 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Audiences may remember the name Luc Besson because of his involvement with The Professional and The Fifth Element, two popular and innovative films that received wide release in America. Although the famed French filmmaker directed several quality motion pictures throughout the '80s, it was Besson's La Femme Nikita that truly put him on the world's cinematic map. La Femme Nikita is a sleek and stylish action-drama that follows a nihilistic young criminal as she gets a shot at a new life and redemption. French actress Anne Parillaud plays Nikita, the drugged-out punk who, with her nefarious companions, commits numerous cold-blooded crimes. When Nikita is eventually apprehended by the authorities, she is inducted into a top-secret government program that gives her a chance to leave her life of crime behind and become a covert operative and assassin. Even though her training and rehabilitation appear to be successful, questions still remain about Nikita's future as she comes face to face with the violence that acts as the common thread between her two lives—both past and present.
The storyline is far-fetched, but undeniably captivating. Perhaps this is the reason why La Femme Nikita was spun off into a long-running cable television series and was also remade Hollywood-style as the movie Point of No Return. Actress Anne Parillaud delivers an impressive performance in a complex and demanding role; she gives the sexy femme fatale a dark intensity while also maintaining an air of optimism and unselfconsciousness. Because of Besson's direction, La Femme Nikita is very well-crafted and has that inimitable European look and feel. Most importantly, however, is the fact that Besson provides the film with more than just tense, action-filled set pieces. He renders La Femme Nikita with an artful flair and gives the film a profound emotional core. The result is a dramatic action movie with a soul and a conscience.
For more information about La Femme Nikita, check out this Fansite