A young woman, Maggie Hayward (Bridget Fonda), is sentenced to death after murdering a policeman during a botched robbery. While awaiting trial she is approached by a government agent, Bob (Gabriel Byrne), who wants her to join a top secret assassination team. She doesn't cooperate and is executed...or so it seems. She awakes to find herself an unwilling recruit for the government organisation. She still plays hard to get but eventually comes around. With her training done, now she has to put it into practice - killing people, all while, on the surface, living a perfectly normal life.
A largely-faithful Hollywood remake of Luc Besson's 1990 French classic Nikita. Follows the original script very closely, with some adaptations to US culture and audiences. Doesn't have the same edgy, dark atmosphere that Nikita has and is thus more mainstream. Still, a good story, well made with some good action sequences.
Solid work by Bridget Fonda in the lead role. Her transformation from anarchic, plain, tomboy junkie to cool, sophisticated, sexy killer is quite something to behold. Gabriel Byrne is great as Bob. Supporting cast includes Miguel Ferrer, Dermot Mulroney and Anne Bancroft. Ferrer and Mulroney are so-so - Ferrer a bit too over- the-top and Mulroney a bit too stoner (he seemed like he was in a Bill and Ted movie). Bancroft gives a solid performance though.
Most interesting performance was from Harvey Keitel. Not really for the performance, but for the character - Victor the Cleaner. He would reprise the role a year or so later, to much greater effect - playing The Wolf in Pulp Fiction.
A largely-faithful Hollywood remake of Luc Besson's 1990 French classic Nikita. Follows the original script very closely, with some adaptations to US culture and audiences. Doesn't have the same edgy, dark atmosphere that Nikita has and is thus more mainstream. Still, a good story, well made with some good action sequences.
Solid work by Bridget Fonda in the lead role. Her transformation from anarchic, plain, tomboy junkie to cool, sophisticated, sexy killer is quite something to behold. Gabriel Byrne is great as Bob. Supporting cast includes Miguel Ferrer, Dermot Mulroney and Anne Bancroft. Ferrer and Mulroney are so-so - Ferrer a bit too over- the-top and Mulroney a bit too stoner (he seemed like he was in a Bill and Ted movie). Bancroft gives a solid performance though.
Most interesting performance was from Harvey Keitel. Not really for the performance, but for the character - Victor the Cleaner. He would reprise the role a year or so later, to much greater effect - playing The Wolf in Pulp Fiction.