Luc Besson has been behind some of the most provocative and intriguing action films of the last 15 years, and his introduction to mainstream American cinema-goers began with 1991's "La Femme Nikita." Beginning with a drug store shootout that leaves three junkie punkers and a few policemen dead, this film is rapidly engaging and shows off Besson's violent chic. In the fray, only young Nikita (Anne Parillaud) survives, after offing a policeman who had let his guard down at a crucial moment. Facing certain death in France's court of law, she is given two choices: lethal injection, or have her execution faked, and then assume a new life as a female super-assassin/spy. A wild-raised feral child of sorts, Nikita had picked up certain skills on the street that eventually prove to be quite valuable to her government handlers, as she makes things difficult for them and especially her chief mentor Bob (Tcheky Karyo). No secret is made of his affections for her, but he tries to mold Nikita into a valuable person, and he's able to do it with the help of another agent, played by actress Jeanne Moreau, who teaches her the finer ways of womanhood. By the end of her training, Nikita has been modeled into a fine, sexy female assassin. Besson makes no attempts to sacrifice his film in the ways of Hollywood convention, and he proves that the days of female-driven action cinema are not yet dead. Parillaud is compelling, as at first, she almost seems unaware of her identity as a woman. When she isn't taking out high-powered political officials, she's romancing a kind and gentle shop clerk, who falls madly in love with her as she does with him. Lastly, "La Femme Nikita" has some of the most stylized and violent action scenes of any movie I've seen in a while. Luc Besson, with this film and much of his subsequent work, has proved he is one of cinema's most valuable personalities on the European, Asian, and American action film circuits. Also, be aware of a cameo by future Besson "Leon" (1994) star Jean Reno as Victor the Cleaner, in what is pretty much an early prototype of his role from that star-making breakthrough film.<br /><br />8/10