• Release year: 1988
• Director: Dominik Graf.
• Producers: Georg Feil and Günter Rohrbach.
• Screenplay by: Christoph Fromm.
• Cinematography by: Martin Schäfer.
• Music by: Andreas Köbner.

Shotgun Commentary: straightforward narrative with a riveting development.

Review

The Cat (original title: Die Katze) takes place over the course of a day (night not included). You join the story as the sun comes up and the characters are presented. And you leave it at sunset, with all the involved taking their final bow. The tale is concise and to-the-point. Its focus being on properly developing each stage of the heist, rather than pointlessly stalling its course with unnecessary details. For crime-cinema fans with no time for nonsense, this is definitely a must-watch.

Dark humour

The feature sets its intention very early on. Its twisted sense of humour is clear from the beginning as it plays “Good Times” by The Animals while two robbers drive to their targeted bank, and the third one has sex with a married woman. This cynicism will remain the general mood of the whole film. A constant combination of silly jokes and ironic humour with the seriousness of a violent armed robbery.

As previously mentioned, the film does not waste any time with metaphors or shots for the sake of shots. It is clear on the story it wants to share and never strays from it. A wonderful approach to storytelling that is all-too-often spoiled by directors’ egos. In this sense, Graf showcases his passion for the craft by delivering a wonderful story with no ego whatsoever. It was an ambitious project at the time, but one in which everyone involved delivered to the best of their abilities, leaving you with a perfect crime film.

If you have read a few reviews in here, you already know this critic’s penchant for highlighting even the smallest mistakes if they are annoying enough to ruin the experience. Sadly, there are no such mistakes, big or small, in this feature. So you’ll have to settle for an analysis on the best features of this movie.

Cat and mouse

One of the most obvious is the acting. If you know a bit about German cinema during the 80s, you know that this film has some big names. So, as expected, this area of The Cat is absolutely flawless.

Götz George as Probek, aka “The Cat”, is magnetic from the very beginning. George brings an inordinate amount of charm to his character, a trait he definitely needs because Probek is one of the most self-absorbed, sexist characters ever. In fact, it is quite shocking to see his female counterpart refusing to fall into the 80s category of brainless woman desperate to be loved by an a-hole.

Said woman is Jutta, played by Gudrun Landgrebe, a woman with class and as much self-love as a woman constantly being put down by her husband and her lover can have. The couple have one of the most fascinating relationships of a 80s crime feature, one that is ever-evolving and keeps you guessing till the very end.

Happy eyes, happy ears

The cinematography is a huge component of the movie. Real and studio locations are combined seamlessly. All the locations are utilised efficiently and their characteristics exploited fully to create unique shots and intriguing situations along the narrative.

A very similar phenomenon happens with the sound. You will very likely get a headache if you stop to think about how many audio clips they had to coordinate from different sources in order to create a realistic sound mix that fits the images. And this is before you learn that there were actually many more recordings that weren’t used because it was simply too much, one out of many fascinating anecdotes that Graf shares on an interview featured in the extra content of Radiance’s release of this film, more info below.

All in all, The Cat is a fantastic heist movie where everything, both in front and behind cameras, works flawlessly. This perfectly-oiled machine creates a thrilling experience for all fans of the genre to enjoy, still fascinating after four decades of existence.

Radiance Films will release a high-definition restoration of The Cat the 24th of February in the UK. It is also available in USA/Canada from Radiance’s partners MVD, Diabolik, Orbit, Grindhouse, Rough Cut Canada and others.

Further details of the release below:

LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES

• High-Definition digital transfer newly graded by Radiance Films and overseen by director Dominik Graf
• Interview with Dominik Graf (2024, 62 mins)
• Interview with screenwriter Christoph Fromm (2024, 31 mins)
• Interview with producer Georg Feil (2024, 31 mins)
• Select-scene commentary by Dominik Graf (2024)
• Trailer
• New English subtitle translation
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
• Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Brandon Streussnig
• Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

Find the Radiance release right here!

Advice to take from this movie:

• Don’t underestimate people.
• Even the most elaborated of plans can go to hell if there is a weak link.
• Sometimes, divorce really is the easier option.

What’s your take? Have you watched The Cat? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀