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La Femme Nikita (1990). Luc Besson manages to take a rather mundane story and infuses it with so much style that one forgets its mediocrity. This is not a dig, but a compliment. Nikita is a thriller of sorts, but also a story of the dregs of society coming to find her own sense of humanity. When the story threatens to be come predictable, it refrains nicely from doing so, even flouts conventions by simply moving on as opposed to wasting precious film with unnecessary scenes of crises overcome. The characters are perfectly portrayed, with a convoluted love story both tender and sadistic. Jean Reno sort of steals the show at one of the pivotal moments for our heroine, but it only adds to the complexity of the emotional side of the story and forces the viewer to keep up. Shot composure was incredible, where even the prosaic becomes a source of fascination. The score, while a tad 80s, adds to the story instead of just being an afterthought. With Besson at his finest, this is a must see for all lovers of the cinema.
derek
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Fate is my mistress, mother of the cruel abomination that is hope.
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