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

The film's trailer is scored entirely with music from La Femme Nikita (1990), of which it is a remake.

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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

Maggie: So... you're going to give me this 'chance.' What do I got to do?
Bob: Learn, Maggie. Learn to speak properly; learn to stand up straight for a start. Then languages, computers, and so on. Do something to help your country for a change.
Maggie: What if I'm not interested?
Bob: Row 48, Plot 12.

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Alternate Versions

Because the original version was rated "Not under 18" in Germany, the film had to be cut to receive a "Not under 16" rating for video release and television broadcast. All scenes in which Victor kills somebody with his pistol were cut out. Also some fighting scenes with Maggie were shortened.

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Connections

Referenced in Kiss of the Dragon (2001)

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Soundtracks

I WANT A LITTLE SUGAR IN MY BOWL
Written and Performed by Nina Simone
Courtesy of the PCA Records Label of EMG Music

User Reviews

An excellent example of Hollywood's ability to ruin a good movie concept.

An excellent example of Hollywood's ability to ruin a good movie concept. The original version ('La Femme Nikita') was far more gritty and realistic. The main character is offered a choice between death, or the life of an assassin. As such, she spends most of the film trying to find a way out of her situation. Unfortunately the overuse of high-tech props, sets and special effects have made the entire experience so sanitised that by the end of the film I found myself wishing that a corrupt government would come and kidnap me.