"La Femme Nikita" is, along with the films of Akira Kurosawa, arguably one of the most influential foreign language movies ever released. As of this writing, it has spawned two remakes - the American "Point of No Return" and Hong Kong's "Black Cat" - a popular syndicated television series and countless knock-offs. This is also the film that put director Luc Besson on the map; he's since gone on to direct "The Fifth Element," as well as write and produce such action fare as "Kiss of the Dragon" and "The Transporter." MGM gives the film the DVD treatment it deserves with this special edition release.

Anne Parillaud is Nikita, a burned-out junkie who runs with a gang of punks on the streets of Paris. During a robbery-gone-bad, she cold-bloodedly kills a police officer. She's then arrested and sentenced to life in prison, during which time she is "killed" by a drug overdose. She awakens to find herself under the watchful eye of Bob (Tcheky Karyo), who works for an enigmatic branch of the French government, which trains assassins. His offer is simple: either she goes to work for him, or she really WILL die. Over the course of several years, Nikita cleans up and learns computer technology, self-defense, and proper etiquette for a woman. She also learns how to be an efficient killer. Eventually, she is sent back out into the world to await an assignment, under the guise of a hospital nurse. During this time, she meets Marco (Jean-Hugues Anglade), a handsome grocery clerk; the two soon fall in love, and are eventually engaged. He has no idea what her true job is, and she remains fiercely protective of her true identity, trying to maintain her relationship with him, while still carrying out various assignments appointed to her by Bob. Like many American action films, "Nikita" is loaded with stylish and impeccably choreographed action set-pieces, all set to a driving music score by Eric Sierra. In fact, one could argue that "Nikita" is an American film trapped in a French film's body. What sets this one apart from other of its kind (including the terrible American remake) are the performances. Parillaud is outstanding as Nikita; her transformation from a despicable punk into a beautiful, graceful assassin is remarkable, especially since her character becomes so damned likable during the second half of the film, despite her dubious profession. When she reaches the terrible quandary of having to choose between happiness and obligation, we feel it right along with her. Also good is Karyo, whose character is faced with a similar dilemma; he's obviously in love with Nikita, yet also knows she's simply a governmental tool. Another standout is Jean Reno ("The Professional"), who steals what few scenes he's in as the "cleaner," a cold-blooded troubleshooter when a job goes bad. Still, the real star is director Besson, whose flamboyant and quirky touches (later played to the hilt in "The Fifth Element") give "Nikita" a fun and exhilarating quality seldom seen in films of this type.

Presented in 2.35:1 widescreen, the picture is restored quite well. There is some grain on occasion, as well as a few scratches, but the colors and flesh tones remain well-preserved, most noticeable during such creative touches as the blue tone prevalent during the initial drug-store robbery. As for the soundtrack...kudos to MGM for making the original French language version the default track for this release, especially in this outstanding 5.1 Surround presentation. The dubbing on the English track isn't bad, either, but there's only so much one can do with dubbing, and this track tends to diminish the dramatic impact of numerous key scenes. Trust me, watch this movie in French.

There are a lot of good extras included on this disc, including documentaries on the making of the film, as well as the creation of the music score. There's also a poster gallery (though it's rather minimal), an Easter Egg, the original trailer, and trailers for other MGM releases. What keeps the features from rating an A, in my opinion, is the total absence of any input by Luc Besson. He's not featured in any of the extras.

With the influence this film has had on the concept of the "ass-kicking, super-chick" (my wife's favorite subgenre), "La Femme Nikita" is a must-have DVD. It is a lot of fun, with great performances and flamboyant action, all done by a filmmaker who knows how to seamlessly blend those two elements.