Anyone who is a film buff has come across the term “femme fatale” which is a French term that’s translated to “fatal woman.” Films over the years have made these characters into beautiful, but dangerous, women. These characters are the ones you love to hate. The JPFmovies staff has looked into some femme fatale entertainment and decided to review the La Femme Nikita franchise. First there was the film starring Bridget Fonda, Gabriel Byrne, Harvey Keitel, Anne Bancroft and Olivia d’Abo in Point of No Return (1992). All fine performers and all quite young in this film. Bridget Fonda is literally a child, Keitel and Byrne look like they are in their late 20’s. The JPFmovies staff was particularly excited to watch a film with Bridget Fonda in it—you don’t see her in too many films.
Our femme fatale, Maggie Hayward (Bridget Fonda), is a violent and unstable drug addict found guilty of murdering a police officer, and is sentenced to death by lethal injection. A secret government organization fakes her death because they need to have a young female operative in the field. Agent Bob (Gabriel Byrne) is charged with transforming her from this renegade youth into a sophisticated assassin. She is given a makeover by senior Operative Amanda (Anne Bancroft) and training that turns her into not only a beautiful woman, but also a trained killer. The pressure is on though as she is only given 6 months reach operative level efficiency otherwise, she will literally get a bullet in the brain.
She passes her final test: an assassination of a VIP eating at a restaurant. Maggie kills the VIP and his bodyguard and then is pursued by a team of the VIP’s bodyguards and then escapes by jumping down a laundry chute. Maggie is relocated to California and finds her first relationship with J.P. (Dermot Mulroney). She promptly performs her first two assignments, both hit jobs, but she begins to hate her work. Naturally she wants out but the agency has other ideas. She is told that if she can pull off one last job Bob will try to get her out of the agency.
Maggie and her partner have trouble with this job and it goes sideways. In a early version of The Wolf from Pulp Fiction, Victor, a “cleaner” (Harvey Keitel) is called salvage the mission. Unknown to Maggie, he has also been ordered to kill both agents as well because one failure results in death. After killing the wounded Beth in front of Maggie, he drives her to Fahd’s home she gets what she needs to. The cleaner is supposed to kill her as well but she is crafty enough to turn the tables and gets away. Bob (her handler) takes pity on her and falsely tells his boss that Maggie is dead setting her free. The last scene is Maggie walking away in the pouring rain as she starts anew.
The JPFmovies staff is a big fan of Ms. Fonda and excited to see this film. Seeing the early version of Keitel as Mr. Wolf as the “cleaner” is frankly hilarious. Byrne, who also made a great 1990’s film The Usual Suspects, looks like he is in grade school in this movie. Yeah kinda cliché but all in all not bad if you look at this film as the start of successful franchise depicting secret government organizations transforming young, beautiful, blonde trouble making girls into deadly women.
The moral of the story is never trust a blonde with a gun.
J.P.'s I'm Outta Here Movie Thoughts 
The JPFmovies staff and longtime contributor Tom V. discuss the current state of the American film industry.
Hello again JPFmovie fans yeah, we know our staff needs to bring some more game to the table so here is a fresh start. As anyone who has followed the JPFmovies posts over the years will tell you we have taken the position that Hollywood churns out nothing but crap. However, after a recent discussion with long time contributor Tom V., we have refined our position, what follows is our discussion with Tom V:
JPFmovies: It is nice to hear from you again. During our last meeting about potential reviews you and the JPFmovies staff were considering when you brought up some excellent points. You have a different take on why the state of the Hollywood film industry is what is it is today.
Tom V: Yes, I do on several fronts. Look at the advertising/marketing budgets of films like “Fury” an excellent film in my opinion versus some Transformers movie for example.
JPFmovies: Could you expand on that a little more. I mean it sounds like you think that Hollywood has become nothing more than a giant spreadsheet and a bunch of focus groups.
Tom V: Yes, that is exactly it. Hollywood no longer backing classics, they will reluctant will. Movies like Mutiny on the Bounty, Casablanca, Good Fellas and Reservoir Dogs. These films are either not made anymore or the studios simply don’t invest in these types of films the way they used. They seem to have a sixth-grade focus mentality because that is what seems to sell because these films are costly babysitters.
JPFmovies: Well what has happened to the talent that made some of the best movies in history like Sir Ridley Scott’s original Blade Runner, Blackhawk Down or Kill Bill?
Tom V.: Over the past couple of years you’ve seen the talent move to Netflix, Amazon Prime and other independent film outlets. What Hollywood has been regulated too are comedies with singing animals and politically correct films, action films more about the more expensive special effects scenes and other formula driven rubbish.
JPFmovies: OK so you see all of the talent migrating (both actors and writers) to the new business models like Netflix and Amazon—do this that Hollywood with adjust to these changing times?
Tom V.: It will never happen Hollywood seems to be stuck in a holding pattern of mediocrity.
JPFmovies: Ok why don’t proven directors like Scott, Tarantino or David Lynch get the resources they deserve?
Tom V.: Because it doesn’t sell as many tickets as a formulaic Transformers movie despite the obvious merit of films like of Blade Runner 2 because their focus groups projected lower profits. That film for instance should have been made by Netflix or Amazon because it would have been funded and promoted much better.
JPFmovies: So, you believe that the free market has allowed companies like Netflix, Amazon, AMC and others to think outside of the box and make great entertainment for far less money.
Tom V.: Yeah sure. Amazon and Netflix are on the cutting edge but don’t have the resources to go toe to toe with a company like Paramount—yet. For instance, the Netflix series Marco Polo was an amazing series had to be canceled because of the $100,000,000.00 price tag for another season—which for a company like Netflix or Amazon which could have probably handled the costs, but they wisely spread those resources to other programs.
JPFmovies: What are your favorite series to date from Amazon and Netflix?
Tom V.: Marco Polo for sure from Netflix and Man in the High Castle from Amazon. And even these films sucked, at least I would have avoided robots beat the crap out of each other yet again.
JPFmovies: Do you have any predictions for the upcoming Raspberry Awards?
Tom V.: Too early to call.
JPFmovies: What can we expect your next review to be?
Tom V.: I think it will be Brad Pit’s 2014 film Fury—which cost $68,000,000.00 and took in approximately $211,000,000.00, so these good movies can in fact be profitable. This film defied the odds of the Transformer garbage.
JPFmovies: Any closing remarks you want to tell the audience.
Tom V.: The only way you can change the mediocrity of Hollywood is with your pocketbook.
JPFmovies: Thank you for your time. And we look forward to your next review.
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Posted by JPFmovies on March 31, 2019 in Movie Reviews
Tags: advertising, Art, budgets, comment, commentary, directors, film, focus groups, Hollywood, life, marketing, mediocre, movies, script, stories, writing reviews