I’ve been around the block a few times, so I’m no stranger to bizarre films. In fact, I spent most of my twenties trying to find the weirdest of the weird. It definitely comes as a surprise to me when I come across something so strange that I’m rendered speechless. Thank you, 88 Films, for delivering a film that leaves me at a loss for words. I hate the fact I’ve taken so long to watch it, but director Lam Nai-Choi’s The Cat (1991) checks off every box, and the limited-edition Blu-ray helps to cement its growing cult status.
The Cat follows an alien warrior in the form of a beautiful woman who arrives on Earth with her feline companion to stop an ancient intergalactic evil. Their mission draws them into conflict with ruthless gangsters, bumbling cops, and a massive tentacled monster bent on destruction. Blending slapstick comedy, wire-fu martial arts, and gory creature effects, the film pits humans and extraterrestrials against unimaginable threats.
The Cat is based on a book by Ni Kuang, whose Wisley series of books spanned 156 novels from 1963 to 2004. The director previously mined that particular well for his 1986 film The Seventh Curse, which is pretty wild in itself. The Cat, though, goes off the rails every chance it gets. There are moments where things move a little slow, but eventually it delivers. The old-school practical effects are fantastic, running the gamut from creature effects and stop-motion to a gooey monster similar to the Blob.
The real star of the movie is the legendary fight scene between the alien cat and a dog. It just has to be seen to be believed. The cast is a who’s who of Hong Kong genre cinema, featuring Gloria Yip (Saviour of the Soul), Waise Lee (A Better Tomorrow), Christine Ng (Rush Hour), and Philip Kwok (Hard Boiled), who deliver fun performances. Lam Nai-Choi’s masterpiece remains The Story of Ricky (1991), but The Cat is a close second.
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The limited edition features an O-ring and rigid slipcase with artwork by Sean Longmore, a collectible postcard, and a 40-page perfect-bound book containing new writing on the film by Paul Bramhall and Matthew Edwards. The special features include a new 2K scan from the original negative, remastered soundtrack with newly translated subtitles, commentary by Asian cinema expert Frank Djeng, the standard definition Japanese cut, a new interview with Gordon Chan, an image gallery, a trailer, and reversible artwork. It’s a beautiful package indeed.
Wild, unpredictable, and uniquely Hong Kong, The Cat delivers cult-favorite chaos where kung fu and alien horror collide in outrageous style.
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 arrives on limited-edition Blu-ray, which sees kung fu and alien horror collide.){kind=link}