Movie #49 La Femme Nikita

Luc Besson is an interesting man.  He is the director of The Professional (Leon), and The Fifth Element.  Leon is in my Top 100 movies of all time.  When I type these blogs from home I am facing posters of Bonnie and Clyde and Leon is that tells you anything.  Besson's first film to garnish a lot of attention was 1990's La Femme Nikita.  The movie is about a French female street thug / cop killer.  She is sentenced to death then given a chance to live if she dedicates herself to a secret government program that will turn her into a covert assassin.  She obliges them receives her training then is released into the world.  She meets a man, then has to balance home life with her dirty little secret.

Nikita is played by Anne Parillaud.  She has an Amelie meets Juliet Lewis quality about her.  Innocent and playful one moment and insane and emotionless the next.  The rest of the cast is rounded out by solid French actors.  I guess I mention that the film is entirely in French.  The is a great cameo by Jean Reno as "The Cleaner".

Besson stages action in a way that is recognizable and unique.  I can't really describe it.  The camera isn't stationary, but it is not all over the place either.  There are quick cuts, but you always know where you are in the action.  I think back to the shoot out in the beginning of Leon.  Where he is lurking in the shadows.  You don't know where he is, but you know where you are and that intensifies the action.  His camera movements can be flashy, but they are in service of the story.  Technically he is a very good director.

Watching this movie now 20 after it's release it feels a little dated.  Not so much the wardrobe or settings (although they both have a just post Madonna feel) it is more a sense of detachment that was a common theme in movies around that time period.  The late 80's and early 90's were really a low point for creativity in Hollywood.  That was post the resurgence of the studios and computer enhancement, but prior to the uprising of the independent film movement.    I suppose one could say that films like this helped usher in the indy's.

If you are a fan of hitman movies this is a must.  It is not the first, or the best female assassin movies, but it is a major player in the genre.  If you are a fan of Besson's then you have probably seen this film already.  If not then you should. If neither of these things interest you then you won't be missing out by skipping this film.  I will say that if you are not a fan of Besson, check out Leon.  It might change your mind.  I give Le Femme Nikita a 3/5 stars.  Check out the link below for the trailer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=167URLa-On0

Movie #46 Day of the Jackal

One of my favorite parts about being a cinephile is catching references or homages to films that other people might not.  Have you ever seen an episode of The Simpsons where there is a line of dialogue or a particular frame that is totally lifted off a different film?  You know the rush you get of explaining that to you buddy of significant other?  That brief moment where you get gloat that you know something that they don't that fleeting thought that you are smarter than they are.  I love that feeling.

I had that feeling about 1,000 times during my viewing of The Day of the Jackal.  Released in 1973 and directed by Fred Zinnerman (who also directed From Here to Eternity, High Noon and A Man for All Seasons) "Jackal" is the story of a French group of terrorist or self proclaimed patroits who disprove of giving Algeria their independence.  There plan is to assisinate the French president.  Better yet have a foreigner do it since all of their attempts have been foiled so far.  The man they hire has the code name "Jackal". 

At this point we are taken on a two hour long procedural of the up's and downs of the life of a professional assassin.  This film takes it time, but in a beautiful way.  There are long stretches of  time where there is no speaking on screen.  It develops characters through action and reaction.  It spends time on segments that today's Hollywood films would either skip over or try to summarize in a montage.  This is the type of film that the Hayes Code would have never allowed because you kind of get an idea of how to kill the president.  Or at least you think you do.

Another reason this film works is because the law chasing the Jackal is just as sufficient and intelligent as the Jackal himself.  I have long said that the reason so many comic book movies don't work is because the villians are just characterizations.  There is no way that "The Sandman" is going to beat Spiderman.  The penguin didn't stand a chance against batman.  Now contrast that to The Joker in The Dark Knight.  I really thought that the Joker could defeat Batman in that movie.  In The Day of the Jackal that assassin has a several day lead on the law.  They have to play catch up and they do.  They then start putting the heat on him.  He then becomes a rat in a trap.  He is no longer thriving.  At this point he is less James Bond and more Jason Borune. 

The Jackal is played by Edward Fox.  A talent that I was unaware of before this film.  If this had been set in America I can easily see this role being offered to Steve McQueen.  I want to point out the detective who has been tracking the Jackal.  Michael Lonsdale is the actor.  I was really amazed with his performance.  Most of the other character have smaller parts and are only there to move the plot forward.  There are a few female roles in this film and they are all filled with beautiful actresses.

This is a 70's movie in every since, and I mean that as a compliment.  This year I saw a film called The American.  It did it's damnest to emulate this film as best it could.  However it couldn't generate the mood and feeling Jackal does.   There were a surge of these films in the early 70's.  A product of Watergate and other government conspiracies I guess.  While there is a lot of company for films like this, I think this one stands above all the others.  I instantly added this to my DVD to Purchase list.

I could go on singing the praises of this film, but as usual I am way behind on my reviews.  I usually tell you what I though of a film and leave it to my readers to see if they want to check it out.  This is the rare exception where I am urging you to see this if you haven't and if you have see it again.  And a third option is buy it for me for christmas on DVD and come over and I'll have a Day of the Jackal party.  We can have some pop corn and a couple of cold ones and try to figure out how we would kill the president.  Just kidding internet police.  I give Day of the Jackal a 5/5 star rating and place it high up amoung the films of the 70's.  Check out the link below for the trailer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6xMnTPEzPo