Nikita (1990)

Director:

Luc Besson

Writer:

Luc Besson (writer)

Release Date:

April 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

The Hit of Paris and London Has Come to America. [US Poster]

Plot:

Convicted felon Nikita, instead of going to jail, is given a new identity and trained, stylishly, as a top secret spy/assassin.

Plot Keywords:

Gun | Murder | Kill | Silencer | Violence

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Anne Parillaud	...	Nikita
Marc Duret	...	Rico
Patrick Fontana	...	Coyotte
Alain Lathière	...	Zap
Laura Chéron	...	La punk
Jacques Boudet	...	Le pharmacien
Helene Aligier	...	La pharmacienne
Pierre-Alain de Garrigues	...	Flic pharmacie
Patrick Pérez	...	Flic pharmacie (as Patrick Perez)
Bruno Randon	...	Flic pharmacie
Vincent Skimenti	...	Flic pharmacie
Roland Blanche	...	Flic interrogatoire
Joseph Teruel	...	Stagiaire flic
Jacques Disses	...	Avocat
Stéphane Fey	...	Président tribunal (as Stephane Fey)

Also Known As:

La Femme Nikita (USA)
Nikita (UK)

Runtime:

115 min | Portugal:118 min | Spain:112 min (DVD edition)

Country:

France | Italy

Language:

Italian | French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Italy:T | Australia:MA (Cable TV rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:PG | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Old Seita factory, Paris 12, Paris, France

Company:

Gaumont

Trivia:

Director Trademark: [Luc Besson] [intro]

Goofs:

Continuity: When Nikita takes Bob hostage her weapon changes from a semi-automatic to a revolver.

Quotes:

[after Nikita obliterates her target with a large automatic pistol]
Professeur de tir: You've used one of these before?
Nikita: Not on paper.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Road Kill (1999)

Soundtrack:

The Dark Side of Time

Brilliant, tense and artful

Anne Parillaud is phenomenal as a terrifyingly vulnerable, beautiful and human young anti-hero with an incredible talent for violence. A drug-addict murderous teen is given a second chance by a government agency looking to exploit her penchant for conscience-less killing. Mentored by a man whose compassion for her is only matched by his ambition and Machiavellian sadism, Nikita ventures on a roller-coaster ride leading a double-life as assassin and clean-living young woman in love. Her passionate affair with Marco and the clarity of her un-drugged consciousness, combine to promote the development of a conscience - a dangerous thing in her line of work. Nikita is, nevertheless, a victim of her circumstances, and like the rest of the characters on both sides, seems stuck in a very bad situation. In addition to the artistry with which this story is told, this film has a very nihilistic sense of justice and not-so-subtly points out the fact that state authorized murder is still murder.

Jean Reno fans will enjoy his brief typecast cameo as "the cleaner".

This is one of the best, if not the best, of Besson's films. It is extremely well paced, starkly and beautifully shot, and features some of the best acting and writing of the entire action genre. The script is just a little better in French than English. Nikita does not have the feel of an action film, but rather, feels like a fatalistic drama riddled with almost continuous tragedy and heartbreak, and spiced with just a tad of hope. Parillaud's multi-layered and complex construction of her character is so mesmerizing that it is frankly difficult to think of anything else while attempting to reflect on this film.