Luc Besson’s 1990 French film La Femme Nikita and Paul Verhoeven’s 1992 American film Basic Instinct are both distinctive neo-noir????? films that feature the classic ‘femme fatale’ character trope as central characters, although developed very differently. They are incredibly recognisable, from the classical cut-throat villain in Basic instinct, to the violent action featured in La Femme Nikita.These films have been chosen as they were made in contrasting cultures, so the separate representation of the character trope can be clearly seen.