THE CAT (1988): What's In A Title?

THE CAT (Blu-ray)

1988 / 118 min

From Radiance Films

Review by Mr. Bonnie, the Bank Robber😺

You know what? There’s not one damn cat in this entire movie. They aren’t part of the story, nor does any character appear to own one. At no time does one scamper into-frame in the background. And unless something got lost in the translation, nobody in the film goes by the moniker of Cat.

Overcoming that bit of disappointment, I briefly assumed The Cat is a metaphorical title, but I’ll be damned if I know what it’s supposed to represent. Or maybe…just maybe…it refers to very first scene, where master criminal Probek (Gotz George) is getting a little (insert synonym for cat) before his next big score.

This opening sex scene is actually important to the plot, because the (insert synonym for cat) in question is Jutta (Gudrun Landgrebe), who’s married to the manager of the bank Probek is fixing to rob. While she’s ultimately part of the elaborate plan, neither she nor Probek venture into the bank themselves. For that, Probek has hired Junghein (Heinz Hoenig) and Britz (Ralf Rictor) to storm into the place as it opens and take everyone hostage, setting the stage for a stand-off with the police…

…which is part of Probek’s plan to begin with. As police, led by Detective Voss (Joachim Kemmer), surround the bank, Probek is conducting the entire robbery with high-tech equipment from his hotel room above the melee and directing Junghein via radio. It’s also a convenient place to get a little more (insert synonym for cat) from Jutta. The film eventually becomes an intriguing game of cat & mouse between Voss (who has dealt with Junghein before) and Probek (cooly manipulating events from a distance).

In a way, The Cat plays a little like a German variation of Dog Day Afternoon, minus the social commentary. Though produced in 1988, the film even has a similar 1970s aesthetic. For fans of this sort of thing, there’s a lot of fun to be had here, with a formidable antagonist, plenty of tension, surprising plot turns and bursts of violent action. Director Dominik Graf, well known in Germany for his work within the crime genre, obviously isn’t trying to save the world here, assembling a tight, occasionally lurid thriller that more-or less delivers on its premise…even without any actual cats.

Fairly obscure on this side of the pond, The Cat is now available for the first time on Blu-ray and comes with some interesting retrospective bonus features. It’s a film is worth discovering for fans of heist and hostage thrillers, though I’d like to have a word with its creative team about that title.

EXTRA KIBBLES

INTERVIEWS - Lengthy individual interviews with director Dominik Graf, co-screenwriter Christoph Fromm and producer Georg Feil.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - For select scenes, by director Dominik Graf.

TRAILER