luc besson have be behind some of the most provocative and intriguing action film of the last 15 year and and his introduction to mainstream american cinema goer begin with 1991 la femme nikita . begin with a drug store shootout that leave three junkie punkers and a few policeman dead and this film be rapidly engaging and show off besson violent chic . in the fray and only young nikita ( anne parillaud ) survives and after off a policeman who have let his guard down at a crucial moment . face certain death in france court of law and she be give two choice represent lethal injection and or have her execution fake and and then assume a new life a a female super assassin or spy . a wild raise feral child of sort and nikita have pick up certain skill on the street that eventually prove to be quite valuable to her government handler and a she make thing difficult for them and especially her chief mentor bob ( tcheky karyo ) . no secret be make of his affection for her and but he try to mold nikita into a valuable person and and he able to do it with the help of another agent and play by actress jeanne moreau and who teach her the finer way of womanhood . by the end of her training and nikita have be model into a fine and sexy female assassin . besson make no attempt to sacrifice his film in the way of hollywood convention and and he prove that the day of female driven action cinema be not yet dead . parillaud be compel and a at first and she almost seem unaware of her identity a a woman . when she isn not take out high powered political official and she romance a kind and gentle shop clerk and who fall madly in love with her a she do with him . lastly and la femme nikita have some of the most stylized and violent action scene of any movie i have see in a while . luc besson and with this film and much of his subsequent work and have prove he be one of cinema most valuable personality on the european and asian and and american action film circuit . also and be aware of a cameo by future besson leon ( 1994 ) star jean reno a victor the clean and in what be pretty much an early prototype of his role from that star make breakthrough film . positive .