"La Femme Nikita" is one of the finest dramatic action thrillers within the last twenty years. Even though this movie is now twenty years old itself, it still holds up well against the test of time. The plot is very interesting and not complicated to follow, which makes it easier to understand for those who don't usually like foreign films because they may not know what's going on. Everything from the lighting to the styles of shots in this movie are so well done.
"Nikita" has such a gritty realistic feeling to it that shows us a world that is very true and to the point. Assassinations are a very intense subject and even more intense are the people who carry them out and through Nikita we get a nice taste of that feeling.
Anne Parilland as Nikita gives a tour de force performance! She brings depth and sensitivity to the character of Nikita. She starts out crazy and cold as ice, but as the story goes futher she conveys every emotion, which includes love, warmth, toughness, anger, feminity and intelligence. She's tough and sexy, but not without that caring quality. Her contract killer is somewhat ironic as far as moral evolutions go. In the beginnning Nikita, is a drugged up sociopath involved in a drug store robery and kills a cop in cold blood, but this propels the story further which, creates the aloneness of her character. As we watch Nikita develop the manners of a woman and the skills of an assassin it becomes obvious what her true potential is. The character of Bob sees that potential and he is the one who helps her along with an honest care in a certain way.
Even though Jean Reno as Victor "The Cleaner" only has a small part he was essential in this film. His role is one of the most memorable especially the scene in the bathroom when he pours acid on the bodies in the tub and the one person wasn't dead yet! What a great scene.
"La Femme Nikita" also raises another question. Is this movie based on fact or fiction? Do international governments take people and train them as killer just as Nikita was recuited and trained by having her death faked and then being given a choice, which is either work for us or die? I believe the answer could be yes because take a look at the world we live in. There is a little bit of Nikita in all of us. I'll say one final thing, if I had to get knocked off by an assassin I sure hope it's someone who looks as good as Nikta!
Here's to one of the best assassin movies I've seen in a long time.
TWO THUMBS UP!
"Nikita" is full of breathtaking images and scenary; for example, the scenes when Nikita is on vacation in Venice, and she's going down the canal in the boat with her lover. The are are scenes that are downright cold! The scene when Nikita assassinates the woman from the window of the hotel while her lover is in the other room. That is an intense sense and very unexpected. Her vacation really wasn't a vacation it was just another target that she had to get at.
Although the American counterpart (remake) of "La Femme Nikita", "Point of No Return" made two years later is not a bad movie it is not a dignified remake. "No Return" lacks the look, style and gritty attitude of the original. Briget Fonda is not exactly the best choice for the role of Nikita! Also another thing about the remake is that it seriously looks like a bad made for television movie. This isn't Beverly Hills 90210 (which I did not like)! "Point of No Return" should not return anytime soon due to lack of quality.
Also "No Return" moved at a different pace than "Nikita". The pace felt very rushed, which was passing by the quality that the original had because the original took its time to create a good story and effective characters, whereas "No Return" lost its audience right after the beginning of the film! Also the soundtrack wasn't as good as "Nikita". It lacked that brooding style that only Eric Serra could create. Here's an example of Serra's music:
Also another thing about "Nikita" is that the subtitles do not distract at all from the action going on; however, I did notice that some translated versions of this movie are different. I have a copy of this on video and my version has some of the words changed around a bit. Nothing to important, but I just thought I mention it.
Director Luc Besson has a very distinct style of filmmaking. He always keeps his films moving at a brisk pace. I really enjoyed one of his earlier works called "Subway" from 1985, starring Christopher Lambert (of "Highlander" fame). "Subway" showcases Besson's early talent at directing, which has come a long way in terms of style. The story of "Subway" is very different than that of "La Femme Nikita" though, but aside from its director "Subway" and "Nikita" have two main things in common. What they have in common is that Luc Besson tends to use the same people in his films.
Actor Jean Reno and music composer Eric Serra seem to carry over into a lot of Besson's films; for example, Jean Reno is in "Nikita", "The Professional", and "Subway". Also composer Eric Serra has been used in almost everyone of Besson's films; for example, Serra has done music for "Fifth Element", "Nikita", "Subway", "Le Dernier Combat" and "Big Blue".
Serra's music is awesome! It brims with originality and class. His styling is essential to all of Besson's films. "Nikita" has perhaps some of Serra's strongest musical scores. Each score he creates is fitting and develops a background mood that properly accompanies the action going on for whatever scene it may be. Here's a scene from "Subway" featuring a song by Serra:
Luc Besson also recreated "Nikita" in a way in 1994, when he made "The Professional, which is what I would call the male counterpart of "Nikita". Jean Reno did an excellent job as the professional! Although the story is different the purpose the same because the film is about a professional assassin who does his job well because that's what he was trained to do.
In the end there is a sense of truth about ones self and just how much they can take and Nikita took a lot, so the ending was a fitting one. She had no choice but to getaway.
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