Two bank robbers hold the clerks hostage and demand 3 million German marks as ransom. What the police do not realise is that the true criminal mastermind watches them from outside the bank, anticipating every move.
Directed by Dominik Graf, “The Cat” promises an almost entirely different ride with its initial minutes and poster art. Opening with a spicy sequence between Probek (Götz George) and Jutta (Gudrun Landgrebe), the poster has a prominent image of the couple in a steamy embrace overlayed with a tinier image of George as Probek holding a gun (more apt for the eventual plot of this movie), suggesting that this crime thriller is going to be one of the erotic flavor that was so popular for a while in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s.
Ultimately, Graf’s film is a bank heist movie. Following the opening segment, the movie focuses on two bank robbers, Junghein (Heinz Hoenig) and Britz (Ralf Richter), who attempt to rob a bank. Except, the bank robbery, overseen by Probek from a hotel room high above the plaza, is a ruse to hold the bank’s employees for a 3 million German Deutschemark (this is a German film) ransom. The plot has more intricacies than that, but I don’t want to spoil too much.
I found this to be an intriguing watch. There’s something gripping about most of the film. It maintains a good pace and holds your attention. Graf handles sequences well, frequently building tension. Despite this, I thought the movie went on a bit long, although not long enough to completely lose my interest. Some of the elements toward the conclusion get a bit messy. Altogether, this was an enjoyable film.
This limited edition Blu-ray disc is released by Radiance Films. The booklet included doesn’t provide too much detail about the movie’s transfer, but it does state that director Dominik Graf oversaw the end result. Like their other discs, I thought this was a very nice-looking and sounding transfer. I have no complaints on that front. Note: This disc includes a 5.1 audio file in addition to the stereo audio file. I watched with the stereo track.
“The Cat” includes more bonus features than Radiance Films usually includes on its releases. They are of the usual interview variety but substantially longer than normal. Among them are a 65-minute interview with Graf, an interview with screenwriter Christoph Fromm, and an interview with producer Georg Feil. The disc also includes commentary on three select scenes from the film. I didn’t find the commentary very intriguing. There’s also the film’s trailer and a booklet with an essay by Brandon Streussnig.
Graf’s movie was another film I had never heard of before receiving the disc to review. Radiance has become one of my favorite boutique labels with its variety and focus on underground (at least to me) cinema. It is definitely a label worth checking out, and this is one of the better films I’ve seen from them.
Now available on Special Limited Edition Blu-ray from RADIANCE
