 Tagline: The Government gave her a choice. Death. Or life as an assassin. Now, there's no turning back She is society's worst nightmare, an antisocial misfit convicted of murder and sentenced to die. But a covert government agency may be able to transform her into a sleek, cool-as-ice assassin. Bridget Fonda (Single White Female, Jackie Brown) stars as Maggie in this thriller directed by John Badham (WarGames, Stakeout). Dressed to kill, trained to survive, shes set loose in a deadly world where unexpected romance complicates things even more. Gabriel Byrne, Dermot Mulroney, Anne Bancroft and Harvey Keitel also star. Storyline: Hardened criminal Maggie Hayward's consistent violence, even in police custody, ends in the execution chamber. However, top-secret US government agent 'Bob' arranges a staged death, so Maggie can be elaborately trained as phantom killer and subdued into obedience. She gets a new cover identity as saleswoman Claudia Anne Doran. She also gets a wonderful house-mate, building super J.P., a broad-minded, gentle photographer. The two fall in love, and that complicates hit jobs. His good influence extends to breeding in her a conscience that places love over business, unlike Bob's agency. Written by KGF Vissers Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Kenneth Brown, April 20, 2009 -- Luc Besson's La Femme Nikita may have divided international audiences and critics when it first arrived on the scene in 1990, but it's since been recognized as a film ahead of its time; a rare, character-driven action-thriller that offers compelling performances, unsettling intensity, and an emotionally vulnerable heroine struggling to satisfy the demands of two separate lives. It remains a unique, thought-provoking study of identity, duty, morality, and self-realization that continues to provoke modern viewers and earn new converts. But as often as I've revisited Nikita over the years, I've never had the chance to sample its poorly-received American adaptation, Point of No Return. Ah well, I suppose there's no time like the present... When a volatile junkie named Maggie Hayword (Bridget Fonda) kills a police officer in the wake of a botched drugstore robbery, she's quickly arrested, convicted, and sentenced to death by lethal injection. Never mind the number of years it would take to carry out such a punishment in the US, she soon finds herself strapped in a chair with a needle in her arm. However, after being pronounced dead, Maggie suddenly finds herself in a strange facility where a smooth-talking suit (Gabriel Byrne) informs her that she's been spared. He explains that in exchange for... well, the opportunity to continue breathing, Maggie will be trained as a government assassin and kill at her handlers' command. As the weeks turn to months, she learns how to use various firearms, hand-to-hand combat techniques, the art of seduction, and a variety of other skills. No longer the brash deviant that entered the facility, Maggie emerges as a dangerous but damaged young woman ready to receive her first assignment. Delivering a successful kill, she's soon transferred to Southern California, given a house, a cover story, and a new set of instructions. Unfortunately, Point of No Return pales in comparison to its French forebearer. While director John Badham (Short Circuit, Wargames) takes a risky step away from softer fare in his canon to reproduce Besson's ultra-violent requiem with faithful fervor, he often plays it too safe; attempting to craft a carbon copy of Nikita without injecting anything fresh into the mix. In fact, long before Maggie receives her first assignment, the film exhibits all the traits of a bland remake failing to capture the taut tone and chemistry of the original. Fonda lacks the hardened determination and demure frailty Anne Parillaud first brought to the role, running through the motions for more than an hour before legitimately sinking her teeth into the film's third act. And Byrne -- much as I love his work -- injects little life into his character's increasingly conflicting emotions, producing a weak and predictable sap that never seems as fully realized (or as wounded) as Tchéky Karyo's Bob. More distressingly, Return's admittedly engrossing assassination sequences feel completely disjointed from its interpersonal drama. Instead of fusing both aspects of the film into an unrelenting, cohesive whole, Badham gets lazy and tries to transplant Besson's eye for action into his own stocky framework. Even so, filmfans immune to early '90s cheese will stumble across quite a few memorable moments that, at the very least, help Point of No Return establish itself as a passable actioner. A shocking gift at a restaurant leads to a stirring scramble, a New Orleans assassination will leave the film's most vocal detractors breathless, and a series of scenes with Harvey Keitel -- stepping in for Jean Reno as a particularly vicious cleaner -- steal the entire show. Anyone focused on the film's dramatic wares will eventually be disappointed (either by the cast's straight-forward performances or Badham's directorial shortcomings), but its persistent firefights, intrigue, and 'splosions manage to keep things moving. If you haven't seen La Femme Nikita, spend your time and money wisely, invest in Sony's Blu-ray release of Besson's original, and skip this stilted adaptation. But if you must tempt fate, rest easy knowing that Warner's low price point will take most of the sting out of purchasing this comparatively dull remake. Point of No Return will strike the La Femme Nikita faithful among you as a cheap and derivative imitation; yet more evidence of Hollywood's penchant for stripping the soul out of provocative foreign releases. Even though a handful of action junkies will enjoy its rousing assassination sequences, it would be a shame to waste your time and money here when Sony has already released Luc Besson's original on Blu-ray. Ah well, at least Point of No Return has earned a fitting upgrade. The disc may not include any special features, but it does offer an above average catalog video transfer and a striking TrueHD audio track. If you can't resist your own morbid curiosity, take advantage of Warner's low price point. Otherwise, get acquainted with La Femme Nikita and experience the story at its best. Reception: Film critic Roger Ebert, who gave the original Nikita three and a half stars out of four, gave Return three stars, saying: "Point of No Return is actually a fairly effective and faithful adaptation and Bridget Fonda manages the wild identity swings of her role with intensity and conviction, although not the same almost poetic sadness that Anne Parillaud brought to the original movie. Cast Notes: Bridget Fonda (Maggie/Claudia), Gabriel Byrne (Bob), Dermot Mulroney (J.P.), Miguel Ferrer (Kaufman), Anne Bancroft (Amanda), Olivia d'Abo (Angela), Richard Romanus (Fahd Bahktiar), Harvey Keitel (Victor the Cleaner), Lorraine Toussaint (Beth), Geoffrey Lewis [I] (Drugstore Owner), Mic Rodgers (Cop), Michael Rapaport (Big Stan), Ray Oriel (Burt), Spike McClure (Johnny O), Lieux Dressler (Johnny's Mom). IMDb Rating (10/27/12): 8.4/10 from 386,537 users Top 250: #117 IMDb Rating (06/04/12): 8.6/10 from 224,853 users Top 250: #39 IMDb Rating (05/30/12): 8.7/10 from 213,127 users Top 250: #37
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