DVD Corner

La Femme Nikita 4K UHD Steelbook Review

“La Femme Nikita” is among Luc Besson’s best. 

1990’s “La Femme Nikita” is a French action film that revolves around Nikita. At the start of the film, Nikita is a drugged out criminal teen who kills a cop during a robbery. She faces life in prison, but the Government decides to fake her death and place her into a secret agency known as The Centre where she is set to become an assassin under the guidance of Bob. She initially doesn’t take training seriously, but when Bob tells her death is the only other option, she gets serious about her new job. Years pass and Nikita graduates (as it were) to becoming an undercover assassin. By day, she’s a nurse known as Marie. When she is called upon to perform a mission, she is known as Josephine. Marie ends up falling for a cashier named Marco, but her job with the Centre always seems to get in the way to the point where it begins to affect her mentally. Can Nikita live dual lives?

Writer/director Luc Besson (best known for “Leon: The Professional” and “The Fifth Element”) had his breakout hit with “La Femme Nikita.” The intense action film (which went on to inspire 2 TV series and 2 inferior remakes) plays like a cross between a John Woo film and “My Fair Lady” with the titular character essentially transforming her life completely from an aggressive, weird, rebellious punk to a Government assassin. Far fetched though it may be, it’s hard not to get swept up by the stylish female fronted action vehicle. It should be noted though that this isn’t as action oriented as one might expect as there’s a real focus on Nikita’s conflicted character and her love triangle with both Marco and Bob. The action scenes that do take place are memorable. The fast paced and violent shootout in the kitchen is undoubtedly the most iconic moment (and even graces the cover).

Anne Parillaud gives an energetic and often sexy performance as Nikita. Why she didn’t go on to become a bigger star is beyond me. Jean Reno pops up as The Cleaner (a role not unlike his part in Leon). Character actor Tchéky Karyo really elevates the story and has wonderful chemistry with Parillaud.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.35:1 2160p. How does it look? This 4K disc offers up impressive clarity for a catalogue title with its crisp colors and cleaned up image quality.

Audio Track: French and English 5.1 DTS-HD MA and French 2.0 DTS-HD MA. How do they sound? The sharp original language French 5.1 track is the best option to go with here. 

No extras.

June 10, 2024 - Posted by nicklyons1 | 4K UHD Review | Action Movie, French Film, Jean Reno, La Femme Nikita, La Femme Nikita 4K UHD Steelbook Review, Luc Besson, Nikita