La Femme Nikita

Luc Besson, 1990, France (9.1*)

This hard-hitting crime film, another winner from director Besson (The Big Blue, The Professional), tells the story of a ruthless killer addict, Nikita, who shoots a policeman during a drug store robbery to steal drugs. The French authorities give her an option: assume a new identity and train as an assassin for them, or face execution.

What follows is a great spy/assassin story, more exciting than any James Bond film, and a classic of the genre. Anne Parillaud is terrific in her tranformation from criminal to reluctant assassin. Besson fave Jean Reno (The Professional) has a small but meaty part (!) as a cleaner. Not to be confused with the different tv show, which was a secret anti-terrorist organization and whose heroine wasn't a killer until they trained her.