Nikita (aka La Femme Nikita) 1990 French
Nikita Taylor (Anne Parillaud) is a heroin addict who in the beginning of this film is involved in a botched robbery of a French pharmacy and after a  gun battle where she is the only survivor , she has her death faked by a secret French espionage agency so she can be recruited into being an agent. Well anytime a foreign movie is remade into a English speaking film and them a hit TV show you know they were on to something.   Anne Parillaud is really good in this film she steps into this part and is totally believable, there is a scenes were she is with one of her trainers, Amande (Jeanne Moreau)and she is asked to smile into a mirror. The look she has is so well done a half smile and her eyes are still crying, it’s something that every want to be, or is an actress should study, its brilliant acting. (Tchéky Karyo) plays her main handler and he gives a great performance as he falls in love with Nikita and is so smooth that its not even like he is acting, even in French. The whole feel of this film is well done from the underground bunker she learns her new life as a sleeper agent in, to the shots of Paris, it’s all well place camera angles and well blocked shots. This film is in French with English sub-titles so even this doesn’t diminish the performances and adds an air of elegance to the whole experience. As you can tell by now I really liked this film and it stands the test of time even at almost 20 years old its still a great movie and not allot of action movie can say that, not many at all. I saw this film on VhS tape on a VCR in a cabin in Big Bear California on a snow boarding trip and feel in love with it and still own a copy, and I love to lend it out to my friends who haven’t seem it, and act as I had something to do with its making. Written and directed by Luc Besson who also did the movie The Fifth Element (1997) which is also a classic action movie starring with Bruce Willis. So this film is kind of hard to find in video stores I think it’s on DVD so if you get a chance to this film it’s a worthwhile experience… 4 out of 4 stars…

Directed by Luc Besson
Produced by Patrice Ledoux (uncredited)
Written by Luc Besson
Starring     Anne Parillaud, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Tchéky Karyo
Music by     Éric Serra
Distributed by Gaumont

Written by Film critic : Matt Willey : Movie Reviews DVD and Blu-ray Reviews 2009 brickthrewglass.com