Point of No Return (1993)

hardened criminal Maggie Hayward's consistence violence, even in police custody, ends in the execution chamber. However, top-secret US government agency official 'Bob' arranges a staged ... See full summary »

Director:

John Badham

Writers:

Luc Besson (film La Femme Nikita), Robert Getchell (screenplay),

Stars:

Bridget Fonda, Gabriel Byrne, Dermot Mulroney

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bridget Fonda	...	Maggie Hayward - Claudia Anne Doran - Nina
Gabriel Byrne	...	Bob
Dermot Mulroney	...	J.P.
Miguel Ferrer	...	Kaufman
Anne Bancroft	...	Amanda
Olivia d'Abo	...	Angela
Richard Romanus	...	Fahd Bahktiar
Harvey Keitel	...	Victor the Cleaner
Lorraine Toussaint	...	Beth
Geoffrey Lewis	...	Drugstore Owner
Mic Rodgers	...	Cop
Michael Rapaport	...	Big Stan
Ray Oriel	...	Burt
Spike McClure	...	Johnny D
Lieux Dressler	...	Johnny's Mom

Storyline

hardened criminal Maggie Hayward's consistence violence, even in police custody, ends in the execution chamber. However, top-secret US government agency official 'Bob' arranges a staged death, so she can be elaborately trained as phantom killer and subdued into obedience. As a cover, she gets a new identity as saleswoman Claudia Anne Doran. And a wonderful house-mate, building super J.P., a broad-minded, gentle photographer. The two fall in love, but that complicates hit jobs. His good influence extends to breeding her a conscience that puts love over business, alas unlike Bob's agency.

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Plot Keywords:

love | assassin | injection | photographer | staged death | 

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Taglines:

The Government gave her a choice. Death. Or life as an assassin. Now, there's no turning back.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, and for language and sexuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

19 March 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Girl No. 5

Filming Locations:

Bourbon Street, French Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Gross:

£2,543,243 (UK) (13 August 1993)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Art Linson Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min 104 min (TV) 101 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michael W. Watkins:  last guard at the gate during the escape.

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Goofs

Claudia buys cans of Progresso Ravioli in the store, and then serves that ravioli at dinner. One can easily see the areas of the ravioli that do not have sauce on them. The sauce is atop the ravioli, which clearly indicates that the ravioli was cooked separately and the sauce was placed over the pasta later. However, canned ravioli would have a completely different appearance; it would have sauce dispersed evenly all over each ravioli.

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Quotes

Karate Instructor: [does some karate moves and assumes a fighting stance] I've taken my guard. See if you can hit my face.
Maggie: [starts to circle the instructor, waving her hands and making sounds like Bruce Lee] Hooooo. Waaa!
Karate Instructor: Come on. COme on.
[Maggie continues circling and making the noises and hand motions]
Karate Instructor: Hit me. Come on. Hit me.
[Puzzled and impatient, the instructor looks away from Maggie, lowering his guard]
Karate Instructor: [frustrated] Aah.
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Rushmore (1998)

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Soundtracks

"CUANDO CALENTA EL SOL"
Written by Carlos Rigual, Mario Rigual and Carlos A. Martinoli (as Carlos Alberto Martinoli)
Performed by Vikki Carr
Courtesy of EMI Records Group / EMI Records
by arrangement with CEMA Special Markets

User Reviews

Moving and nail-biting remake full of action from popular French film

US thriller finely directed by John Badham about a violent junkie who becomes undercover assassin . Exciting and stirring movie that was formerly adapted in French style by Luc Besson , dealing with an once-amoral street urchin become into a gorgeous woman of sensitivity and depth . A gang of armed drug-addicts break into a shop to try and steal drugs to fuel their habit and then takes place a bloody tour of force . However, the police arrive too fast and all addicts but one are killed . The hardened criminal (Bridget Fonda , role previously acted by Anne Parillaud and Bridget was cast after Jodie Foster and Winona Ryder turned it down) , a punk-junkie sociopath acts with consistence violence , even in police custody and is given a life sentence . Having killed a cop when the theft gone awry is condemned to death row but she is reprieved by a strange organization . After being drugged by her captors she wakes up to find that she has been spared in order to train her as a government assassin . However, top-secret agency official (a Svengali alike ,Gabriel Byrne , interpreted in the French version by Tcheky Karyo and Antonio Banderas was considered for the role of Bob) arranges a stage , so she can be elaborately trained as phantom killer and subdued into obedience in order to enroll in a governing finishing school. After a dramatic transformation in which she is trained in etiquette , she is allowed to leave and start a new life for herself . On her eventual release she turns into a sophisticated girl thanks to an old lady (Anne Bancroft , role also acted by Jeanne Moreau) . As a cover, she gets a new identity and with a new beau , all the while carrying out agency-mandated assassinations. And with a wonderful house-mate, a broad-minded, gentle boyfriend (Dermot Mulroney , previously performed by Jean Hugues Anglade) . The two fall in love, but that complicates jobs. His good influence extends to breeding her a conscience that puts love over business, alas unlike agency. However, she begins to discover that there is more to life than she previously thought and soon begins to wish she could escape from her obligation. But the government aren't so easy to evade .

This exciting noir-thriller is packed with thrills , tension , suspense and lots of noisy action . From start to finish the action pace is fast moving , provides fast and furious entertainment with spectacular scenes . This is a stylish and particular version of Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw , including a master played by Gabriel Byrne and his disciple performed by Bridget Fonda . Displays nonstop action and is extremely entertaining and thrilling . Some scenes are brutal and with a load of violence. Still it's a good movie, I think furthermore the incredible chemistry between Gabriel Byrne and Bridget Fonda ,the plot was moving and intense , it makes you want to know what happens after . Bridget is pretty good as the heroine who turns in violent tendencies to patriotic use , both as the anti-social rebel of the early scenes and the sophisticated, seductive young lady of the later ones ; a bitterly ironic moral evolution for a contract killer . It benefits enormously from a memorably assured performances such as Miguel Ferrer as Kaufman , Anne Bancroft as Amanda , Olivia d'Abo as Angela Richard Romanus as Fahd Bahktiar and Harvey Keitel as Victor the Cleaner . In addition a cameo by the same director John Badham as a room-service waiter . Atmospheric musical score by Hans Zimmer , though with excessive use of synthesizer . Colorful cinematography by Michael Watkins and perfectly remastered , including his cameo as last guard at the gate during the escape. The motion picture was lavishly produced and professionally directed by John Badham with his ordinary visual pyrotechnics but with no originality , being a simple copy from original film ; having directed one episode of recent Nikita series . However , Luc Besson declined the opportunity to remake his French hit Nikita. Other versions about Nikita character are the followings : ¨Nikita¨ series produced by Jay Firestone with Peta Wilson , Roy Dupois , Matthew Ferguson and Alberta Watson ; and Nikita (52 episodes, 2010-2013) with Maggie Q , Shane West as Michael , Lyndsy Fonseca and Aaron Stanford .