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The Movie: Director Luc Besson's "La Femme Nikita" became an international hit several years ago. The film featured a woman from the streets (Anne Parillaud) recruited to be a government assassin. There was also an American remake, nowhere near as good, starring Bridget Fonda ("Point of No Return"). Despite the fact that the American remake was not well-received, the original still managed to suggest that there could be additional adventures in the works for the character. "La Femme Nikita", the TV show, stars Petra Wilson as Nikita, a woman wrongly convicted for murder who is given a second chance, working for the government as a spy/assassin, followed closely by her "handler" Michael (Roy Dupuis). The show follows Nikita each week as she goes on another mission to try and take down terrorists and other criminals. The show, which ran for several seasons from 1997-2001, was produced by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran, both of whom became instrumental in creating the popular Fox series "24". It's rather easy to see why the show gained such a devoted following over the years it ran. Wilson, who is remarkably attractive (has sort of a Gwyneth Paltrow/Jewel thing going on), is also a strong actress that capably portrays the complex emotions involved with some of the darker tasks that she must carry out. It's a dynamic performance that smoothly shows both the vicious side and the human feelings/emotions within the character. Supporting performances are also superb; characters are well-developed and believably shady/complex. Despite what appears to be a limited budget (the show does have a rather "basic cable" appearance, especially in the opening credits), it appears the producers have worked with what they have intelligently, leading to action scenes that are suspenseful, well-staged and clever. The fourth season of the series was to be the end of the show, but thousands of fans got together to protest the show's cancellation, eventually resulting in a shortened final season that would conclude the series in a more proper manner. 89. 5- 1 7 Jan 01 Deja Vu All Over Again - Her days as a field operative are over...but not for long. Mr. Jones reneges on his promise, reassigning Nikita to Section One and sending her to infiltrate a meeting of terrorist factions. 90. 5- 2 14 Jan 01 A Girl Who Wasn't There - Together again: Operations and Madeline - but this time, she is a computer simulation. Section tries to uncover the Collective. Nikita seeks answers to why she was originally recruited. 91. 5- 3 21 Jan 01 In Through the Out Door - It's like a high-risk scavenger hunt. The disc Nikita found has coordinates that may tie to the answers she's seeking. Meanwhile, the mind-control process forced upon her tightens its disorienting hold. 92. 5- 4 4 Feb 01 All the World's a Stage - Continuing to combine her personal question with Section forays, Nikita decides to get answers from the top. But is Mr. Jones really the top? And is he really Mr. Jones? 93. 5- 5 11 Feb 01 The Man Behind the Curtain - He's the real Mr. Jones - and he's closer to Nikita than she knows. But Nikita's meeting with him isn't the reunion she expected, especially when events reveal there's a mole inside Section. 94. 5- 6 18 Feb 01 The Evil That Men Do - Some problems can be simply eliminated. However, sometimes things aren't so simple. Operations' attempt to kill Nikita and Center's subsequent attempt to kill Operations leave both elite agents alive and at odds. 95. 5- 7 25 Feb 01 Let No Man Put Asunder - One in, one out. Michael returns under a cloud of suspicion. Operations may not have survived a firefight. However, Michael's return may be brief, as the Collective kidnaps his son as a way to lure him back. 96. 5- 8 4 Mar 01 A Time for Every Purpose - A devil's bargain: the Collective will give back Michael's son for Nikita's father. It's an agreement he will accept...if Nikita becomes what she never wanted to be... The DVD VIDEO: "La Femme Nikita" is presented by Warner Brothers in the show's original 1.33:1 full-frame aspect ratio. Here, episodes consistently remained sharp and well-defined, with very nice definition, clarity and shadow detail. Although some minor shimmering was occasionally visible, the picture did not suffer from any edge enhancement or pixelation. Colors could occasionally appear a tad soft, although this seemed to be the intentional look. However, colors most appeared crisp, accurate and well-rendered. English/French/Spanish subtitles are offered. SOUND: The Dolby Surround soundtrack remained crisp and clear throughout all episodes. Sound effects and music offered a very respectable punch for a 2.0 TV soundtrack, while dialogue sounded pretty natural. Nicely done, although the material suggests a 5.1 soundtrack may have added to the experience. EXTRAS: A short featurette with the creators discussing how they approached bringing back the series for one more season, as well as the season 5 internet teaser, with an intro from director Jon Cassar. Deleted scenes are also included for episodes 1,2 and 7. Final Thoughts: "La Femme Nikita" is an excellent continuation of Luc Besson's film, lead primarily by an intoxicating and delightful performance from Peta Wilson, whose athleticism, personality and exotic looks are fascinating to watch. This final season wraps up the series well. The DVD set offers very good features, audio and video quality. Recommended. |