La Femme Nikita
"Nikita" is an addict and miscreant, who, when finally arrested proves to be a handful. She's aggressive, determined, belligerent and cunning.
Three of those attributes make her an ideal candidate for a top-secret programme aimed at turning criminal nobodies into secret service assassins. But why would she want to help the "establishment"?
The recruitment process consists of her being faced with two alternatives: either undergo induction and training to become an assassin, or face a death which the authorities have already staged.
As far as her family is concerned, she no longer exists, and is shown photos of her own funeral to prove it. She is then given one hour to make up her mind: die or undergo training.
Anne Palliraud is convincing as the gangly, belligerent hellcat who must adapt to the ways of her newly imposed career. Jeanne Moreau is stunning in a cameo as the woman charged with the task of transforming Nikita into a more womanly form: La Femme Nikita.
Then there's Jean Reno's fabulous presence in the latter part of the film, as "Victor, nettoyeur" (Victor, the cleaner). The "cleaner": a person responsible for finalising a mission that hasn't gone to plan, and getting rid of the evidence, was a character adopted by Quentin Tarrantino in Pulp Fiction (played by Harvey Keitel, who, coincidentally, later played the cleaner in the American re-make of La Femme Nikita, The Assassin). Nevertheless, Reno's "cleaner" is much more business-like and sparing with words.
Thankfully, with home sound systems being as good as they are today, it's possible to enjoy this film's distinctive and wonderful sound design.