Back in the early nineties, when Blockbuster Video stores were on every corner and Netflix wasn't even an embryo inside a neuron in some techie's gray matter, I discovered a French movie with English subtitles while browsing the latest VHS tapes for a slow weekend at home.
The name of the movie: La Femme Nikita.
Starring Anne Parillaud.
Directed by Luc Besson.
Released: 1990.
An obsession was born. I just didn't know it, yet.
Overnight, Luc Besson became one of my favorite film makers, and badass chicks with guns and killer right hooks set the stage for my own future as an author who loved nothing more than developing strong alpha heroines who could hold their own against their hero counterparts.
The French version of La Femme Nikita was so popular that in 1991, Hong Kong remade it and called it Black Cat. I have this version on DVD, but there are no English subtitles, so it's merely a collector copy.
Next came Point of No Return, the American version, in 1993. Starring Bridget Fonda, Point of No Return more closely followed the storyline of the original French film and provided a setup for the TV series.
Then, in 1997, came the the crowning achievement: The hit TV show on USA Network, La Femme Nikita (LFN). Introducing us to newcomers Peta Wilson and Roy Dupuis, LFN became my Sunday night obsession. Every Sunday at 9:59PM EST, I was in my seat, TV on, ready to commit to a full hour of nothing but the awesomeness that was LFN.
From episode one, season one, I was hooked. I recorded every episode on VHS, then bought the entire series on DVD, and now own all seasons digitally on Amazon Prime. I've binge-watched the series so many times I've lost count (so many times that some of the episodes no longer played on my DVDs). I also own a rare copy of a textbook that was developed, based on the series, to be used for film students in college.
In 2010, a reboot simply called Nikita, premiered on Network TV. Starring Maggie Q, Nikita lacked the pizzazz and unique chemistry of Peta Wilson's LFN. Wilson brought a certain chutzpah to the character of Nikita that Maggie Q (although I love her as an actress) lacked. Maggie's Nikita was cold, flat, and overly systematic, while Peta's Nikita was emotional, sympathetic to the viewer, layered, and complex. The same can be said of Shane West's characterization of Michael vs. Roy Dupuis's.
So here I am, probably the world's biggest La Femme Nikita fan, wondering... should I do another binge watch and provide commentary, trivia, and little-known facts as I do?
I think I'm going to try it.
Until next time, long live Section One and La Femme Nikita.
