La Femme Nikita (1990)

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

Director:

Luc Besson

Writer:

Luc Besson

Stars:

Anne Parillaud, Marc Duret, Patrick Fontana

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 6 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anne Parillaud	...	Nikita / Marie Clément
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)

Storyline

Nikita est très jeune, elle a vingt ans, mais elle a emprunté une mauvaise voie. Pendant un hold-up avec sa bande, elle tue un policier et est condamnée à la prison à vie. Les services secrets, par contre, lui offrent une voie de sortie : devenir un agent spécial, prêt à tout, à leur service. Nikita accepte et commence ainsi un apprentissage très dur qui concerne non seulement les différents modes de tuer, de prendre la fuite ou de faire face à des situations imprévues, mais aussi la manière de se comporter en femme qui a de la classe, capable de se conduire avec aisance dans tous les milieux. Sous la conduite de Bob, Nikita arrive à freiner son caractère rebelle et à surmonter la terrible épreuve finale. Elle semble être devenue une personne différente et tombe amoureuse. Mais faut-il faire confiance aux services secrets ?

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Plot Keywords:

female assassin | hidden door | undercover agent | held at gunpoint | lethal injection | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Action | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French Italian English

Release Date:

April 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

La Femme Nikita

Filming Locations:

Rue Louis Codet, Paris 7, Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

FRF 50,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$5,017,971

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gaumont,Les Films du Loup,Cecchi Gori Group Tiger Cinematografica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Luc Besson had Anne Parillaud train extensively with guns so that she would be completely at ease with them. Parillaud took to practicing loading and unloading a fake gun in her car which led to her being pulled over by the police and having their guns drawn on her in traffic one day as they thought her weapon was real.

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Goofs

When Nikita is pointing the gun at policeman after the shootout in the chemists, the gun alternates from being pressed up against his chin, to being held a distance in front of him.

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Quotes

Marco: Time to clean up.

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Alternate Versions

The English dubbed version featured John Tremaine as the voice of Tchéky Karyo's character Bob.

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Connections

Featured in 1992 MTV Movie Awards (1992)

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Soundtracks

LA PETITE MUSIQUE DE NUIT
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (as MOZART)
Performed by Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Conducted by Raymond Leppard
Courtesy of Erato

User Reviews

This film is cooler than a fortnight in Antartica wearing a bikini, drinking chilled vodka with ice-packs strapped to your body.

Forget the awful series. Forget the even worse Hollywood remake 'The Assassin'. Remember Luc Besson's La Femme Nikita.

This has got to be one of the most stylish, moody and gripping films in existence. Luc Besson's direction is refreshing whilst the cinematography is simply stunning, particuarly the scene in the hotel where Nikita gets her first assignment. The soundtrack by Eric Serra is simply genius and actually adds something to the film...soundtracks usually seem to be an afterthought but refreshingly; not in this case.

The beautiful Anne Parillaud is perfect in the lead role (unlike Bridget Fonda) and the subtle romance between her and Tcheky Karyo is pure eloquence. The hugely talented Jean-Hughes Anglade (of Betty Blue fame) shines in this film but of all the male roles, Jean Reno (also fabulous in Luc Besson's Leon)is outstanding as the completely unbalanced Victor The Cleaner. Jeanne Moreau as Amande makes a notable appearence following years of contributions in countless films.

Luc Besson established himself as one of the leading innovative directors with this film and you can easily see why. This movie certainly rates among the top 10 films of all time.

I could pontificate about this film all day and all night but the best thing is for you to watch it yourself as a matter of priority...it is a 'must see'.

I'm off now to pursue a career in international assassinations.