It's smart, stylish and violent with numerous well-directed action sequences but what's more surprising about "La Femme Nikita" is its preoccupation with character development and the effective way in which it changes pace at various points to meet the needs of its story. Its well-written plot describes how a young woman who begins as a drug-addicted criminal, is transformed into a more complex young lady who finds love and works for the French government as an assassin. The changes that take place as this originally hostile, defiant and volatile punk is moulded into a slightly more polished, disciplined and caring individual, are really entertaining to watch, not least, because of her unpredictability which makes the whole process so challenging, edgy and even on some occasions, humorous.
Soon after a group of junkies break into a Paris pharmacy, a squad of heavily-armed police officers arrive on the scene and the ensuing gunfight results in fatalities on both sides. In the mayhem, all the gang members appear to have been killed but when one of the cops checks more thoroughly, he finds a teenager called Nikita (Anne Parillaud) crouching down under a piece of furniture. When she's approached by the cop who hesitates because he isn't certain whether or not she's a gang member, she callously shoots and kills him. After being sentenced to life in prison for her crime she's given what she suspects is a lethal injection and later wakes up in a white room where a man called Bob (Tcheky Karyo) visits her.
Bob, who works for an unnamed government agency, shows her evidence that her death has been faked and recorded as a suicide with her body having been buried in row 8, plot 30 of the Maisons-Alfort cemetery. He goes on to offer her the opportunity of a new life working for the government which she readily accepts when she realises that the only other option is row 8, plot 30. Three years of intensive training follow during which she becomes proficient in the use of guns, martial arts and computers, as well as learning various points of etiquette and also how to act like a lady. After successfully completing her final test, which involves carrying out an assassination in a restaurant, Nikita is given her freedom and a new identity (Marie). As a covert agent, however, she knows she'll be expected to respond immediately whenever she's called upon to carry out any assassinations.
Nikita soon finds happiness in her new life as a result of meeting supermarket check-out man, Marco (Jean-Hugues Anglade) who's good-natured, friendly and charming. The couple fall in love and move in together and although she's blissfully happy in the relationship, Nikita feels uncomfortable about not being able to share any details of her past with Marco and also having to be disingenuous on certain occasions when she has to cover-up for being involved in carrying out a hit. Despite this difficulty, she manages to continue satisfactorily with both her relationship and her job until she decides that a change of course is necessary after Marco discovers that she'd lied to him about being employed at a hospital and she nearly gets killed when one of her government jobs goes horribly wrong.
As Nikita, Anne Parillaud is astonishingly good because she's equally credible as the nasty, vicious and feral punk who's initially seen in the robbery as she is in the various stages that she goes through as she morphs into the more controlled and emotionally mature person that she gradually becomes It's unusual for an action movie to feature a character of this type and also for their portrayal to be so convincing.
"La Femme Nikita" is an ultra-stylish movie that features some great action sequences, one of which culminates in a superb stunt when the eponymous anti-heroine escapes danger by leaping down a laundry chute. Despite such excitement however, what remains most memorable about the movie is its central character and the amazing transformation that she goes through.
Soon after a group of junkies break into a Paris pharmacy, a squad of heavily-armed police officers arrive on the scene and the ensuing gunfight results in fatalities on both sides. In the mayhem, all the gang members appear to have been killed but when one of the cops checks more thoroughly, he finds a teenager called Nikita (Anne Parillaud) crouching down under a piece of furniture. When she's approached by the cop who hesitates because he isn't certain whether or not she's a gang member, she callously shoots and kills him. After being sentenced to life in prison for her crime she's given what she suspects is a lethal injection and later wakes up in a white room where a man called Bob (Tcheky Karyo) visits her.
Bob, who works for an unnamed government agency, shows her evidence that her death has been faked and recorded as a suicide with her body having been buried in row 8, plot 30 of the Maisons-Alfort cemetery. He goes on to offer her the opportunity of a new life working for the government which she readily accepts when she realises that the only other option is row 8, plot 30. Three years of intensive training follow during which she becomes proficient in the use of guns, martial arts and computers, as well as learning various points of etiquette and also how to act like a lady. After successfully completing her final test, which involves carrying out an assassination in a restaurant, Nikita is given her freedom and a new identity (Marie). As a covert agent, however, she knows she'll be expected to respond immediately whenever she's called upon to carry out any assassinations.
Nikita soon finds happiness in her new life as a result of meeting supermarket check-out man, Marco (Jean-Hugues Anglade) who's good-natured, friendly and charming. The couple fall in love and move in together and although she's blissfully happy in the relationship, Nikita feels uncomfortable about not being able to share any details of her past with Marco and also having to be disingenuous on certain occasions when she has to cover-up for being involved in carrying out a hit. Despite this difficulty, she manages to continue satisfactorily with both her relationship and her job until she decides that a change of course is necessary after Marco discovers that she'd lied to him about being employed at a hospital and she nearly gets killed when one of her government jobs goes horribly wrong.
As Nikita, Anne Parillaud is astonishingly good because she's equally credible as the nasty, vicious and feral punk who's initially seen in the robbery as she is in the various stages that she goes through as she morphs into the more controlled and emotionally mature person that she gradually becomes It's unusual for an action movie to feature a character of this type and also for their portrayal to be so convincing.
"La Femme Nikita" is an ultra-stylish movie that features some great action sequences, one of which culminates in a superb stunt when the eponymous anti-heroine escapes danger by leaping down a laundry chute. Despite such excitement however, what remains most memorable about the movie is its central character and the amazing transformation that she goes through.