The Action of LA FEMME NIKITA

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to 4K Ultra HD in a limited edition Steelbook from writer/director Luc Besson and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the tale of a sleek assassin with LA FEMME NIKITA.

In a life of drugs and violent, Nikita (Anne Parillaud) is about to rob a pharmacy owned by her friend. When a police gunfight breaks out and Nikita kills a cop. She is quickly arrested and found guilty of murder that held a life sentence. Just as fast as she enters prison, Nikita is whisked away and meets Bob (Tcheky Karyo) who tells her that she is officially declared dead.

She is given the choice of becoming an assassin for The Centre or being put in her grave for real this time. Trying to figure out how to be smarter than her captors, Nikita eventually gives in and is trained in computers, use of firearms and martial arts. In one fell swoop she goes from being a drug addict committing crime to a stunning assassin.

Her first mission is a test of her training and Nikita becomes a sleeper agent named Marie. She also meets Marco (Jean-Hugues Anglade) and they begin a relationship meeting “Uncle Bob” who has stories of Marie’s childhood and offers a trip to Venice to the couple. For Nikita it is an assignment and Marco believes they are on a vacation. As things become more complicated, Nikita must watch her every move!

Parillaud as Nikita is a young woman living the worst life imaginable for a young woman. After the murder and sentence, as much as she wants to fight what The Centre is asking of her, it is the only way to live. Parillaud goes from bullets to bang in this role as she navigates The Centre by trying to do what they want and living a life that doesn’t include missions of murder. This is a fantastic role for Parillaud.

Karyo as Bob come in quickly to drill into Nikita that she doesn’t have a choice in the matter accept death. Watching her go through the training, he makes his presence known when she starts seeing a Marco but it works in his favor to push her into another mission. Karyo uses charm to get what he wants but he is lethal.     

Anglade as Marco is unaware of Nikita’s profession and realizes that she has no family and friends that she even wants to speak of. “Uncle Bob” is a surprise for him and blinded by the gift of a trip to Venice but there is always a catch to love.

Other cast include Jacques Boudet as The Chemist, Jeanne Moreau as Amande, Philippe Leroy as Grossman, Jean Bouise as the Attache and Jean Reno as Victor “The Cleaner.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment encompasses motion picture production for television, digital content and theater releases. The studios include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films and Sony Picture Classics. To see what is coming to theaters and to home entertainment please visit www.sonypictures.com.

Bonus Features include on 4K Ultra HD Presented in 4K Resolution with Dolby Vision and French & English 5.1 +French 2-Channel Surround.

The film won awards from the Cesar Awards in France including Best Film for Luc Besson, Best Actress for Anne Parillaud, along with nominations for Most Promising Actor, Best Director and Best Music. Parillaud also won Best Foreign Actress from the David di Donatello Awards with Luc Besson nominated for Best Foreign Film. The Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists voted Best Foreign Director for Luc Besson and Tcheky Karyo for Best Actor by Mystfest.

Besson gives a film that, first of all, has a fantastic story line in this 1990 film. It would be repeated again in in the 1997-2001 television series. Besson would also be a writer in the 1993, director John Badham’s film POINT OF NO RETURN which gives an American spin on his 1990 story.

Experiencing LE FEMME NIKITA once again is an absolutely joy. I am a fan of Besson’s films and it actually started with this particular film. Putting a female in a role that pits her against the ruthless world of being an assassin is brilliant and brilliantly done. The action is fast paced and the tension is real from scene to scene. This is a film, especially in Steelbook, would be a worthy film to have on the shelf of everyone’s home entertainment library.

In the end – she murders so that she can live!

LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL Comes to Steelbook

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to a Limited Edition Steelbook from writer/director Luc Besson and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the 1995 film LEON: The Professional.

Leon (Jean Reno) is a hitman living the quiet life in a New York City apartment building and occasionally called upon by a man named Old Tony (Danny Aiello). Down the hall is the Lando family who are about to have the DEA knocking down their door lead by Norman Stansfield (Gary Oldman). Coming back from the store is Mathilda (Natalie Portman), a 12-year-old girl who realizes what is happening in her family in the apartment and walks past.

Knocking on Leon’s door, she wants to be let in which he does. Mathilda is realizing what Leon does and begs him to teach her how to be a hitman. Her goal is to take revenge for the death of her family. A deal is struck that Leon teaches her the ‘hitman’ ropes and she takes care of the apartment. It seems the perfect solution and quickly the two form a strange bond.

That is until Leon is sent on an assignment by Old Tony and Mathilda takes it upon herself to grab a few weapons and look for Stansfield. It is not long before Stansfield is in her sites, but Leon has other plans for his men. Now He wants Leon and the only person that can give him that information is Tony.

Leon knows that he must do more to protect Mathilda, especially when he realizes that Stansfield isn’t about to let what happen go without repercussions. Telling the young girl to go to Tony as the explosions and gunfire break out in the apartment building, Leon has one more surprise in store for Stansfield.

Mathilda now must try and start a new life which includes heading back to school giving up her dream of being a hitman!

Reno as Leon could not have been any more perfect for this role if he tried. Giving the air of a man who wants to be left to himself, Reno gives us that and a lot more. There is a sense of danger to him of course and his facial expressions are frozen but in those eyes are something completely different. The first time I saw Reno was in the 1990 film LE FEMME NIKITA as the cleaner Victor, so I suppose that was a practice run for Leon.

Portland as the young Mathilda is a girl who has seen much in her young life. An abusive father starts her down the road of rage and a trip to the store keeps her from experiencing the same fate as her family. Destroyed but it, she sees a chance for revenge, especially when you have a hitman living practically right next door. She is smart and sassy and yet, like Leon, her eyes betray what is really going on inside her. A difficult performance for a young girl but Portland made is look easy.

Oldman as Stansfield has the opportunity to be as bad as he wants his character to be. That’s the thing about Oldman, one role he can be the sleaziest bad guy out there and the next he can be the best of a good guy. His career is filled with such a vast array of characters (okay, DRACULA is my favorite followed by THE FIFTH ELEMENT as I love seeing unusual roles) and I never would have imagined him as Commissioner Gordon in the BATMAN films but there he was on the screen, doing it to perfection. As Stansfield he is the worst of the bad guys and I loved every moment of it.

Aiello as Tony has a history with Leon since he was practically a boy and there definetly was schooling of a different kind for him. Aiello is another actor that has left an indelible impression on my movie going heart and seeing him once again as Tony reminded me of why that it.

Other cast include Peter Appel, Michael Badalucco, Ellen Greene, Joseph Malerba, Maiwenn, George Martin, Jean-Hugues Anglade and Keith A. Glascoe as Benny.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment encompasses motion picture production for television, digital content and theater releases. The studios include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films and Sony Picture Classics. To see what is coming to theaters and to home entertainment please visit www.sonypictures.com.

MOVIES ANYWHERE gives viewers the ability to download the Movies Anywhere App. With that you can view films by downloading or streaming to your favorite device using a Digital Code. For more information on Movies Anywhere please visit www.MoviesAnywhere.com.

The Bluray Special Features include Cast and Crew Look Back, Jean Reno: The Road to Leon, Natalie Portman: Starting Young, Fact Track (Extended Version) and Theatrical Trailer. Both the 4K Ultra H and Bluray include both theatrical and extended version of the film.

Having the Steelbook of LEON: The Profession is cooler than anything with fantastic artwork on the outside, especially the back with a very vulnerable looking young Portman. Inside are the two discs that are tucked nicely into the book making sure nothing happens to one of the most fantastic films made by writer/director Besson.

Tis the season so ask Santa to stuff your stocking with a Steelbook to remember.

In the end – if you want the job done right hire a professional!

 

 

VALERIAN and the CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres this Friday from director Luc Besson and STX Entertainment from the comic book by Jean-Claude Mezieres is VALERIAN and the CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS.

There once was a planet of alien beings that lived peacefully taking care of one another and giving back to the planet that provided for them. A little creature on their planet provides pearls that are important to their existence and powerful. Their idyllic life comes to an apocalyptic end when ships crash on their planet taking the life of a Limai Princess.

It is the 28^th century and a city known as Alpha floats in space. Filled with thousands of cultures and thousands of languages, they must all work together for the survival of the ship and its crew. Commander Arun Filitt (Clive Owen) is doing what ever he needs to ensure that it all works.

Major Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Sgt. Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are sent on a secret mission. The assignment from the Minister of Defense is to retrieve a one-of-a-kind creature that is sought after by unknown forces. Once Valerian and Laureline find it, they also have to fight there way back to Alpha city with it.

Back on duty, the two soldiers are set to protect Command Filitt but it all goes wrong when they are attacked and he is taken. General Okto Bar (Sam Spruell) takes over and isn’t happy when Valerian takes it upon himself to go after the ship with the Command inside. Laureline does what she can to track him but Valerian is lost in the Dead Zone. It is a zone where anyone that goes in does not come back.

But Laureline won’t take no for an answer and finds a way to Valerian. Immediately captured by alien creatures, Laureline now needs rescuing herself. He meets Bubble (Rihanna) who has the ability to shape shift which is a neat skill especially when it may be the only way to rescue Laureline.

General Bar begins to believe what Valerian told him about the alien beings on the lost planet beginning to investigate. What he finds will not stop what the Commander has planned all along but it may be the destruction of Valerian, Laureline and a race thought to be extinct!

DeHaan as Valerian plays a straight forward action hero who has a past with the women but wants a future with his partner. Always looking for answers, the Major isn’t going to let anyone or anything stop him from discovering the truth. DeHaan jumps right in action wise yet his character finds a moment here and there to remind Laureline that she’s the one.

Delevingne as Laureline, oh gawd I know I’m going to get it for this, just drove me absolutely nuts. I wish I had a clicker to count how many times she said ‘Valerian’ per scene. I know one scene that’s all she said and when the camera cut away I couldn’t have been happier about it. I’m sure her character is meant to be an example of female empowerment but I didn’t see it. Instead I saw a girl trying to be standoffish yet always felt the need to rescue someone who isn’t her man that she wants as her man but pretends she doesn’t want her man. Yea, that’s about how I felt.

Spruell as General Bar doesn’t care for his commander very much so it’s not surprising that he’s willing to listen to Valerian and not make extremely hasty decisions. Owen as Commander Filitt gets a chance to be secretive and down right devilish. It’s an interesting look for him even if his role is sporadic.

Director Luc Besson is responsible for some of the most memorable films such as THE BIG BLUE and my family’s favorite THE FIFTH ELEMENT. There are several things in this film that remind me of THE FIFTH ELEMENT which means VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS will probably end up being a cult classic.

Other cast include Elizabeth Debicki as Haban Limai, Ethan Hawke as Jolly the Pimp, Aymeline Valade as Haban-Limai, Kris Wu as Sgt. Neza, Diva Cam as Maatri, Alexander Willaume as Captain Kris and Rihanna as Bubbles.

VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS is an interesting sci-fi film with special effects for days. Besson brings bright colors, crazy aliens, space ships and special effects like an oven on broil. There is so much to visually take it that it’s almost a story within itself.

The film takes an air of predictability with a few things I am calling out. So, I felt like I was watching a bit of other sci-fi films over the years and a bit of THE FIFTH ELEMENT mixed with characters that are changed up. When seeing the film tell me that you see Jessica Rabbit because I swear I did.

That’s probably the part of the film that I liked the most – the special effects and characters that were created. Of course I’m probably a little bias since I think most ‘human’ roles are overplayed and overly spent acted. Bring on the colorful aliens!

If anything it is certainly a film about loyalty and accountability no matter what species you associate with. There’s nothing wrong with that at all.

In the end – a universe without boundaries needs heroes without limits!