Nikitas

UK satellite channel CBS Action started recently. And they're showing the television series La Femme Nikita. To fans of either the original or the US Badhman remake, this might be a bit much.

It's very high tech and actually plays like a soap opera rather than a drama.

The Besson original established the story; the US Badham remake faithfully reenacted the story and added a bit of pizzazz to it.

The story is what it's all about. Those who prefer the Besson original are firmly entrenched in their camp. Those who've seen the Besson original first are more likely to prefer it. Those who by chance encounter saw the US Badham version first are likely to prefer it.

Besson wrote the story. He gets credit for coming up with the stark plot. But John Badham who was tasked with directing the remake took the original to new heights.

All through his version you can see how a bit of reflection improved the original. The scenes are more precise, the music is infinitely superior, and there's an accent on acting not found in the original. Badham's motto has always been 'character, character, character' and it shows here. Moreau was excellent in the original but Bancroft literally jumps out at you in the remake. Parillaud was screechy in the original (and probably got the part because she was Besson's squeeze at the time) but Fonda is punky and sexy and imbues her role with the kind of stuff they taught her at the Lee Strasberg school.

There are scenes in the remake that are absolutely amazing. That when you look at them and freeze-frame them show you what filmmaking is really all about. Watch for the restaurant scene in the beginning where Fonda's character jumps off a stair handrail with one hand for leverage, lands firmly on a dinner table on the level below, then jumps again to the floor all the while she turns around to check on her pursuers. Besson had no balcony and his followup on the scene, whilst dramatic and a good shot, was easily implemented.

There are some really dumb things in the original too. Besson could have done with a proofread and a rewrite. The waiter bringing the bottle of champagne says for no reason: 'Taittinger - the king of champagnes'. Why would he do that? Was Besson getting paid for product placement? It just looks and sounds stupid.

The kitchen chase is also very abrupt and lacks the 'dripping off the walls' tension and pathos of the remake's version. And so forth.

Besson seems to have learned his lesson after Badham remade his classic: he took his crew to New York City for half a year, scouted for good locations for six months, and then brought in Jean Reno and Natalie Portman for the iconic Leon. He even wrote the story to fit around Reno who doesn't speak English too well. It was brilliant. And in this movie the music of Eric Serra actually works. Sort of.

But in Nikita? It's all a pale washout actually. Purists who believe the original is better because 1) it's the original; and 2) it's FRENCH will never get it. Hans Zimmer wrote one of his most memorable scores; the plot is taught and never lets up; Fonda and all the rest are spot on throughout; and some hundred minutes later you realise you witnessed perfectionist movie making.

And it's all about 'character, character, character'. It's not enough to tell actors 'sit here, do this, say that' - you have to get into the characters yourself as a director. You have to make the actors feel secure enough so they don't mind if they fail; you have to discuss their characters with them and get them to bring it all out. For all the action of Badham's Point of No Return, it's actually a movie about character- much more three dimensional than Besson's original.

But of course Besson wrote the story.

And as for the television series currently transmitted on CBS Action? Try Gone with the Wind. It's a soap opera too but it almost has a point.