Point of No Return is a
thriller movie made in 1993 and directed by
John Badham. The movie is a remake of the movie
Nikita(released in America as
La Femme Nikita) by
Luc Besson. The script is a modified version of Luc Besson's by
Robert Getchell and
Alexandra Seros. It is rated
R and has a runtime of 109 minutes.
Maggie is a
drug addict who gets caught while trying to steal drugs. In the process she kills a
policeman. Her sentencing is quick, and she is given the death penalty. The execution is also, oddly, proccessed quickly and done by
lethal injection.
Then she wakes up. She's been brought into a government organization. She can either train to become an agent, or she gets the plot of land that her body isn't currently in. She chooses life. However, she doesn't quite realize to the extent of which she will be working. After her training is completed, she is let out into the world.
Her job has only begun, and her lover doesn't make it any simpler on her.
If you view this movie as seperate from the original French release, it can be deemed about average. I wasn't that impressed by it, but I saw
Nikita first. Nikita is definitely quite more impressive than this remake. The acting in this movie wasn't that convincing, and
Bridget Fonda did not seem to really fit the role of Nikita/Maggie. However,
Gabriel Byrne as Bob and
Harvey Keitel, who replaces
Jean Reno from the original, as Victor the Cleaner were quite good casts. All in all, if you want a good
thriller and don't mind subtitles, watch Nikita instead.
The biggest change was basing the film in America instead of France. Some changes to the Nikita/Maggie character were made as well. In Nikita, most of her abilities come from a wonderful chaotic energy that she has, while Maggie actually is in complete control of herself. Also, the third job is quite different in the movies.
Cast:
Bridget Fonda - Maggie/Claudia Logan
Gabriel Byrne - Bob
Dermot Mulroney - J.P.
Miguel Ferrer - Kaufman
Anne Bancroft - Amanda
Olivia d'Abo - Angela
Richard Romanus - Fahd Bahktiar
Harvey Keitel - Victor the Cleaner
Lorraine Toussaint - Beth
Geoffrey Lewis - Drugstore Owner
Mic Rodgers - Cop
Michael Rapaport - Big Stan
Ray Oriel - Burt
Spike McClure - Johnny O
Lieux Dressler - Johnny's Mom
John Capodice - Detective
Carmen Zapata - Judge
Calvin Levels - Computer Instructor
Michael Runyard - Weapons Instructor
Bill M. Ryusaki - Karate Instructor
Jan Speck - Kaufman's Assistant
Francesco Messina - Waiter in Restaurant
Peter Mark Vasquez - Guard in Booth
Wendy L. Davies - Shopping Woman
James Handy - Operative
Lee Dupree - Guy with Gun
David Sosna - Operative with Headset
Bruce Barnes - New Orleans Thug
Jaqueline Koch - VIP Woman
Kenny Endoso - Angela's Bodyguard
Gary Kasper - Angela's Bodyguard
Rosalind Jue - Maid
Eric Cohen - Valet
François Chau - Building Security Guard
Joe Garcia - Hassan
Frank Girardeau - Policeman
Clark Heathcliffe Brolly - Male Student
Jodie Markell - Female Student
Robert Harvey - Police Detective
Harry Perry - Venice Guitar Player
Robert Apisa - V.I.P. (uncredited)
Sources:
IMDB -
http://www.imdb.com.