goes off target and explodes near Aurora instead. In fact, Aurora survives the rocket explosion by uncertain means.
Toorop's body is revived by Dr. Arthur Darquandier (Lambert Wilson), using advanced medical techniques, but Toorop's right arm and left leg are replaced with cybernetics to undo the damage of being dead for over two hours. Darquandier explains that when Aurora was a fetus, he enhanced her by using a supercomputer to 'implant' intelligence into her brain. It is also implied that the Noelite group had him create Aurora to become pregnant at a certain time in order to use her as a 'virgin birth' for their religion, and for his sake.
After she was born, the Noelites hired Gorsky to kill Darquandier, but Gorsky failed to kill Darquandier in an explosion. Darquandier remained 'dead' until he found his daughter in Russia with Toorop.
Doctor Darquandier uses a machine to go through Toorop's memory to find what Aurora said to him before Toorop 'died.' In Toorop's memory, Aurora tells Toorop to "go home." Toorop, as well as several of Darquandier's men, leave the facility. En route to Darquandier's lab, the High Priestess calls Gorsky, at which point he is killed by a nuclear missile sent to him by the High Priestess. Darquandier is later killed by the High Priestess, but it is too late, since Toorop has already escaped. Toorop goes to his old house in the forest and finds Aurora, and takes her to a hospital where she dies after giving birth. Aurora was "designed to breed", not to live, so her death at childbirth was preprogrammed. Toorop is left to take care of her two children.
It should also be said that Sister Rebekah also told Toorop that "you are the one." And Aurora told Toorop that he is now the twins' father. When they are seen, one looks like Aurora and the other one looks like Toorop.
Main castVin Diesel as Hugo Toorop, a mercenary (full name is "Hugo Cornelius Toorop" in Babylon Babies novel). He is a professional smuggler from New York county, who has been deported from the United States and does mercenary odd jobs from time to time and has experience with smuggling, advanced weaponry, hand-to-hand combat, tactics and culinary.
Michelle Yeoh as Sister Rebeka, a Mongolian Noelite nun and refugee. She is from San Francisco, and she was almost killed by her abusive boyfriend. Terrified by the cruel world, she left the United States and went to Mongolia to seek refuge with the Noelites and became Aurora's guardian.
Mélanie Thierry as Aurora, a young woman within the Noelite shelter. She is "different" from other people, having knowledge in fields that she doesn't even know about or has experience. She speaks 19 languages, has a variety of knowledge of machinery and weaponry and can sense danger, all of which she has never experienced before.
Gérard Depardieu as Gorsky, a wealthy Russian mobster who hired Toorop to transport Aurora to the United States. He is a very powerful man who was deported to the East for his criminal career, and he personally tried to kill Darquandier. He has his own private army and he lives in his heavily armored truck fitted like a limo, always surrounded by a convoy of his soldiers.
Charlotte Rampling as the Noelite High Priestess and CEO of the Noelite church who does not care or believe in religion, only power, fame, and fortune. She pays scientists to produce fake miracles in order to make hers the dominant religion. One of these miracles was for Aurora to be created as a female for a virgin birth and the focus of the Noelite's 'miracle day'.
Mark Strong as Finn, a Russian smuggler and old colleague of Toroop, although Toorop's knowledge and experience leads him not to believe anyone, not even Finn. This is proven correct when he is forced to kill Finn.
Lambert Wilson as Dr. Arthur Darquandier, Aurora's father thought to be dead.
David Belle as Hacker Kid, leader of a group following the trio to America and Darquandier's henchman.
Jérôme Le Banner as Killa, an underground fighter.
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