La Femme Nikita
review by David G.
Rated R
Studio: MGM
Running Time: 118 minutes
Starring: Anne Parillaud, Tcheky Karyo, Jean-Hugues
Anglade
Written and Directed by Luc Besson
Retail Price: $19.98
Features: Trailer
Specs: 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, English 5.1 Dolby
Digital, French Dolby Surround, French Subtitles, Spanish
Subtitles, Chapter Search
Nikita (Anne Parillaud) is a young punk belonging to a
gang that burglizes a drug store because of their drug
addiction. The police intervenes and everybody get skilled
during a except Nikita who is arrested for the murder of a
cop. In fact, she's given a second chance by the government.
She is trained, confined during several years, by Marco
(Tcheky Karyo) to become a perfect assassin. At her release,
she feels free like never before and falls in love with Bob
(Jean-Hugues Anglade) but her past will catch up to her.
Nikita is the third movie from Luc Besson after "Le
Dernier Combat" and "Le Grand Bleu" and he wrote this film
especially for Anne Parillaud. With Anne, Nikita first looks
lost, hysterical and then sexy, frail but dangerous. This
role was really a gift because it allowed to Anne to express
a large range of emotions.
Although Luc Besson considers now this movie as his
weakest movie, I don't agree with him. I think that he has
to be more proud of Nikita than The Messenger or The Fifth
Element. In contrast of this two last movies, Nikita
respects the genre, a sort of action-comic movie with an
unusual heroine. Obviously, the film does not lack of
default but it seems sincere enough to touch us, much much
more than this failure called The Story Of Joan Of Arc.
Furthermore, as I am French, I am proud to see a action
French movie better than many American action movies (I
guaranty I am not chauvinist!).
Nikita is presented in a 1.85:1 widescreen format.
Despite some irritating compression artifacts at the
beginning of the film (overall in the room of the awakening
of Nikita), the picture is really good with deep black and
well balanced colors.
Two soundtracks are proposed : English 5.1 Dolby Digital
and French Dolby Surround. Both are high quality. The
surround speaker's service are often used and the music of
Eric Serra is well highlighted. I encourage you to watch
this movie with the French soundtrack as the English dubbing
sucks. Unfortunately, the French soundtrack is not 5.1 but
it is as powerful as the 5.1.
Despite a pretty animated menu, there nothing but a
theatrical trailer to complete the movie. There is a
collectible booklet in the box, but it is too superficial to
be interesting.
 (4/5, NOT included in
final score)
 (3.5/5)
(4/5)
 (1/5)
 (3/5,
NOT an average)
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