La Femme Nikita (film)

La Femme Nikita

Company type	Film
Industry	Film
Founded	February 21, 1990 (1990-02-21)
Founder	Luc Besson
Headquarters	Paris , France
Products	Action thriller film

La Femme Nikita, known in France as Nikita, is a 1990 French-language action thriller film both penned and directed by Luc Besson. The film features Anne Parillaud portraying a convicted felon who, after faking her demise, is recruited by the government to become an elite assassin. Following rigorous training, she embarks on a secretive career while confronting personal struggles.

Besson developed the script for Nikita with Parillaud, then his partner, specifically in mind. The movie achieved unexpected commercial success. Garnering critical praise, Roger Ebert described it as a "smart, hard-edged, psycho-romantic thriller," while Janet Maslin from The New York Times commended its combination of stylish action and emotional complexity.

This film inspired several adaptations globally, including Hong Kong’s Black Cat (1991), Hollywood’s Point of No Return (1993), and Bollywood’s Kartoos (1999). It also spawned two English-language television series: La Femme Nikita (1997–2001) and Nikita (2010–2013).

Plot

Nikita is portrayed as a rebellious adolescent, addicted to drugs and embracing a nihilistic lifestyle marked by anarchy and violence. During a robbery at a pharmacy involving a friend's family, a shootout with police results in the deaths of her accomplices. Battling severe withdrawal symptoms, she kills an officer, leading to her arrest, murder conviction, and life imprisonment.

While incarcerated, authorities stage her death to look like suicide and transfer her to a covert government organization known as "the Centre" (likely affiliated with the DGSE). Presented with the choice between remaining "dead" or becoming an assassin, she reluctantly opts for the latter. Under the mentorship of trainer Amande, she evolves from an addict into a proficient killer, acquiring expertise in computers, hand-to-hand combat, and firearms.

Her initial assignment—to eliminate a heavily guarded foreign diplomat—serves as her final test before graduation. Taking on the identity of sleeper agent Marie, she starts her undercover existence in Paris. There she meets Marco, a cashier unaware of her true background. Their relationship develops while Bob, her handler, fabricates Marie’s history and arranges a trip to Venice for them.

During their stay in Venice, Nikita receives assassination orders via her hotel room phone. She executes the mission but finds it difficult to conceal her secret from Marco. Her career progresses until she botches a document theft at an embassy. To manage the fallout, the Centre dispatches Victor "The Cleaner", a merciless operative tasked with covering up the incident. After Victor kills another agent and sustains fatal injuries himself, Nikita assumes responsibility and narrowly escapes capture.

Marco uncovers Nikita’s covert activities and urges her to vanish for her safety. When Bob confronts Marco about Nikita’s defection from the Centre and possession of stolen embassy documents, Marco surrenders the files. Both men acknowledge that they will miss Nikita deeply.

Cast

• Anne Parillaud portraying Nikita
• Jean-Hugues Anglade as Marco
• Tchéky Karyo in the role of Bob
• Jeanne Moreau playing Amande
• Jean Reno as Victor, known as "The Cleaner"
• Roland Blanche featured as the police interrogator
• Marc Duret cast as Rico
• Philippe Leroy-Beaulieu in the role of Grossman
• Jacques Boudet playing the chemist
• Jean Bouise as the embassy attaché

La Femme Nikita marked the final screen appearance of Jean Bouise, who died a year prior to the film’s release; the movie is dedicated in his honor.

Production

Besson tailored the screenplay specifically for Parillaud but intentionally chose to cast her in a role contrasting her usual persona to prevent audiences from conflating her with the character. He characterized her as reserved and intellectual, qualities that differed significantly from Nikita’s identity as a skilled assassin. Despite initial surprise, Parillaud welcomed this artistic challenge.

Throughout filming, Besson and Parillaud, who were partners with a young daughter at the time, opted to live separately to maintain professional boundaries and avoid personal tensions on set. Besson noted that this separation allowed him to connect more deeply with the character and foster a productive working environment.

Following the commercial success of Besson’s earlier work The Big Blue (1988), Gaumont agreed to finance Nikita without requiring a script review. The total production cost amounted to 39 million French francs, supported by co-financing from Les Films du Loup, Gaumont, and Cecchi Gori Group Tiger Cinematographica.

Release

The film debuted at Paris's Grand Rex on 21 February 1990, attracting 113,900 viewers during its opening week. By 2000, attendance had surpassed 828,000 in Paris and nearly 3.8 million throughout France, making it the second highest-grossing French film of 1990 after The Big Blue.

After its premiere, Besson and principal cast members embarked on a promotional tour across 15 French cities, engaging audiences through screenings and discussions. Internationally, Nikita was released in over 95 countries. Gaumont handled distribution rights sales independently, selling U.S. rights to Columbia Pictures and remake rights to Warner Bros.

The film achieved notable success in markets such as Montreal—where it ranked just behind major Hollywood blockbusters—and set new weekly box office records for a French movie in the United Kingdom. It also performed well in Italy and Japan.

Upon its 1991 release in the United States, Nikita sustained a six-month theatrical run, drawing approximately 1.15 million viewers and becoming the third highest-grossing French film there that year. Besson considered this outcome an unexpected success but criticized the U.S. marketing approach for framing it as an art house film rather than an action feature, which he believed limited its audience reach.

Reception

Susan Hayward characterized critical response as mixed. Monthly film periodicals generally offered positive reviews, whereas more serious journals tended toward negativity. Publications such as Le Nouvel Observateur, Libération, Le Figaro, and Le Journal du Dimanche commended Besson’s use of film noir elements and Parillaud’s demanding performance. Conversely, outlets including L'Humanité, L'événement du jeudi, Le Monde, Le Parisien, and La Croix criticized the film for resembling a commercial visually and lacking psychological complexity.

Besson declined media interviews, asserting that critics should aid in evaluating his work but often focus excessively on past achievements rather than future potential. He expressed doubt regarding critics’ sincerity and placed greater trust in audience feedback than professional reviews.

Parisian critic Marc Esposito from Studio portrayed Besson as defensive when confronted with criticism.

On the international stage, reviews were largely positive. The film holds an 89% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 47 reviews, with consensus praising Anne Parillaud’s compelling character development and emotional depth. On Metacritic, it earned a score of 65 out of 100 from 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable" opinions. Renowned reviewers such as Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert also offered commendations for the film.

Awards and Recognition

The movie received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Anne Parillaud earned both the César Award for Best Actress and the David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Actress in 1991. Additionally, Marc Duret was nominated for the César Award for Most Promising Actor due to his portrayal of the character Rico.

Legacy and Impact

Anne Parillaud rejected offers to participate in any follow-up to Nikita, expressing that if the original had not succeeded, there would have been no motivation to continue the story.

Remakes

The story of La Femme Nikita was adapted into a Hong Kong film titled Black Cat (1991), directed by Stephen Shin. In 1993, Hollywood released its own version, Point of No Return, under the direction of John Badham. This remake was part of a broader trend during the late 1980s and early 1990s when numerous French films were reimagined by American studios. Between 1987 and 1993, seventeen contemporary French movies were remade in the United States, often resulting in higher earnings for filmmakers through these American versions compared to the original French productions.

Television Adaptations

A Canadian television series titled La Femme Nikita debuted in 1997, produced by Fireworks Entertainment. The series’ developer, Joel Surnow, who openly admired Besson’s film, based the show directly on it rather than on the American remake. The pilot episode closely replicates scenes from the film, including a nearly exact rendition of the kitchen restaurant sequence. Central characters correspond to those in the movie: Roy Dupuis plays Michael (originally named Bob), while Alberta Watson portrays Madeline, a character reminiscent of Jeanne Moreau’s role.

In 2010, The CW network introduced another television adaptation called Nikita, featuring Maggie Q as a rebellious version of Nikita.

Cultural Influence

La Femme Nikita has served as an inspiration for other films, including the 2017 South Korean action movie The Villainess, which shares notable stylistic and thematic elements.

See also

• Léon: The Professional
• Girls with guns
• List of assassinations in fiction
• List of neo-noir films

External links

• Anne Parillaud receiving her César Award at the 1990 César Awards on Vimeo