Point of No Return (1993)

A government fakes the death of a criminal to turn this young woman into a killer on its service.

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
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

Drug addict Maggie Hayward's consistent violence, even in police custody, ends in the execution chamber. However, top secret U.S. government Agent "Bob" arranges a staged death, so Maggie can be elaborately trained as a killer. She gets a new cover identity as saleswoman Claudia Anne Doran. She also finds a housemate, building super J.P., a broad-minded, gentle photographer. The two fall in love, and that complicates her government assignments. His influence extends to breeding in her a conscience that supplants her violent tendencies, and desire to continue work for the agency.

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Plot Keywords:

remake of french film | female assassin | hitwoman | pantyhose | woman murders a man | 

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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 | Drama | 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:

523 Ocean Front Walk, Venice, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$30,038,362

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

Bridget Fonda and Harvey Keitel starred in Finding Graceland (1998).

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Goofs

In the Mardi Gras assasination scene, Maggie's Anschutz .22LR, match, single-shot bolt-action rifle is fired semi-automatically.

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Quotes

Maggie: Oh, I think she's saying, "Stick it in me twice a day, and I'll do anything for you. I'll lick the ground you walk on."

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Alternate Versions

TNT/TBS broadcast version includes some alternate takes of dialogue with less profanity (incl. Maggie's argument with Bob about leaving the organization).

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Connections

Referenced in Pulp Fiction (1994)

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Soundtracks

ENTERTAINMENT CITY
Written and Performed by Harry Perry

User Reviews

"no return" says it all

Don't think for a moment that this film establishes, let alone delves into, the conflicts and diametrically opposing aspects found within our protagonist, Maggie (Bridgit Fonda). Instead, "Point of No Return" is all over the place, this because of the screen-scrivener's apparent use of stream of unconsciousness.

Consequently, there's no return to reality (if there was any from the start) once this train's left the station. Indeed, the film's a mishmash of conflicting scenarios: "She's a psycho!" "No, she's a tender-hearted lost soul." "She's a man-eater!" "No, she's a fragile child." "She's a seasoned siren!" "No, she's only now in the throws of first love." And, so, on and on the celluloid chugs.

See, presently, femme fatale Maggie, the "Assassin" (title in the UK), enters into training as a kill-joy for the US government. How she got to that point is truly ludicrous. And worse is fact that a third of the movie is wasted in failed attempt to establish as believable her two-dimensional "transformation" (it's maybe better to think in binary terms: "0-1" transposed into "1-0").

Moreover, Maggie, in seeking out to silence each target, kills numerous others. Talk about collateral damage. Innocent victims stack up into the dozens! And why, in the first place, is she after those targets? Except in one, truly lame, "nuclear" instance, no reason's given.

Not to be lost in translation here, however, joy can be found in the cinematography-- whether a scene be subtle/tender or full-throttle, or, for instance, in instantaneous scene swipes from the steely still to the crazed. And there's also the sure-handed talents of Fonda and Gabriel Byrne (as Maggie's handler), who provide reason for why anyone ever considering a return to this heavy-handed material.