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Point of No Return (1993) More at IMDbPro »

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98 comments in total

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26 out of 31 people found the following comment useful :-
average movie, but great acting of Bridget Fonda, 13 October 2003

Author: firner from Mainz, Germany

Being a remake of Luc Besson's "Nikita" (1990), this is quite an average hollywood remake of a very interesting french movie. The french original is much better in terms of direction and story, but Bridget Fonda's acting is marvellous, outstanding and considerably better than her french counterpart's in "Nikita". And this is exactly the reason to watch this movie, Fonda's performance is a thing you should definitely not miss.

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27 out of 36 people found the following comment useful :-
Violent, stupid but enjoyable, 12 October 1999

Author: Wayne Malin (wwaayynnee51@hotmail.com) from United States

Yes, it's a bad remake of La Femme Nikita--yes, it's overly violent and amoral (but so was the original)--yes, it's REALLY stupid, but I enjoyed it. It moves quickly, Fonda manages to give out a pretty good performance and it's certainly never boring. If you can turn off your brain, and sit through bursts of graphic violence (and a really sick sequence involving Harvey Keitel as "The Cleaner") you should be able to enjoy it. No great movie, just a really good bad movie. Critics predictably hated this movie. There's a now infamous review from the "New Yorker" magazine that's only 9 words long--"The end of French cinema as we know it." Ignore them--this is lots of fun.

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26 out of 37 people found the following comment useful :-
Good viewing, 3 April 2004

Author: Ja_Nina from Australia

The English version of the French movie La Femme Nikita. I think it is quite well done, and I enjoyed it.

A druggie girl kills a cop and is sentenced to death. She is given the "opportunity" to live, if she does what they say, and becomes an assassin. To the rest of the world she died.

She is determined, and she doesn't play well with others, but if she doesn't start playing their game, she really will be in her grave.. I'm not giving away any more.

But I would recommend it, it's worth seeing. Especially if you like Bridget Fonda, who kicks arse in this movie.

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12 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
An excellent example of Hollywood's ability to ruin a good movie concept., 22 December 2001
Author: cjekin from Dublin, Ireland

An excellent example of Hollywood's ability to ruin a good movie concept. The original version ('La Femme Nikita') was far more gritty and realistic. The main character is offered a choice between death, or the life of an assassin. As such, she spends most of the film trying to find a way out of her situation. Unfortunately the overuse of high-tech props, sets and special effects have made the entire experience so sanitised that by the end of the film I found myself wishing that a corrupt government would come and kidnap me.

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15 out of 21 people found the following comment useful :-
Better than expected; shame on the naysayers, 16 October 2002
Author: peter07 from Seoul, Korea

I thought this flick was good, and I'm SO glad that the film didn't resort to the typical Hollywood ending that other American remakes do (though it differed just a bit from the original "Nikita").

Admittedly, I'm biased in that I'm getting to be a big Bridget Fonda fan. And I agree with another reviewer that Fonda played a more likable character than the one in the French original.

Plus, the DVD's sound is great, though the picture is grainy.

All in all, a good film that doesn't deserve all the mudslinging it has gotten.

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17 out of 28 people found the following comment useful :-
If you can get past the brutality you might enjoy it., 28 August 2003

Author: triple8 from Conn

This IS a really brutal movie-I usually don't like violence in movies but in this case the violence was sort of neccessary for the overall subject at hand. Once I got past that, I really enjoyed this in a way that surprised me because it wouldn't be the type of pic I'd usally watch.

I think Gabriel Byrne is what made this movie. He was great as Bob and the chemistry between him and maggie/Nina was overwhelming. I think this was a movie made good by the cast. I thought Fonda and Byrne were incredible.

I wouldn't call this "dreary" as much as sometimes brutal with alot of violence. Still it's a good movie, I think besides the incredible chemistry between Byrne and Fonda the story was moving and makes you want to know what happens nest.

Harvey Keitel was positively creepy as the Cleaner! There are some really-well- for lack of a better term icky scenes in the movie but the acting is first rate and holds your attention.

There are some negatives to: to much violence that seemed kind of for shock value, after awhile it becomes a bit much:ok we get the idea. The AMMOUNT of shootings, explosions etc detracts from the wonderful acting and powerful story at hand, they could have minimized the brutality A LITTLE.

Also, Gabriel Byrne and Bridget Fonda should have had more scenes together, their chemistry is what made the movie. I understand, looking at imdb comments that this is a remake and I didn't know that before, but although this movie is very engrossing it doesn't get up to 10 status. Stil, it's defintely worth seeing if you have a strong stomach and haven't seen it.

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11 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
Superb acting and cinematography let this Nikita remake shine., 18 May 2002
Author: dustinjhogan from Denver, CO

I've never seen the French film, Nikita, on which this is based, but it sounds superb. What drew me into this film was the presentation of the story, which focuses less on her as a professional killer and more on her humanity. In the French film, Nikita looks very forceful and aggressive. Fonda in "Point" seems more sensitive and feminine. I'm just going to have to see the French one. I'm not easy to impress and this film drew me in. Nikita must be awesome.

BRIDGET FONDA has a face one can just stare at for hours. It's a restrained performance. She plays a very conflicted character full of paradox. A proposal from her lover cause tears to well up in her eyes as she peers down the scope of her rifle at her latest target. She manages to keep a straight face when her friend is killed in front of her. She even manages a smile and says, "I never did mind about the little things." Fonda has such talent that she's able to portray pure calm with every muscle in her face while her eyes swim in terror and heartbreak.

HARVEY KEITEL is Victor, the Cleaner. His face is a stone. No smiles, frowns, or grimaces. He is heartless and emotionless. As he kills, his face remains stone cold. He says no unnecessary words. His answers are short, to the point. Superb. His performance is understated brilliance.

GABRIEL BYRNE has a knack for making his characters believable. He's harsh, yet sympathetic. He alone makes this movie worth watching.

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11 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
A great remake, much warmer., 9 May 2001

Author: Derek del Barrio (flatspunk) from Austin, TX

La Femme Nikita is no doubt a great movie . . . but I think it's snobbery to call Point of No Return crap.

I found myself caring much more for Fonda's character than the original Nikita. Nikita was very dark and cold which worked great for the psychological thrills -- but at the end of the movie I didn't feel as much compassion for Nikita. Point of No Return is much warmer and the love story is more passionate. I think the Point Of No Return characters were better developed, but the action scenes could have been better.

I watch Point of No Return twice as much as I watch La Femme Nikita. They are both great films. If you like dark action and/or turn your nose up at American remakes...watch Nikita. If you like a well-rounded movie with action and a love story watch Point of No Return.

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11 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
What a disappointment!, 3 June 2003
Author: FlorisV from Netherlands

This movie is also called The Assassin. I have never seen the original, Nikita, from Luc Besson, but I was looking for it, instead I stumbled on this film in the rental store and it turned out to be a remake. I thought, with Bridget Fonda as a gunslinging babe, plus Gabriel Byrne and Harvey Keitel in the supporting cast, and in the director's chair John Badham, of Wargames, Bird on a Wire and The Hard Way fame, what can go wrong? Everything!

The camerawork is plain mediocre and not any action scene seems to have any choreography, the whole movie lacks style and elegance while it should have those above everything else. I think, if it would have been a good movie, every scene would have been either very thrilling and exciting to watch or involving. The scene with the arrest in the beginning and the training scenes could have been so much better with a little imagination. The same for the other "action" scenes. The whole movie is very uninspired and a huge waste of talent. For those who like the chix-with-guns genre, which still seems a bit underused, I recommend The Long Kiss Goodnight with Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson which is far superior and has a better plot to boot. Or if you want to see a really good film with Bridget Fonda go watch A Simple Plan.

I give this film 4 out of 10 because it had so much more potential. Were it a B-movie I had been more forgiving, but it wasn't. It was, however, executed as badly as a B-movie.

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4 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Excellent for Bridget Fonda fans, 18 December 2004

Author: theorist1 from United States

I have read all the other comments here, and I have seen this film at least 10 times. Agreed, the acting and plot are not Academy Award caliber, but Bridget Fonda is one of the sexiest women in films today. The plot is lame and the characters are two-dimensional but Byrnes' understated performance and Fondas' reformed addict are (if not believable, at least enjoyable) characters. I have tried to watch "La Femme Nikita" in both dubbed and sub-titled versions and have been bored to tears. I love to watch Bridget Fonda in anything she is in, she is certainly a beautiful and talented actor. I enjoyed her performances in "Single White Female" and also " The Road to Wellville". While "Point of No Return" does not contain much suspense, the background music and under-scoring add a lot to the flow of the story-line.

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