We're starting off our Luc Besson series with a film that fascinates us, even if it sometimes devolves into a cartoonish atmosphere. This week, we chat about Besson's 1990 film Nikita, or La Femme Nikita if you're so inclined. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we start off this series with this Pygmalion-like tale of a young woman trained to be a government assassin.

We discuss what works and what doesn't in the performances, particularly focusing on Anne Parillaud's performance of the title character. We chat about Besson and what he brings to the table, for better or for worse. We talk about the nature of this French government assassin program and why it creates an interesting idea, though that is pretty ridiculous when you think about it too long. And we talk about the amazing visual style that Besson uses to tell this story, even if the script and the direction aren't always on par with it. He's a wild director and we have a wild romp in this, the first of our Luc Besson series. Listen in!

• Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and Movements
• The Film Board
• Movies We Like
• Sitting in the Dark

• The Web
• Letterboxd
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Threads
• Bluesky
• YouTube
• Flickchart
• Pinterest
• Pete 
• Andy

• You can buy our movie-related apparel, stickers, mugs and more from our MERCH PAGE.
• Or buy or rent movies we’ve discussed on the show from our WATCH PAGE.
• Or buy books, plays, etc. that was the source for movies we’ve discussed on the show from our ORIGINALS PAGE.
• Or renew or sign up for a Letterboxd Pro or Patron account with our LETTERBOXD MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT.
• Or sign up for AUDIBLE.