Nikita Is A Male Fantasy. So Is Every Film It Spawned.

La Femme Nikita is not a feminist film. It's a film about breaking a woman down until she performs femininity well enough that she becomes 'useful'. Make no mistake, Luc Besson made an extraordinary thriller. He also helped formalise one of modern cinema’s favourite lies: that female violence, when granted by men and clothed in a glamorous wardrobe, somehow counts as female liberation. In this episode, I argue that Nikita was never empowerment. It was a male fantasy mistaken for progress - and thirty-five years of cinema has proven this to be true. From Atomic Blonde to Black Widow. The Long Kiss Goodnight to Ballerina. Hollywood have been copying this exact template ever since. And we've been falling for it. With our tongues hanging out. #LaFemmeNikita #Nikita #LucBesson #CultFilm #FilmAnalysis #MaleGaze #Feminism #Cinema #FilmEssay #MovieReview