Nikita

Introduction

 
Back in 1990, a French film was released that became a huge hit on the VHS rental circuit and also in the process became one of my favourite films.  Although I didn't really know it at the time, being a young squaddie, Nikita was directed by a great director by the name of Luc Besson.  September 2009 sees the release of a series of Besson films on both DVD and Blu-ray under the moniker The Luc Besson Collection.
 
Nikita (Anne Parillaud) is a young drug addict who murders a policeman during a raid on a chemist with her addict friends, who all die by the way in a huge shootout with armed police (nicely over the top first response to a simple Chemist break-in…).  Sentenced to prison, a secret Government Agency sees potential in Nikita and fakes her death whilst inducting her into a secret programme to make her the perfect assassin.  Despite an attempt at rebellion, doomed to failure, Nikita is groomed over the next three years by her handler Bob (Tchéky Karyo) and her grooming instructor Amande (Jeanne Moreau).
 
After passing a rather hard final examination, Nikita is released into the world to forge a cover and partake in as natural a life as she can, knowing that a single phone call with the code name Josephine will reel her in and provide her with a new assignment.  All this is forgotten though when she meets humble store cashier Rico (Marc Duret) with whom she falls in love and decides to set up home with the nice young man.  Rico has no idea of Nikita's past or her present occupation, thinking that his girlfriend is a nurse with the longest rota of night shift duties in the French health service.  When the calls come, Nikita must hide her emotions and carry out her assignments without Rico discovering her secret…
 

Picture/Sound

 
Picture looks great, you can really see lots more of the detail now.  Great example is the restaurant scene for Nikita's 23rd birthday, the tracking shot into the restaurant looks fantastic with all the intricacies of the interior design shown in great sharp detail.
 
Disappointingly the soundtrack is not 5.1 Surround, but instead LCPM 2.0.  Guessing this may be to do with the age of the film and budget for this release but I'm disappointed all the same as not only would I love to hear the restaurant sequence in Surround sound, I also love Eric Serra's synth driven soundtrack.
 

Extras

 
Making Of - nicely detailed extra that lasts for around 20 minutes and covers interviews with all the principal actors and also the cinematographer, although sadly not Besson.
 
The Sound Of Nikita - a detailed look at Eric Serra's programmed and synthesised score
 
Trailer
 
There are also three other extras that I'm a little baffled as to their inclusion as they really are 'blink and you'll miss them affairs: Karyo on Besson, The Vanity Room and The Bedroom
 

Overall

 
Nikita is one of those films that stays with you forever once you've seen it, and prior to the constant Hollywood regurgitation that is now standard, inspired a rather lamer remake starring Bridget Fonda and also a cult TV series called La Femme Nikita that wasn't bad really…
 
I've loved this film since I first saw it, and have bought it on both VHS and DVD.  The fact that it is now available on Blu-ray is a cause for celebration as this really has never looked so good.  The performances by the three main actors (Parillaud, Karyo and Duret) are superb and are what make this film, alongside a rather superb and funny cameo by Jean Reno as The Cleaner.
 
Nikita isn't so much an action film, despite some rather great action sequences, it's more of a character study on a young woman removed from her comfortable, if gutter and illegal, surroundings and trained as a professional killer with no free will.  The first section of the film shows the development of Nikita from street punk to assassin and how she is used by handler Bob, with every reward negated by some trick or assignment.  This doesn't change even when Nikita is finally let loose on the world and this in turn has an effect on her mental state, which finally crumbles during a botched operation that introduces Jean Reno's The Cleaner.
 
This isn't for everyone, I accept that, but this is a superb film and a welcome addition to Blu-ray…