Point of No Return (film)

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Point of No Return
U.S. "Point of No Return" poster
Directed by	John Badham
Produced by	Art Linson
Starring	Bridget Fonda Gabriel Byrne Dermot Mulroney
Music by	Hans Zimmer
Editing by	Frank Morriss
Distributed by	Warner Bros
Release date(s)	1993
Running time	101 Mins.
Language	English/French/Italian
IMDb profile

Point of No Return, known as The Assassin in some markets, is a 1993 film directed by John Badham and starring Bridget Fonda. It is a remake of Luc Besson's 1990 film Nikita.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Maggie Hayward (Bridget Fonda), a drug addict found guilty of murdering a police officer is sentenced to be executed after several violent outbursts prior and during her trial. With the help of Bob (Gabriel Byrne) and Amanda (Anne Bancroft) She is reluctantly reincarnated as Claudia Anne Doran, an assassin for the American government. Her code name is Nina, named after the Nina Simone who she listens to when she is upset.

1 Reception
2 Trivia
3 Soundtrack
4 External links

[edit] Reception

Upon release, the film grossed approximately $30,038,362 (USD) and received mixed reviews.

[edit] Trivia

Originally called The Specialist, but this title was reserved for another film (The Specialist (1994). Later it was renamed Girl No. 5 (mentioned briefly during the gun range sequence) and finally Point of No Return. Fonda reportedly hated the title and wouldn't mention it in interviews. Internationally the film was known as The Assassin.
John Cusack was considered for the part of Fonda's boyfriend but producer Art Linson preferred Dermot Mulroney.
The look of The Cleaner Harvey Keitel appears to be based on a character who lurks in the background of the execution scene in the original film.
The film was the first major release to be made with Kodak 96 stock, which allowed shooting with less light than normal without losing clarity.

[edit] Soundtrack

The main character of the movie (played by Bridget Fonda), has a fascination for the singer/pianist/songwriter Nina Simone. Throughout the movie various songs of Nina Simone are used, namely:

Here Comes The Sun
I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl
Feeling Good
Wild Is the Wind
Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair

Together with the earlier re-release of My Baby Just Cares For Me in 1982, this movie helped bring back Nina Simone into the public limelight and make her more known with a younger audience.