7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.2 |
Rescued from death row by a top-secret agency, Nikita is slowly transformed from a cop-killing junkie into a cold-blooded bombshell with a license to kill. But when she begins the deadliest mission of her career only to fall for a man who knows nothing of her true identity, Nikita discovers that in the dark and ruthless world of espionage, the greatest casualty of all...is true love.
Starring: Anne Parillaud, Patrick Fontana (I), Tchéky Karyo, Alain Lathière, Laura ChéronDrama | 100% |
Crime | 76% |
Foreign | 75% |
Thriller | 30% |
Action | Insignificant |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0
French SDH, English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Already released on Blu-ray in North America, Luc Besson’s hugely successful action thriller “La femme Nikita” (1990) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French distributors Gaumont. Unfortunately, even though the French release is also English-friendly and Region-Free, it is inferior to the North American release. The only supplemental features on this disc are a theatrical trailer and archival footage from the 1991 Cesar Awards where Anne Parillaud was granted the Best Actress Award.
Game Over
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Luc Besson's La femme Nikita arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French distributors Gaumont.
In the United States, SONY already delivered a fantastic looking transfer of this classic French film. Now, La femme Nikita is available on Blu-ray in France as well. Most unfortunately, however, Gaumont's presentation is not as impressive as SONY's. Even though the basics for their transfer – contrast, clarity and detail – are mostly intact, I noticed quite a few issues that I would like to address. First, the French transfer has been seriously compressed. When blown through a digital projector, the image lacks the consistent clarity seen on the US release. Yes, occasionally the French transfer looks acceptable, but there are plenty of scenes where detail is very seriously affected. Furthermore, I also detected far more edge-enhancement on the French release than I did on the US one. This being said, the color-scheme on the French release is practically identical to the one the US release conveys, but there are some very annoying color pulsations that I spotted. Additionally, the black levels on the French release are slightly boosted. Finally, the French transfer is as healthy as the US one – there are no debris, scratches, dirt, or specks that to report in this review. All in all, if you are looking to get the best Blu-ray presentation of La femme Nikita I strongly encourage you to consider the US release courtesy of SONY. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).
There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0. For the record, Gaumont have provided optional English and French HOH subtitles.
For the US release of La femme Nikita, SONY provided two audio tracks: French Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and English Dolby TrueHD 5.1. For the French release, Gaumont have provided a French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0 track. Last night, I compared the French Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track with the French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0 track. I went through a number of different scenes to see whether or not there is a substantial difference between the two but, to be honest with you, aside from a bit of rear channels activity and slightly improved dynamic levels on the French Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track, the two actually sound quite similar. As far as the dialog is concerned, the French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0 track treats it as well as the French Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track does – it is crystal clear, crisp and very easy to follow. Additionally, I did not detect any disturbing debris, cracks, hissings or dropouts to report in this review. Nonetheless, I favor the French Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track from the SONY release. In my opinion, it is the better one.
Original theatrical trailer – (PAL, 3 min)
Remise du Cesar de la meilleure actrice a Anne Parillaud – archival footage from the 1991 Cesar ceremony when Anne Parillaud won the Best Actress award for her performance in Luc Besson's film (PAL, 5 min).
If you are looking to get the best Blu-ray release of Luc Besson's classic action thriller La femme Nikita, I strongly recommend that you opt for the North American disc produced by SONY. The French release herein reviewed, courtesy of Gaumont, looks and sounds deceivingly strong, yet there are a number of issues with it. Obviously, we do not recommend that you buy it.
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