Flashback Film Focus: La Femme Nikita (1990)
With my recent post on Luc Besson's upcoming supermodel/assassin film "ANNA", I had mentioned my favourite female assassin film "La Femme Nikita", and thought that perhaps we should delve a little bit into the movie, especially for folks who might not have seen nor know about this French film, which subsequently spawned two television series.
I had managed to catch this film in a local film festival (if memory serves), and with "The Big Blue" just proceeding this (1988), Luc Besson had me in his thrall, especially as I myself had started in designing for media and the local film industry. The allure of French cinema during that era (including Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro's "Delicatessen", "City of Lost Children", and Mathieu Kassovitz's "La haine") kept me in my cinema seat, as I devoured laser discs and VCDs of Luc Besson's work (Not too keen on his 1995 "Subway" tho, just saying'!).
And the film also introduces viewers to the insane-in-the-brains "Cleaner", played here by Jean Reno, who will eventually become "Leon" in Besson's classic "Leon The Professional"!
Coupled with the sounds of Eric Serra, I will always remember the opening scene of La Femme Nikita, and how my subconsciousness too was dragged along the wet asphalt and to be met with saturated colors, and into cinematic consciousness!
I had been fascinated with the story concept and conceit of the "underdog regaining her independence", only for it to be a bittersweet illusion, not for the "happy ever after"-endings of Hollywood fare of thattime.
It had also been an extremely satisfying witness to the character arch of a strong fictional female lead celluloid character for a European feature film of the 90s, which did not play into the "helpless victim"-conceit, even if it did not seem that case in the beginning (witness the above "failed attempt" in escaping her surroundings).
The subsequent "training sequences" was to me, a indirect parallel to your run-of-the-mill regular "make-over montages" (modern or otherwise dated), and no doubt influenced films after that, IMHO.
The film also opens my mind to the "mundanity" of "spy-craft", glamourised in James Bond 007 films before, and made it "a job" select folks do, but do not make a huge deal of it, as opposed to U.S.-spies "doing it for the sake of citizens"-excuse rationale. But no, Nikita AKA "Josephine" was not a "spy", but a government sanctioned "assassin".
The movie itself was remade in Hollywood as "Point of No Return" (1993) starring Bridget Fonda as "Maggie Hayward" ... while an earlier Hong Kong 1991 action flick by Stephen Shin named "Black Cat" languished in obscurity.
Shown below is one of the more "recognisable" scenes from "La Femme Nikita", primarily because it still "exists" on youtube! The subsequent video afters is a continuation of the restaurant assassination scene.
ABOVE: Restaurant Scene in Luc Besson's "Nikita"
BELOW: La Femme Nikita (Gunfight Scene)
Folks more likely might be familiar with the name "La Femme Nikita" from the television series the film spawned afters.
The first incarnation of the series was adapted for television by Joel Surnow, and ran for five seasons, from January 1997 to March 2001. The show was titled "La Femme Nikita" and starred actress Peta Wilson, who played the role of "Nikita" (Info source: Wiki).
The second incarnation was titled simply "Nikita", and starred Maggie Q as "Nikita Mears", with 4 seasons aired in total on The CW, from September 2010, to December 2013 (Info source: Wiki).
I would heartily recommend you watch the film in the original French language, and read the subtitles. I've always felt that there is a certain verve to foreign language films that some how looses its potency, when translated and dubbed, but that's just me.
(All images via IMDb)
"Nikita, also called La Femme Nikita (French pronunciation: [la fam nikita], "The Woman Nikita"), is a 1990 action thriller film written and directed by Luc Besson.
The film stars Anne Parillaud as the title character, a teen who robs a pharmacy and murders a policeman. She is sentenced to life in prison, where her captors fake her death, and she is given the choice of becoming an assassin, or being killed. After intense training, she becomes a talented killer. Her career as an assassin goes well until a mission in an embassy goes awry." (Wiki)
I had managed to catch this film in a local film festival (if memory serves), and with "The Big Blue" just proceeding this (1988), Luc Besson had me in his thrall, especially as I myself had started in designing for media and the local film industry. The allure of French cinema during that era (including Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro's "Delicatessen", "City of Lost Children", and Mathieu Kassovitz's "La haine") kept me in my cinema seat, as I devoured laser discs and VCDs of Luc Besson's work (Not too keen on his 1995 "Subway" tho, just saying'!).
And the film also introduces viewers to the insane-in-the-brains "Cleaner", played here by Jean Reno, who will eventually become "Leon" in Besson's classic "Leon The Professional"!
Coupled with the sounds of Eric Serra, I will always remember the opening scene of La Femme Nikita, and how my subconsciousness too was dragged along the wet asphalt and to be met with saturated colors, and into cinematic consciousness!
I had been fascinated with the story concept and conceit of the "underdog regaining her independence", only for it to be a bittersweet illusion, not for the "happy ever after"-endings of Hollywood fare of thattime.
It had also been an extremely satisfying witness to the character arch of a strong fictional female lead celluloid character for a European feature film of the 90s, which did not play into the "helpless victim"-conceit, even if it did not seem that case in the beginning (witness the above "failed attempt" in escaping her surroundings).
The subsequent "training sequences" was to me, a indirect parallel to your run-of-the-mill regular "make-over montages" (modern or otherwise dated), and no doubt influenced films after that, IMHO.
The film also opens my mind to the "mundanity" of "spy-craft", glamourised in James Bond 007 films before, and made it "a job" select folks do, but do not make a huge deal of it, as opposed to U.S.-spies "doing it for the sake of citizens"-
The movie itself was remade in Hollywood as "Point of No Return" (1993) starring Bridget Fonda as "Maggie Hayward" ... while an earlier Hong Kong 1991 action flick by Stephen Shin named "Black Cat" languished in obscurity.
Shown below is one of the more "recognisable" scenes from "La Femme Nikita", primarily because it still "exists" on youtube! The subsequent video afters is a continuation of the restaurant assassination scene.
ABOVE: Restaurant Scene in Luc Besson's "Nikita"
BELOW: La Femme Nikita (Gunfight Scene)
Folks more likely might be familiar with the name "La Femme Nikita" from the television series the film spawned afters.
The first incarnation of the series was adapted for television by Joel Surnow, and ran for five seasons, from January 1997 to March 2001. The show was titled "La Femme Nikita" and starred actress Peta Wilson, who played the role of "Nikita" (Info source: Wiki).
The second incarnation was titled simply "Nikita", and starred Maggie Q as "Nikita Mears", with 4 seasons aired in total on The CW, from September 2010, to December 2013 (Info source: Wiki).
I would heartily recommend you watch the film in the original French language, and read the subtitles. I've always felt that there is a certain verve to foreign language films that some how looses its potency, when translated and dubbed, but that's just me.
(All images via IMDb)
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