The Restaurant Scene: La Femme Nikita

Lots of good scenes in restaurants. Scorsese's tracking shots from 'Goodfellas' comes to mind. I like this one from 'La Femme Nikita'.



Directed by Luc Besson in 1990, with Anne Parillaud and Tchéky Karyo. Lovely subtle emotions, lots of stuff between the lines (typical for a French film), and great camera/editing. I like the juxtaposition of elegance and brutality, intimacy and betrayal, then pain followed by resolve to do your job in a professional manner.

This was remade by Hollywood as 'Point of No Return', directed by John Badham with Bridget Fonda and Gabriel Byrne -- a by-the-numbers walk-through that offers the advantage of not having subtitles as it was done in English.

'La Femme Nikita', on the other hand, is one of the most rewarding flicks I've ever seen. It plays in a single breath and you never, for a second, feel disconnected. It's very nearly spellbinding.













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