Reading up about the Cinéma du look movement,I found out that before his collaborations with Liam Neeson, Luc Besson was one of the leaders of the movement.With having heard about the impact that the film had for years,I decided that it was time to meet the original Nikita.
The plot:
Going with some pals to rob a pharmacy, Nikita gets caught up in a shoot out with the local police. Horrified to see her friends get killed,Nikita kills a cop at point-blank range. Arrested,Nikita ends up getting sentenced to life in jail. Taken by Nikita's anger,the police decide to fake her death.Revealing Nikita's death certificate,the police reveal to Nikita that they have decided to give her a second chance in life,as a secret agent government assassin.
View on the film:
Sliding along on Eric Serra's ice cool score,writer/director Luc Besson & cinematographer Thierry Arbogast treat the pulpy tale of Nikita to lavish Cinéma du look glamour.Covering the film in neon yellows,lush greens and burning blood reds,Besson and Arbogast turn Nikita into a living comic-book,where the vibrant colours burst on the screen,and glamorous tracking shots place Nikita in comic-book style frames.
Keeping a distance from going too in-depth into Nikita's background,the screenplay by Besson cuts Nikita as a razor sharp femme fatal,whose thrust for a drug hit Besson transforms into an assassination hit. Inspired by Film Noir,Besson takes a clinical approach to Nikita's training into being an assassin,that is trapped in a world where doubt/remorse are locked away for a successful "hit", which causes Nikita to question her role as a soulless femme fatale.
Gliding in with a real swagger,Jean Reno gives a wonderfully animated performance as Victor "The Cleaner" Nettoyeur,whilst Jeanne Moreau gives the title a graceful touch as Nikita trainer Amanda.Entering the film kicking & screaming, Anne Parillaud gives a powerful performance as Nikita,thanks to Parillaud snarling with a Punk Rock anger over where she has ended up,which Parillaud neatly balances with a calculating side,as Nikita sets her sights on a new hit.
The plot:
Going with some pals to rob a pharmacy, Nikita gets caught up in a shoot out with the local police. Horrified to see her friends get killed,Nikita kills a cop at point-blank range. Arrested,Nikita ends up getting sentenced to life in jail. Taken by Nikita's anger,the police decide to fake her death.Revealing Nikita's death certificate,the police reveal to Nikita that they have decided to give her a second chance in life,as a secret agent government assassin.
View on the film:
Sliding along on Eric Serra's ice cool score,writer/director Luc Besson & cinematographer Thierry Arbogast treat the pulpy tale of Nikita to lavish Cinéma du look glamour.Covering the film in neon yellows,lush greens and burning blood reds,Besson and Arbogast turn Nikita into a living comic-book,where the vibrant colours burst on the screen,and glamorous tracking shots place Nikita in comic-book style frames.
Keeping a distance from going too in-depth into Nikita's background,the screenplay by Besson cuts Nikita as a razor sharp femme fatal,whose thrust for a drug hit Besson transforms into an assassination hit. Inspired by Film Noir,Besson takes a clinical approach to Nikita's training into being an assassin,that is trapped in a world where doubt/remorse are locked away for a successful "hit", which causes Nikita to question her role as a soulless femme fatale.
Gliding in with a real swagger,Jean Reno gives a wonderfully animated performance as Victor "The Cleaner" Nettoyeur,whilst Jeanne Moreau gives the title a graceful touch as Nikita trainer Amanda.Entering the film kicking & screaming, Anne Parillaud gives a powerful performance as Nikita,thanks to Parillaud snarling with a Punk Rock anger over where she has ended up,which Parillaud neatly balances with a calculating side,as Nikita sets her sights on a new hit.