La Femme Nikita

The talentless but irrepressibly trendy Luc Besson ("Subway," "The Big Blue") dreamed up this idiotic story that seems vaguely inspired by Kubrick's (not Anthony Burgess's) "A Clockwork Orange."

One of the most cinematic movies to come along in a while, with sparse dialogue, top-notch action and plenty of visual razzamatazz.

It's like "The Terminator" as reimagined by the editors of French Vogue.

Always stylish and occasionally thrilling and never thoughtful.

Like the movies its modeled after, it's shallow, frequently silly. But there's something about the mix--maybe something about Parillaud as the screechy, dangerous Nikita--that may make the movie a powerful engine of wish-fulfillment. [12 Apr 1991, Calendar, p.F-10]

Parillaud is expressive but rather mundane. She's best at playing sullen, but there are so many French actresses who specialize in this particular talent -- the French have mastered the apathetic pout -- that she seems generic.

[Parillaud] remains a totally uninteresting figment of Besson's blinkered movieland imagination, especially when she's in the company of Karyo and Anglade, who provide balance to her overacting.

Upon cinematic release, being fascinated with Bridget Fonda, I watched 'Point of No Return', which I enjoyed but had no idea it was based on Besson's film. Badham's work was okay in my books, but nothing spectacular. Over the years I had loved those films of his I had seen ('Leon: The Professional', 'The Fifth Element', 'The Family' and 'Lucy'), and decided I wanted to see his earlier classic. I like the fact that Besson always has some hand in the writing, and the exquisite and graceful small part he wrote for acting legend Jeanne Moreau, virtually a microcosm of everything splendid she had ever brought to the screen. Besson has a very good feel for the genres his films represent--he plays to his strengths, and is not afraid to stick to his guns (for example, I'm glad he chose the ending that he did). The two significant extras on my DVD, remarking on the making of the film, and the sound selections by scorer Eric Serra, were both informative and entertaining, and added significant value. I highly recommend the experience to those who only think of 'The Fifth Element' when they think of Luc's work--you're in for a real treat...

A great movie. You may or may not like it, but I did.

A curious blend of hard edges and soft emotions from writer/director Luc Besson, who would apply a similar mix of antithetical senses in his 1994 international breakthrough, Léon: The Professional. Nikita (the “Femme” was added after its French release) is the story of a strung-out punk rock junkie, whisked away after a deadly police shootout and unwillingly trained to be a secret government assassin. If that sounds like a huge leap, it is, and the reason for her selection is never really explained beyond the weirdly passive handler who “sees something in her.” But regardless, she gets into the program, overcomes her addiction, ruffles feathers with her gruff demeanor, eventually faces facts and graduates into a cushy life as an on-call killer. Many of these developments feel abrupt or confusing due to the film’s tendency to skip weeks, months or years in a flash. In just a few minutes of screen time, she kicks her anti-authority ethos to the curb and reclines into a sort of submissive acceptance. If we pay attention, the film leaves plenty of hints that she’s been through a rigorous psychological indoctrination, but those details are mostly left to our imagination. Weird to skip the sordid transformation scenes like that, but also refreshing. That reprogramming isn’t a point of emphasis for Besson, so he doesn’t obsess over it. Instead, we spend a lot of time watching Nikita enjoy the fruits of her new life. We don’t know how she wound up in such a dark place to begin with, smash-and-grabbing drug stores with a crew of grungy criminals, but we can see her enthusiasm about making the most of a fresh start. Left to her own devices between jobs (another risky call from her superiors), she immediately sets to building a happy, comfortable, quiet life with the friendly cashier of a local grocery store. It’s great cover for a part-time executioner, and the awkward balancing act doesn’t seem to upset things all that much. Not until a job finally goes wrong and suddenly she’s in deep water without a buoy. Both sides of this cinematic contradiction are well-developed. The action is bright and loud, an exciting relic of mid-budget ‘80s blowouts on VHS, while the playful romance develops into something warm and effervescent. The whole third act is a chaotic riot, a spike of difficulty and consequence that’s driven by a single-minded Jean Reno, and while I wasn’t satisfied with its resolution, I was wrapped up by the young love affair while it lasted. A loose, ambitious, free-spirited film that leans on both its star’s unusual brands of feminine allure (Anne Parillaud isn’t your traditional badass bombshell) and its director’s unique sensibilities.

This one was not exactly what I expected--it is not really a James Bond-style story. Nikita was really something else. It also feels very firmly set in its time of history, in terms of style and music. It was entertaining, though.

A short review: The story of Nikita is fairly simplistic to follow. The only thing is it doesn't delve fully into what it could've been. Instead it tinkers with the emotional strings due to her relationship she forms contrasting with her "work". Performances by lead actress are alright overall, she's absolutely dislikable at the start but at the end you (kind of) grow to sympathise with her but due to her childish actions and mannerisms at times she can more be an annoyance. Her boss plays his part pretty well but Jean Reno steals the screen for the few minutes he occupies it for. However, direction wise of this film was average overall, some shots being quite nicely directed but other shots being totally unnecessary. An interesting idea that doesn't fully deliver. 6/10