Nikita
A beautiful felon, sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a policeman, is given a second chance – as a secret political assassin controlled by the government.
The film disappointed at the box office against its limited budget of $8.5M, earning $5.0M globally (-41% loss). While initial box office returns were modest, the film has gained appreciation for its unique voice within the action genre.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Nikita (1990) reveals strategically placed narrative design, characteristic of Luc Besson's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 13-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 57 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.8, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Nikita is a feral, drug-addicted young woman participating in a violent pharmacy robbery with her junkie friends, establishing her chaotic, self-destructive life.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 14 minutes when Nikita is drugged during her life sentence and wakes up in a secret government facility. Her death has been faked, and she's told she now belongs to a covert assassination agency.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 30 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This illustrates the protagonist's commitment to On her third anniversary in the facility, Bob gives Nikita a dress and tells her she has one last chance. She chooses to complete her final test mission, assassinating a target in a restaurant, accepting her role as an operative., moving from reaction to action.
At 59 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Notably, this crucial beat During a mission at an embassy, everything goes wrong. Nikita is forced to work with Victor the Cleaner, a ruthless operative who efficiently eliminates witnesses and evidence, showing her the brutal reality of the life she's chosen., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 89 minutes (76% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Nikita realizes she can no longer sustain the lie. The agency will never let her go, and her relationship with Marco is built on deception. Her dream of a normal life dies as she sees the impossibility of her situation., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 94 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Nikita vanishes without a trace, leaving Marco behind with only a cryptic goodbye. The agency searches for her but cannot find her. She uses everything she learned to escape both worlds and forge her own path., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Nikita's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 13 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping Nikita against these established plot points, we can identify how Luc Besson utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Nikita within the action genre.
Luc Besson's Structural Approach
Among the 12 Luc Besson films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.0, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Nikita takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Luc Besson filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional action films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Luc Besson analyses, see The Fifth Element, Anna and The Family.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Nikita is a feral, drug-addicted young woman participating in a violent pharmacy robbery with her junkie friends, establishing her chaotic, self-destructive life.
Theme
Bob tells Nikita "You have two choices: either you die or you work for us." The theme of transformation through imposed structure versus individual freedom is introduced.
Worldbuilding
The botched pharmacy heist leads to police deaths and Nikita's arrest. She kills a cop in the police station, is convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, showing her violent, animalistic nature and complete lack of social integration.
Disruption
Nikita is drugged during her life sentence and wakes up in a secret government facility. Her death has been faked, and she's told she now belongs to a covert assassination agency.
Resistance
Nikita resists her training violently, refusing to cooperate with Bob and the agency. She undergoes brutal conditioning, learning combat, weapons, etiquette, and how to appear as a refined woman while remaining defiant.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
On her third anniversary in the facility, Bob gives Nikita a dress and tells her she has one last chance. She chooses to complete her final test mission, assassinating a target in a restaurant, accepting her role as an operative.
Premise
Nikita lives a double life: loving girlfriend to Marco while executing assassination missions for the agency. She navigates the tension between her constructed normal life and her violent secret work, hoping to balance both worlds.
Midpoint
During a mission at an embassy, everything goes wrong. Nikita is forced to work with Victor the Cleaner, a ruthless operative who efficiently eliminates witnesses and evidence, showing her the brutal reality of the life she's chosen.
Opposition
The agency demands more from Nikita while Marco wants a deeper commitment. The pressure of maintaining her double life intensifies as Marco proposes marriage and the missions become more dangerous, forcing her to lie constantly to the man she loves.
Collapse
Nikita realizes she can no longer sustain the lie. The agency will never let her go, and her relationship with Marco is built on deception. Her dream of a normal life dies as she sees the impossibility of her situation.
Crisis
Nikita struggles with the emotional darkness of her trapped existence. She loves Marco but cannot tell him the truth, and she cannot escape the agency's control. She must decide who she truly is.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
Nikita vanishes without a trace, leaving Marco behind with only a cryptic goodbye. The agency searches for her but cannot find her. She uses everything she learned to escape both worlds and forge her own path.
Transformation
Marco waits at the spot where they first met, finding only Nikita's final message. She is gone, having transformed from a controlled asset into a truly free person, choosing solitude and autonomy over comfortable captivity.