The Assassin
(1993)
|
In a grim future America, Maggie (Bridget Fonda), a beautiful young street punk, is about to be executed for killing a cop during a robbery, and is given the choice between death or becoming a government assassin. She accepts the latter and is trained in all manner of martial (and feminine) arts. She ably carries out her deadly assignments, and is groomed to become a powerful killer. Maggie is given a new identity, becomes the seductive Claudia, and is sent to Venice, California, where she begins her new life. But the training takes only too well: the formerly amoral murderess proceeds to fall in love with a photographer (Dermot Mulroney) and develop a conscience. Now she wants out, but the government isn't about to let her go without a fight. Director John Badham's remake of French director Luc Besson's LA FEMME NIKITA is a stylish and thrilling adaptation, featuring a solid performance from Bridget Fonda. |
Another example of Hollywood's unfortunate tendency to take fine Continental fare and rework it into sensationalist pap. The original by French director Luc Besson, called Nikita and starring the luminous Anne Parillaud, was a throbbing, stylish look at a convicted murderess who receives secret government training as a hired gun. Remade here with a plodding hand by John Badham and featuring a seemingly ill-at-ease Bridget Fonda, what was once witty, if somewhat vacuous, entertainment has been reduced to a series of one-dimensional thrills. There's a fine supporting cast that includes Gabriel Byrne and Harvey Keitel, but this still ends up as a rather gutless piece.