Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Nikita Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 17, 2009

French director Luc Besson's classic thriller "La Femme Nikita" (1990) has finally arrived to the United Kingdom via local distributors Optimum Home Entertainment. The Blu-ray transfer comes extremely close to that used by SONY for the US release of the film. With optional English subtitles. Region-B "locked".

I've had enough!

A gang of junkies breaks into a drugstore but the police arrive and corner them in. All are killed with the exception of a young woman (Anne Parillaud, Innocent Blood). She is arrested and immediately sentenced to death.

Before the sentence is carried out, however, the government gives the woman a second chance – they promise to let her live if she agrees to work for them. She does and her death is faked. The woman is instantly locked in a secret facility where she is trained to become an assassin. Three years later, the woman is released with a new identity - Nikita. She is told that when the government needs her services someone would contact her.

A charming store clerk, Marco (Jean-Hugues Anglade, 37°2 le matin), falls for Nikita. The two become friends and then lovers. Nikita likes her new life and decides that Marco should never be told about her past. Then, someone contacts Nikita.

Even though the action is what attracts many to La femme Nikita, its heavy psychedelic overtones are what transforms it into a terrific film. Additionally, the main characters are intriguingly flawed, at times even weird.

Anne Parillaud, who prior to La femme Nikita appeared in Alain Delon’s homage to Henri Verneuil La Battant (1983), another unusual crime film, does a spectacular job as the jaded but disturbingly skillful assassin. She is cool, when she needs to be, but also quite unpredictable. Unsurprisingly, La femme Nikita is most effective whenever the French actress goes berserk.

The second half of La femme Nikita is clearly the weaker one. It follows a familiar route and it certainly does not benefit from the psychedelic overtones mentioned earlier. Director Besson introduces all sorts of familiar twists that ultimately negate a lot of what makes his film worth watching. Notable cameos by the enigmatic Jean Reno (Leon) and earlier Jeanne Moreau (Ascenseur pour l'échafaud) add a different type of flavor to the film - Reno is absolutely hilarious as the professional “cleaner”- that further dissolve the weirdness from the opening scenes.

I remember when La femme Nikita was first released in European cinemas, many critics were unhappy with the flashy violence it introduced. Obviously, times have changed and what was once perceived as scandalous now seems, more or less, grotesque. Still, it is worth pointing out that La femme Nikita was a much different film nineteen years ago.

Director Besson’s style also changed a lot. With success came a desire to please rather than to be innovative, and the Frenchman ended up producing some truly disappointing films (Kiss of the Dragon, Wasabi, Taxi, etc). A glimpse of what could have been arrived with the release of Angel-A (2005), but it is certainly obvious now that his best years are behind him.

Nikita Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an 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 British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment.

I like Optimum Home Entertainment's disc a lot better than the French one I reviewed awhile ago. The transfer reveals a plenty of film grain, good clarity and detail, and a strong color-scheme. With a few minor exceptions, contrast levels are satisfying as well. Minor edge-enhancement patterns pop up here and there, but I did not find them to be overly distracting. Macroblocking is not a serious issue of concerned. During some of the indoor scenes, I noticed a bit of digital noise, but, again, it did not bother me at all. The really good news here is that none of the compression issues that plagued the French release are noticeable on the British release. In fact, to my eyes the British release looks a lot like the US release, courtesy of SONY. This being said, the British release still looks a bit rough – age of the film most definitely shows. I did notice a few minor flecks popping up here and there, but large debris, scratches, or stains are nowhere to be seen. To sum it all up, the British release of La Femme Nikita certainly comes extremely close to the excellent US release. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" disc. Therefore, unless you have a native Region-B or Region-Free player, you will not be able to access its content).

Nikita Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: French LPCM 2.0. For the record, Optimum Home Entertainment have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

I find the French LPCM 2.0 track to be very convincing. In fact, I ran a couple of tests with the Region-A release by SONY - which boasts a French Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track, in addition to an English dub - and am convinced that it most definitely has its advantages. For example, the opening shootout at the drug store sounds a lot more compact and potent on the British disc. There are a few surround effects on the French Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track that a missing on the French LPCM 2.0 track, but, again, I actually prefer the more organic quality of the French LPCM 2.0 track. Finally, the dialog is crisp, clear and very easy to follow. Eric Serra's music score also sounds lovely. For the record, I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or hissings to report in this review.

Nikita Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: All of the supplemental features on this disc are in PAL. Therefore, if you reside in North America or another region where PAL is not supported, you must have a Region-Free player capable of converting PAL to NTSC, or a TV set capable of receiving native PAL data, in order to view them.

Making of Nikita - actors Jean Reno, Anne Parillaud, Jean-Hugues Anglade, and Tcheky Karyo discuss how they got involved with Luc Besson and what it was like to shoot La Femme Nikita. Director of photography Thiery Arbogast also shares his thoughts on the film. An overwhelming amount of the featurette is in English; the French portions in it are subtitled in English (the subtitles are burned in). (21 min).

Karyo on Besson - a few very short comments from the French actor about director Besson. In English. (1 min).

The sound of Nikita - composer Eric Serra and cast members discuss how the film's music score came to exist. In English. (5 min).

The Bedroom - only a short comment by actress Anne Parillaud addressing her character. In English. (1 min).

Training Room - a collection of action scenes (1 min).

Vanity Room - the multiple faces of Nikita. (1 min).

Trailer -

Nikita Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This British release of Luc Besson's classic thriller La Femme Nikita looks notably better than the French release courtesy of Gaumont. It is Region-B "locked", but I don't think this would matter much to those of you residing in the United Kingdom. If you could find a good deal on it, get yourself a copy! Recommended.