The Cat (1992)

22 Apr 2024

Rating: 4/5

Cult Movie Challenge 2024 | 17/52 | HK CAT III

Curiosity is the finest thing in life.

Wisely sits in his house by lamplight. All around him are stacks of books and empty bottles of vodka. He writes an account of three people — two humans and a cat, to be precise — and the stories of folks’s encounters with these three, starting with Li Tung.

Li startles awake in the dead of night to the sound of knocking upstairs. The ceiling shakes with erratic movement, dust, and drywall showering down on him — a common occurrence. He grabs an implement and charges upstairs to give them a piece of his mind.

Li bangs on his neighbor’s door. The neighbor, an older man, comes to the door and apologizes. Behind his neighbor, a woman picks up a fluffy black cat. Their eyes meet Li’s, pulling him into a trance. Only his neighbor waving his bloodied hand in front of Li’s face brings him to. Before Li can ask any questions, the neighbor shuts the door.

The following day, Li sees his neighbor, the woman, and the cat leave in a moving van. He goes to the apartment to investigate. The place is empty, except for one room full of bloody newspapers. He finds a pile of cat intestines.

Li, police inspector Wang Chieh-Meh, Wisely, and Wisely’s partner Pai So eat crab at Wisely’s house. Wisley divulges his theory that the girl and the cat are aliens from another galaxy. The film follows Wisley’s investigation as to what the three are doing. He learns about the Star Killer and their intentions to stop it.

From the director of Riki-Oh, the film is a weirdo blend of horror, action, and sci-fi with an expected amount of gore and violence.

The plot is quite loose, so it feels like things just happen for a lot of it. But when a wild scene comes into focus, it’s hard not to forgive and enjoy the insanity.

The ending is one of the most batshit things I’ve seen in my life. It was such a bizarre mixture of earnest emotion and special effects.

This could be a new comfort movie for me.

** Stray Thoughts / Spoilers **


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