La Femme Nikita (1990) Vs The Point of No Return (1993)

 

In film school, I researched the French film movement known as Cinema Du Look. It was a more modernized version of the French New Wave set for the 80s and 90s, with distinct art pop music video-like visuals. The most popular of these films was La Femme Nikita, directed by Luc Besson. Now, just like I said about Roman Polanski, Luc Besson is a bit of a weirdo, but that's not the main topic. After all, I'm only focusing on his directing style, which is pretty iconic. Though there is no denying that Le Femme Nikita is a kickass film. From the screenplay, the performances, the action sequences, and the visuals. Everything about this movie just works.

What I liked about La Femme Nikita was that it didn't go by the usual cliched tropes associated with most female-driven action films. Nikita isn't this overpowered Mary-Sue. She's not overly confident, not highly skilled, nor is she highly moral either. She's a flawed character with a fully realized story arc. It starts with her being this teen junkie who kills a cop in cold blood and soon gets tried, convicted, and sentenced to death by lethal injection. But there's a twist. A government agency, known as The Centre,  fakes her death to recruit her as an assassin. 

Nikita undergoes genuine character development, getting to experience a new chance at life, but at a great cost. She has to kill to get by, and the whole conflict of the movie is that Nikita is a reluctant participant. 

The most riveting part of La Femme Nikita is the underlying sexual tension Nikita has with her very sexy instructor, Bob. Although it's hinted that they might consummate their feelings, Nikita's resentment of him prevents that.

When she's finally allowed to experience the outside world, Nikita moves on to date and later gets engaged to Marco, a humble grocery store cashier. This is one of the best examples of a love triangle put on screen because Bob and Marco represent the crossroads of Nikita's life. Bob represents danger and mystery, while Marco represents normalcy and stability. Therefore, this serves a narrative purpose rather than a run-of-the-mill romantic storyline. 

For instance, Bob arrives at their apartment unceremoniously with an ever-growing tension between the three of them. Bob softens the blow by introducing himself as a distant family member of Nikita and tells a very visceral account of her "childhood" days. This ultimately wins Marco over, and Bob rewards them with a trip to Venice...but with a cost. It's all fun and romantic bliss, but this turns out to be a ploy for Bob to give Nikita another "assassination assignment," which was very cruel by the way. Maybe he's jealous?

Nikita is not having it, and she confronts Bob for his trickery. But first, she has to look good doing it, and boy, does she pull it off. Anne Palluriud is dynamite, absolutely stunning! This is one of my favorite outfits in the movie, and it really gives off that art pop feel of the Cinema Du Look culture.

Bob eventually gives in and promises Nikita that the next assignment will be her last. This turns out to be one of her most risky and dangerous missions yet. 

Everything went well at first, where Nikita and an accomplice are assigned to steal some secret documents held by The Ambassador, but The Ambassador cannot be hurt. Everything goes well when Nikitia knocks The Ambassador out by forcing him with a sleeping drug while her accomplice puts on a disguise of The Ambassador. But at the very last minute, The Division finds out that The Ambassador uses a password with his guards every day, and he usually changes it. This is a major screwup on The Division's part, and Nikita's accomplice panics, prompting The Centre to call in "The Cleaner."

Here's where the special guest star comes in. Jean Reno, a staple of the Cinema Du Look movement, stars as Victor the Cleaner. He's more like the unstable, unhinged version of his character, Leon from Leon the Professional, another famous Cinema Du Look film also directed by Besson and also starring a young Natalie Portman in her first role. Victor is sent in to clean up the mess that The Centre made for themselves, but the thing about Victor is that he's a bit gun-crazy and isn't afraid to shoot anybody in his way, even if it's his own colleagues. So, Victor comes to dispose of the bodies left behind and... turns out, The Ambassador is still alive, suffocating and melting from the dissolving liquid. Nikita's accomplice is still freaking out and in a moment of a panic, he stupidly pulls out a gun at Victor, which prompts Victor to instally shoot him. With time running out, he forces Nikita to finish the mission, and soon Nikita takes the place of her recently deceased accomplice, dressing up as The Ambassador and sneaks in to steal the secret documents. Now the mission would've gone smoothly if it weren't for Victor's recklessness. Every time a guard stops to question him, he shoots them...just because. This sort of explains how Victor is not as competent as he comes off. Of course, the mission goes awry, and the armed guards begin forcing their way to them. Victor, being the idiot that he is, starts shooting back, not only getting himself killed, but almost getting Nikita killed in the process.

Thankfully, Nikita flees the scene unscathed. After her ordeal, Nikita takes a long, hot shower, as she should, and confesses to Marco about her secret life and that she stole some documents that could put her in jeopardy. Being the understanding boyfriend that he is, Marco supports her. The two of them make love for one last time before Nikita goes on the run. 

In the final scene, Bob comes to find Nikita and informs Marco that he must know about her whereabouts because of the stolen documents from The Embassy. Although Marco refuses to put Nikita under the bus, Marco hands the documents over to Bob. Soon, the two men come to realize that Nikita might never come back, and they agree that they'll both miss her deeply. 

So that was La Femme Nikita and it's definitely not only a Cinema Du Look classic but also a classic in the French action genre. Inevitably, a remake was underway. First, it was remade as a Hong Kong action film called Black Cat, but the most egregious and the one I'll be mostly focusing on is:

The Point of No Return, directed by John Badham and starring Bridget Fonda.

Now, on paper, this seems like a good idea. You have John Badham, a director known for making classic films such as Saturday Night Fever, Dracula, Blue Thunder, WarGames, Short Circuit, and Stakeout, and then you have Bridget Fonda, who was a rising star at the time. Between the late 80s and early 90s, Hollywood had this trend of remaking popular French films, and La Femme Nikita just happened to be one of them. The result...not so great. 

Everything subtle about the original is cranked up to eleven. For instance, let's examine the two opening scenes:

The opening scene in the original film fades into a quiet, desolate street, setting the atmosphere. The intense yet subtle rock'n' roll music score elevates the rising tension as the camera focuses on the gang of hoodlums going on a robbing spree. Again, it's the buildup, the anticipation that makes the scene engaging. Then, once the opening reaches its boiling point, it totally pays off, breaking out into a chaotic frenzy with the police shootout and then slowing back down when Nikita commits her crime. It's truly an achievement.

The opening scene in The Point of No Return, however, is very OVERWHELMING. A lot is going on. There are helicopters, police sirens, people yelling and screaming, not to mention the janky camera edits that keep things out of focus, which makes it hard to tell what's going on. The music score is your typical 90s heavy metal, complete with a female vocalist doing her "oohs" and "ahhs". It's all very generic. The music score was made by Hans Zimmer, and he can be hit or miss sometimes, but this score in particular is probably his weakest.

Then there's Bridget Fonda in the lead role as Maggie/Nina. Although Fonda is a decent actress, I do not buy her as this wayward drug addict turned trained assassin. I think this type of role would've fit well with somebody like Angelina Jolie or a Gina Gershon; a kind of actress that has a "bad girl" edge to her. Bridget Fonda gives more of a Girl Next Door vibe. To further my comparisons to the original and remake, in the 1990 version, the filmmakers went out of their way to make Anne Palluriud really grungy-looking, and once she gets the makeover, the change in her appearance is very effective. But in The Point of Return, there's not much of a difference with Bridget Fonda's appearance. All they do is give her a black wig, no makeup, with a few cuts on her face, and unflattering clothing. That's it. There's nothing that awestruck about her makeover either. The winged hairstyle doesn't really make me believe that she's turned into a dangerous woman; nothing about it screams "mysteriously enticing." Of course, Bridget Fonda is good with what she's given, but I thought she played it a bit too safe in my opinion. It's not as raw and complex as Anne Palluriud's performance. 

Gabriel Byrne as Bob didn't cut it for me. Again, his performance wasn't bad, but it was very phoned in. Now, Gabriel Byrne is a handsome man, but he just doesn't have sex appeal. The actor who played Bob in the original had a quiet, suave, mysterious allure to him, which added to his sex appeal, whereas Gabriel Byrne comes off as a concerned dad.

The chemistry between Bridget Fonda and Gabriel Byrne is so non-existent. It's not steamy, not spicy, and really doesn't get that push and pull that was palpable between Nikita and Bob from the original.

The chemistry between her and Dermont Mulroney was much more believable in my opinion. This time, his name is J.P., who is a landlord and part-time photographer. Her romance with J.P. was a lot more invested and spicy, and is probably one of the few highlights of the movie. 

The writing is as cliche as you might expect. Adding in these cheesy one-liners and a scene where Maggie and J.P. are vacationing in New Orleans, and, just like any other cliched action film, a group of thugs attempts to mug them, only for Maggie to knock them all out at once. Very typical.

But the most random moment of the film is its third act.

So this is Maggie's supposed last mission. She is assigned to masquerade as Angela, the spoiled girlfriend of Fahd Bakhitar, an Iranian business magnate trading in nuclear weapons. Just like in the original, Maggie has to simply incapacitate Angela, but of course, things go awry, which results in the deaths of two bodyguards and the injury of her partner, Beth. 

So here comes a special guest star in the form of Harvey Keitel as Victor the Cleaner who is sent by The Agency to fix the mission but, in actuality, he's sent there to kill Magge and Beth for screwing up. Unlike the original Victor, who was a reckless idiot, this Victor is a ruthless killing machine and is close to being the film's antagonist. He tries to dissolve the bodies only to discover that Anglea is still alive and Beth, just like her counterpart, starts freaking out, which results in Victor killing her even though she did not once pull out a gun on him. Watching her partner die in front of her, Maggie is forced to finish the mission, not knowing what's in store for her. 

The mission goes as planned, but the target, Fahd Bakhitar, escapes his assassination, and Maggie is forced to flee. 

The tension rises as Maggie and Victor escape the scene. She sees that he has a gun strapped to his side and, upon instinct, starts fighting him off. Victor is a pretty strong dude and almost gets the upper hand, but Maggie pulls down a STARTING vehicle on him, crushing him to death down a deep hill. 

After her near-death experience, Maggie finally confesses to J.P. about her secret life, and he agrees to hide her out for her safety. When Bob goes to look for her, J.P. tells him that she's suddenly disappeared and doesn't go any further about her whereabouts. But once he goes outside, Bob sees a silhouette of Maggie in an alleyway. Instead of reporting her, he calls the agency to inform that The Cleaner is dead, and with some hesitation, informs that Maggie is dead too.

So in the last shot of the film, Maggie goes out into the sunset, free as a bird. The End. 

Yeah...this wasn't as good as the original. Sure, you can look at it as your run-of-the-mill 90s action movie, but the original was much more than that. It was a thought-provoking, complex character study of a woman being trapped between two worlds, and the American version just didn't hit the same beats; it's not as engaging or organic.

There was a TV series that came out a couple of years later, titled La Femme Nikita, which premiered on the USA Network. I saw snippets of this here and there, but I've never really gotten to watch it the whole way through. But now that I'm a Nikita enthusiast, I might give it a watch a maybe put it up for review one day. 

Lastly, there was another TV series that premiered on the CW starring Maggie Q. The plot plays out much differently this time around. Nikita, after working for The Division for three years, is back to bring down the organization with the help of a young recruit. I've watched most of the first season, but I kind of checked out after that. Most of it wasn't that bad, but I wasn't totally invested in it either. 

Well, this is where I choose which version is the best. And it's the 1990 French version. Everything about it just works, and it's most likely one of my favorite films of all time. However, The Point of Return just doesn't have the same magic, and that makes it a very forgettable film in my opinion.

My Last Word: Yes, check out Nikita (1990). It's definitely worth your time. 

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Single White Female (1992)

 

I am so excited to be talking about this!  I've seen this movie 50 times by now, and my dad actually owned the VHS tape. I watched this at an age when I wasn't supposed to. And boy, was I in for a surprise. Sex and Violence, oh my! This came out during the wave of the "from hell" movies that were very popular during the 90s. For Example: You have The Tenant From Hell in Pacific Heights, The Nanny From Hell in The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, the Best Friend From Hell in Posion Ivy, The Neighbor From Hell in The Crush, The Temp Worker From Hell in The Temp, The Boss From Hell in Disclosure, You even have the Paperboy From Hell in The Paperboy, and let's not forget The Boyfriend From Hell in Fear. So, yeah, these movies were inescapable back in the day and pretty much gave Lifetime a run for its money. In this case, Single White Female is the one who started it all. In this corner, we have The Roommate From Hell.

I had no idea this was based on a novel, but until recently, I finally had a chance to read it. From what I gather, the movie is only loosely based on the novel. Yes, the characters' names are the same, same location, and same scenario, but not quite as similar as the movie turned out. This plays out more like a crime novel than a full suspense novel, and it's not as intense, though it is an easy read. Not the best novel ever, but it's alright. 

Allie is a blonde in the novel, and from how she's described, she's kind of a cross between model/actress Lauren Hutton and actress Kate Vernon. Allie's boyfriend, Sam Rawson, while sympathetic in the film, is a scoundrel through and through. In fact, Allie catches Sam and Hedra (wearing a wig similar to Allie's hair) having sex in full view. Sure, you would think, oh well, he's probably mistaken for her for Allie, but no, Sam knew it was Hedra, it's just the sex was too good for him to stop it, which eventually leads to his rather brutal demise. Allie's neighbor and friend, Graham, is not gay and, in fact, was married once. He is now a waiter turned playwright who has a bit of a crush on Allie, though, unfortunately, he gets killed off-screen with a mention that Hedra might've run him over just as he was getting attention for his off-Broadway play while writing a script titled SWF Seeks Same. As for Hedra Carlson, she's much more cunning and manipulative and comes off more like the typical Femme Fatale you see in those Lifetime movie thrillers, unlike the film version where she's bumbling and doesn't think things through. The novel is a slow burn, just like the movie. It starts off with Allie receiving obscene phone calls, which turns out to be one of Hedra's kinky wanton lovers who mistaken her for Allie, of course, but just as the plot thickens in the middle portion, when Hedra frames her for Sam's murder, Allie goes on the run. This section takes up half the novel, and while it was a little exciting at first, it started to drag for a bit. Now, in this version, Allie's slimy boss Mitchell Mayfair (Myerson in the film version) doesn't die, but she does break into his apartment to steal his jewelry and his laptop when times get rough. Allie pawns Mitchell's items at a pawn shop, but the owner's suspicions begin to rise, and eventually, the police come to arrest Allie. From then on, our focus is on Hedra, who initially seems to get away with her schemes and eventually styles her hair like Allie's, but sooner or later, she gets caught once she tries to move into the same apartment. There's a minor character named Detective Kennedy who helps out with Allie's case, but he doesn't appear in the movie, which I think is for the best. With Hedra put away, Allie turns a new leaf and moves back to her home state of Illinois where she enjoys a quieter, simpler life. The End. 

This is one of the few instances where I like the movie better than the book, and I feel that the climax in the movie was much more thrilling compared to the rather dull pacing of the novel, which waned my interest far too soon. Overall, it was okay for what it was.

This was the first feature script written by TV writer Dan Roos alongside French New Wave director Barbet Schroeder. Dan Roos added a bit more character development, soap operatic twists, and horror movie elements that made the script more engaging than the book. Speaking of engaging, Director Barbet Schroeder added a certain style and tone that fit well within the erotic thriller craze. Not only is there a mysterious allure to the setting of New York, but there's also a girliness innocence, particularly with Allie and Hedie's bonding scenes. The light before the darkness. That's what I've always loved about Single White Female. It's one of those movies that starts as a drama but slowly builds into a suspense/thriller/horror type of movie. 

Now, the really interesting part is the casting of the movie. Now, don't laugh at this one. I totally respect this person, and she kills it as a dramatic actress, but the part of Allison Jones was going to be given to none other than...

Whoopi Goldberg 

Now from a business standpoint, this doesn't seem like a bad idea. Whoopi Goldberg just won an Oscar for her supporting role in Ghost, and the "From Hell" movies were riding high at the box office. But I can't help to say that this would've been a completely different movie. This was also the same year when Whoopi starred in Sister Act, a lighthearted comedy about a nightclub singer posing as a nun to avoid the mob. I would imagine that this version of Single White Female can still be a serious film, but with a hint of comedy in it. Eventually, Whoopi backed out, and with Schroeder taking over the movie, he had a different approach, which would lead more into the dark, mysterious, erotic-thriller side of things. 

It all went down to the casting of Bridget Fonda, who was, of course, the daughter of award-winning actor Peter Fonda and was also part of an acting family dynasty along with her aunt Jane Fonda. Bridget Fonda would become an award-winning actress herself, starring in either abstract art films or controversial indie films. So she would be the perfect candidate to star in an erotic thriller directed by a French New Wave director. 

I would like to take a moment to gush over the fabulous setting of the film, the historic Cody Arms. The building comes off like a character of itself and is the perfect setting for a horror movie. I would even compare it to The Bramford from Rosemary's Baby, invoking that feeling of claustrophobia and paranoia as the walls are caving in on you, where an anonymous figure can pop out and get you when you're at your most helpless. This especially works within the climax, where the suspense is at an all-time high. 

Now, on the actual movie. Before I get to our darling leading ladies, I want to get the men out of the way, although all three of the male characters do serve a purpose in the plot. 

First, we have Sam Rawson, played by the very attractive Steven Weber. Unlike the complete douchebag that he was in the novel, the movie potrays Sam in a sympathetic light. Instead of just a random hookup, the character of Lisa is now Sam's ex-wife, which explains the connection between them. Lisa apparently wanted some emotional support, which eventually led to Sam cheating on Allie.

 Slowly but surely, Allie and Sam get back together, which doesn't sit well with Hedy, who's grown attached to Allie. This causes her to do the unthinkable...

Late one night, while posing as Allie, Hedy sneaks to Sam's hotel room, climbs into bed while he's sleeping and proceeds to give him a blowjob...without his consent. When Sam wakes up, he realizes this isn't Allie that's doing this, and just as he attempts to push Hedy away, he instantly climaxes. Out of all the crimes Hedy has committed, this is probably the worst of them all. Killing a poor, innocent dog might be on the list, too, but this also counts. This is one of the few depictions of male sexual assault that's portrayed as serious. There's another movie called Thursday that also features sexual male assault, and it's not sexy or erotic at all. It's downright disturbing because the male victim is a happily married man. So, in this instance, this makes Sam a sympathetic character. Sam feels utterly violated and rightfully so. Hedy begs him to leave Allie alone, but Sam refuses and is adamant about telling Allie the truth. In a fit of rage, Hedy throws a shoe at him. And just when Sam charges at her...

Hedy stabs him in the eye with the pointy end of her stellitto. Sam has become Hedy's first murder victim...

Then there's Allie's slimebag boss Mitchell Myerson, played by character actor Stephen Tobolowsky, who also had a small role in another erotic thriller, Basic Instinct. Mitchell in the novel was a lot more tame, and that's to put it mildly. He's still a sexist, perverted asshole but he only merely propositioned Allie for sex.

However, in the film version, he almost sexually assaults her. This was also at a time when women in the workforce were going through some rather unsavory situations, such as sexual abuse. Sometimes, the woman is a willing participant, but only because she wants to reach a higher level at her job. This kind of thing still goes on, unfortunately, but unlike the year this movie was made, at least they're people speaking out about it. Allie doesn't want any of it and gives Mitchell a good punch to the balls.

After this ordeal, Hedy feels that Allie didn't get her just due and gets her to wipe out his personal accounts. Mitchell freaks the fuck out and makes a dash to Allie's apartment.

Just as Hedy blocks his way, Mitchell fights her off and actually attempts to save Allie. Though not out of virtue, more out of saving his own ass. He thinks he got the best of Hedy, but it's only his ego. Hedy eventually knocks him out and puts two bullets in his head. Mitchell becomes Hedy's second murder victim. 

Finally, we have Graham Knox played by Broadway and Television actor Peter Friedman. Graham is the typical gay best friend, but there's really nothing typical about him. He's actually quite a badass. Sure, he gets knocked out cold by Hedy, but unlike the novel, he is able to survive his attack and ends up saving the day. What makes Graham even more admirable is that he's very protective of Allie and even before shit goes down, he informs her that it might be a good time to go the authorities when it comes to Hedy's unstable behavior. So Graham becomes the ideal hero in the end. 

Now, without further ado, we have the two ladies of the hour...but first, let's talk about the iconic hairstyle that starts it all. 

As I've mentioned, Allie is a blonde in the novel, and oddly enough, Bridget Fonda is blonde along with Jennifer Jason Leigh, who is...often blonde. But I think it was the director's choice to make Allie a redhead, I guess because red stands out more, and Bridget Fonda does look more striking with the red hair, so it works for me. The hairstyle, as I would like to call it, is the Elegant bowl cut made popular by actress Demi Moore in the movie Ghost. There's a specific scene in the movie that I would like to discuss further because this hairstyle is what broke the camel's back and sets the chains of events.

Allison "Allie" Jones, played by the extraordinary Bridget Fonda, is our plucky female lead. Fonda was asked which role she could play when she was cast in the film. She chose the role of Allie because she thought it would be more difficult, but Fonda pulled it through nicely. 

She could've easily played her as this uptight yuppie type, however, Fonda was able to bring more dimension to the character. In the novel, Allie is an independent woman who holds her own. She has no living family members, not many friends, and is mainly focused on her work. There's not much of a backstory on her movie counterpart, but the screenplay softens the character. 

There's an intelligence about her in her look, style, and confidence, however, there is a sense of loneliness. The scene where she breaks down in the kitchen shows that Sam's betrayal affected her, and her search for a roommate is to fill the void in her life. Sure, she has Graham, but she yearns for more human connection. This wasn't explored in the novel and was probably more of a letdown because it was hard to connect with her character on a deeper level, yet the screenplay, along with Bridget Fonda's awesome performance, gave the character more depth. 

Now is the time to talk about what I consider one of the best villain performances of the '90s. Now present to you...

Hedra "Hedy" Carlson, played by the incredibly talented Jennifer Jason Leigh. 

In the novel, Hedy is more of a mystery with subtle hints of a turbulent home life. It's implied that her father may have sexually abused her, which explains why her targets are mostly men, and there's also mention of her staying at a mental hospital for quite some time, but not much is dwelt upon. However, the movie gives her a lengthy backstory to explain why she is the way she is. When Hedy was younger, she had a twin who died by drowning, causing her to have survivor's guilt and a heavy dose of abandonment issues. Of course, there's the age-old Hollywood trope that if a person has a mental illness, they're obviously violent, but, in due time, Hollywood has gotten a little bit better at making this trope less cliche. 

When Hedy appears, she catches Allie in a pretty, somber moment. Hedy instantly comforts Allie, and out of the interviewees, she completely wins her over. Unfortunately for Hedy, she mistakes this moment as an actual bond, though the two do become close initially. However, the movie gives off subtle hints of Hedy's obsessive nature, such as buying a pet to bring Allie closer, trying and failing to seduce Sam, and eventually...

Getting a haircut. This is the moment where shit hits the fan. This is the moment where things go down. Hedy has officially "twined" herself. Allie is, understandably, freaked out by this and contemplates kicking Hedy out, even though that was the plan when Sam came back into her life. Therefore, the desperation begins, and once Hedy gets more desperate, she becomes more violent and erratic. 

Then there's the scene where Allie follows Hedy to an S&M club. Allie is totally out of her element and wouldn't believe that the initially shy and timid Hedy would be at a club like this. However, this showcases that Allie is now stepping into Hedy's world, and it also reveals Hedy's psychosexual dark side. 

During the climax, when Allie says the line, "I'm not your sister Hedy. Not anymore. I'm like you now,"  this means that Allie shares Hedy's sense of abandonment. When Hedy forces her to write the mock suicide note, Allie is adamant that she was never that afraid, that no one will believe she wrote that, but deep down, that sense of loneliness is still there, and while writing it, Allie can confront that fear of depression and push head-on. It's not just the determination to escape from Hedy's grip but from her own internal struggles. 

I would like to talk about the amazing performance by Jennifer Jason Leigh. It's the kind of acting that's indescribable. She's vulnerable yet vicious, sweet yet scary, and I don't think any actress would pull this off but her. It's one of the most authentic portrayals of mental illness because there are times when she would say something harsh, but then instantly regret it, indicating that she might be going through some sort of pyschosis. She's not just playing the character; she understands the character. It's all right there in the performance, and Jennifer Jason Leigh does it brilliantly. I would even go so far as to say that she should've at least gotten nominated for a Golden Globe. Yes, her performance is that good. And again, shout out to Bridget Fonda for handling such a challenging role and doing an awesome job with it. 

There was an alternate ending filmed for a test audience but the reception was not well-recieved. There's not much information about this, however, I think they were going for the original ending in the book. Fatal Attraction had a similar treatment when, in the alternate ending, Alex killed herself. I found the scene to be quite poetic and haunting but apparently this didn't work with the test audience and so, the filmmakers decided to go for a typical horror movie climax where Alex attacks Dan and his wife and is ultimatley shot and killed. I guess in the alternate ending of Single White Female, Hedy actually survives but I think the test audience thought Hedy's crimes were too severe for her to survive at the end, so as mentioned before, the filmmakers went for a tradtional cat-and-mouse horror scene and, to be quite honest, I don't mind this change. First of all, the furance room is the perfect horror movie setting. The suspense sets into an adreline high as Allie and Hedy gets into a knock-out, drag-out brawl in the elevator, descending into the hellish relams of the furnace room. Just when you think Hedy has the upper hand by strangling Allie to death, her body disappears. This is when Hedy completely transforms into an all-out horror villian, slowly hunting for her prey. Then as Hedy gets distracted, Allie makes her move and stabs her from the ceiling. Therefore, Hedy's reign of terror is over and Allie tries to cope with her recent bout of tramua. 

Single White Female went on to be a cult hit as it rose up in the box office and home movie rentals. So it was inevitable that a sequel would be in the works. But the question is...how? 

This didn't happen until 13 years later. Lo and behold, we have Single White Female 2: The Psycho. Really? That's the title they came up with? As you would expect the movie is a piece of shit direct-to-video sequel: Bad wigs, bad writing, and bad acting. It pretty much follows the same beats as the first movie. Hell, even the main character is a redhead! So yeah, I've seen this on Lifetime ONCE and pretend it never happened. 

Then there's the Lifetime Movie of the Week, Single Black Female. It's a semi-remake of another movie starring former Destiny's Child member Farrah Franklin, which was basically a cheap knock-off.  It is said to be inspired by Single White Female with a dose of All About Eve. All I know is that it stars Amber Riley from Glee as the main antagonist. Haven't seen it and, to be honest, I really don't care to. This was at a time when Lifetime was on a decline, and their specialty was usually these low-budget, cheap so-called thrillers that would put Tubi to shame. Apparently, this has two more sequels, but again, I don't see myself watching this and it's not going to be anytime soon, so...yeah. 

Just recently I heard the news that there was going to be a remake of Single White Female. Yes, I said it. A remake starring Jenna Ortega. As much as I like Jenna Ortega, I'm not looking forward to it. This movie already had countless of bad sequels, rip-offs, spin-offs, and I can even argue a remake of its own.

Do you remember The Roommate? Yeah, I didn't either, but it basically follows the same plot points with the only difference is that it set in college with a few changes here and there. This is as close to remake it can get and I can't see how they would replicate the same magic that the original had. From what I've seen lately, we're getting a lot of generic remakes and I don't see how this version of Single White Female is going to be any different. A concept like Single White Female is made for the 90s, it's like lightining in a bottle and it's hard to replicate it. 

So despite all its imitators, Single White Female will always be known as the ultimate cult classic of its era. 

My Last Word: Defintely Worth Watching.