Nikita

'Nikita' (1990) is the story of a nineteen-year old junkie, Nikita (Anne Parillaud) who is given a second chance in life through being trained to be - and becoming - a skilled assassin for the State. 'Nikita' is a cult classic, directed by Luc Besson (with Thierry Arbogast as director of photography) in his hallmark powerful style. The film was an international hit, which spawned a TV series and a Hollywood remake. Susan Hayward develops here a fresh and provocative way of understanding 'Nikita''s plot structure as a neo-baroque symphony. She goes in depth into key sequences of the film, examines its reception as a popular film by audiences and critics, and looks at 'The Assassin', the Hollywood remake of 'Nikita'. This is a wonderfully exciting book on an underrated film. It also shows that the woman placed at the centre of a film noir can', as Susan Hayward points out, 'for once win - or at least 'get away with it'.