This is the original film that spawned an American remake and a popular television series. Most fans of French films are familiar with writer/director Luc Besson (Angel-A, Taken, From Paris with Love), and although it wasn't his first film this is the movie that put him on the map. Besson is one of the most talented directors working in film today, and the action genre is his canvass of choice.
Anne Parillaud (who looks like the French version of Sela Ward) stars as the title character, a young woman so broken by the path her life has taken that she's nothing more than a wild animal (in the opening scenes a strung-out Nikita robs a drugstore and kills a police officer). Sentenced to death, her execution is faked and she's enrolled in assassin school, courtesy of a secret government program developed to train professional killers. Nikita is deemed to have the proper physicality, moral ambiguity, and malleability to become a human weapon, controlled by her masters at the program.
As the movie progresses so does Nikita. Her initial resistance and defiance towards her handlers gives way to acceptance of her new life, She learns how to handle a gun, martial arts (Anne Parillaud trained in Judo for four months in preparation for this role), and in a cameo by Jeanne Moreau, is instructed on the finer parts of presenting herself as an attractive young woman. Nikita's real transformation begins after her training is complete. While awaiting her first assignment she falls in love with a man who knows nothing of her true past, and Nikita's awakening as a human being capable of love and kindness changes everything. She forgets that she's leading a double life, and Besson does a fine job of pointing out the irony that Nikita's new found humanity is a direct result of her training as an assassin.
Also starring Jean Reno, this is a notch above the typical action/thriller, despite its 1980s feel to the pacing and film score. If you haven't seen this movie yet, it is highly recommended.
DVD Details
Actors: Anne Parillaud, Marc Duret, Patrick Fontana, Alain Lathière, Laura Cheron, Jean Reno
Directors: Luc Besson
Writers: Luc Besson
Producers: Luc Besson, Claude Besson, Mario Cecchi Gori, Patrice Ledoux, Vittorio Cecchi Gori
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, DVD, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
Region: Region 1 U.S. and Canada only.
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number of discs: 1
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
DVD Release Date: July 1, 2003
Run Time: 118 minutes
For more French movie reviews go to I Love French Movies, where you'll find information on some of the best action, comedies, and dramas that the French have to offer, as well as a few American movies that were filmed in France. (C) Will Atkinson
