6:30 p.m.	The Professional Man x Two Nicholas Kazan (U.S., 1989) / Steven Soderbergh (U.S., 1995)

Goodis was no stranger to TV. As early as 1950, the series Sure As Fate adapted Nightfall, and by 1956 The Unfaithful found its compressed counterpart on the Lux Video Theatre. Latter-day shows like Bourbon Street Beat (1960) and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1963) also took advantage of the Goodis Guignol. But none are as surprising as the dual adaptation of the 1953 story “The Professional Man.” Unbeknownst to each other, both HBO and Showtime revived the tale, but to totally different effect. The bare-bones scenario is this: the hard-boiled boss of a hitman falls for the henchman’s squeeze. When his gal shuns the big man, the contract killer can either turn her, turn her off (permanently), or turn to a third option. Kazan’s version with Christian Slater as the hired gun finds a remarkable resolution that gets two thumbs up . . . the throat; Soderbergh’s take, starring Brendan Fraser, retrofits it as the Lavender Mob, with all the gunsels gay.

—Steve Seid

• The Professional Man (Nicholas Kazan, U.S., 1989). From the HBO series The Edge. Written by Kazan, based on the story by David Goodis. Photographed by Bernd Heinl. With Christian Slater, Bridget Fonda, Donn Florek. (25 mins, Color, DVD, From Nicholas Kazan). The Professional Man (Steven Soderbergh, U.S., 1995). From the Showtime series Fallen Angels. Written by Howard A. Rodman, based on the story by David Goodis. Photographed by Robert Stevens. With Brendan Fraser, Peter Coyote, Bruce Ramsay. (32 mins, Color, DVD, From Howard A. Rodman)

• (Total running time: 57 mins)