Nikita (1990)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

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 | 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:

The odd looking gun that Nikita uses in Venice is a silenced Steyr AUG, an Austrian made assault rifle.

Goofs:

Continuity: 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.

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 "Jeopardy!: (#22.39)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

LA PETITE MUSIQUE DE NUIT

A spy movie of true action and intrigue

When I first set out to try and use film to help me with learning French, it was a completely uncharted territory except for one title I had heard of previously: La Femme Nikita. This film was such a success that it went on to fare well in the U.K. and the States, which is always an achievement for a subtitled film, was later remade in Hollywood as Point of No Return and then finally as a TV series.

It starts very suddenly with a girl, we will come to know as Nikita, involved in a drugged-out store robbery that lands her in jail. Probably from the fact that she has nothing to lose, she is chosen to be removed from prison and entered into training as an assassin for the French DGSE (think CIA). As she goes from drug-addicted street trash to secret agent, we watch her remain steadfastly defiant in her original style until her handler reaches through to her and she begins to accept her new life and allows herself to be tamed. The central theme of the movie is Nikita and her reactions to her continually changing fortunes, so this tamed peace rapidly transitions across rejection, freedom, love, manipulation, terror and eventually selfless sacrifice (I've given away nothing!). Throughout her experience, a common thread in many of these phases, and often the catalyst for them, her handler, is the source of her most complex relationship. Their interactions carry tones of unrequited and forbidden love which drive him to cruelty toward her to punish himself and drive her to frigidness and rebellion against him. In many ways, the cloak-and-dagger moves, secret organizations and gun battles are just window dressings for that relationship. Thankfully, there is much more in relationships and "window dressing" to keep us riveted and thinking throughout this movie.