SUMMARY
In
Japan, a trio of thieves called Cat's Eye has been steeling priceless
works of art from all over Japan. Detective Hoshio has been assigned to
capture these three women, but he has yet to stop them.
Little does he relies that his girlfriend, Hitomi, is a member of Cat's
Eye as is her elder sister Rui, and younger sister Ai. He is also unaware
that the coffee house they own is their secret lair. He doesn’t even
know that the paintings were done by their father, who was abducted by
Chinese Tong members. It seems like Hoshio has a long way to go before he
catches them. Problem is, he won't marry Hitomi until he does.
At the same time, the Chinese Mafia arrives in Japan, looking to kill who
ever has been stealing the art work from their associates. Their leader
Miss Wong, is a psycho with the ability to change her form at will. She
knows who Cat's Eye really is, and she has a clever trap for them.
With the help of Interpol detective Mitsuko, Cat's Eye is closer to
finding out about the truth about their fathers disappearance, and the
real secret behind Miss Wong's power. Will Cat's Eye prevail?
DVD VISION
TEST
VIDEO:
Very well done video quality, much better than the original VHS version.
With this movie taking place mostly at night, there is the worry of pixels
and artifacing to worry about. There is none as far as we can tell. The
image is sharper, and their is more detail than before.
AUDIO: The Dolby 2.0 is pretty good, with dialogue from the front speakers,
and music and sfx from the back. It sounds a lot better than the VHS.
Sharper and clearer.
EDITS: This DVD is the same as the theatrical version. No edits have been
made.
EXTRAS: A 30 minute making of which concentrates on the action segments,
and some of the movie trailers.
WIDESCREEN
REVIEW
STORY:
Overall, the story is horrible. This is one of the most predictable,
idiotic, and poorly scripted movie ever to come out of Japan. The dialogue
is silly, the situations are laughable, and the male cast are written as
idiots. Writer and Director Kaizo Hiyashi should have one of Cat's Eye
shurikens buried into his head.
ACTING: Despite a cast of excellent actors, it is obvious that Kaizo
Hiyashi didn't know what to do with them. The female actors come off as
boring and totally uninterested in the events surrounding them, while the
men are over the top, almost cartoonish.
FAN SERVICE: Well, for you action fans, you have three ass-kicking babes
in black leather for about 80% of the movie. You also have a way cool
animated opening. No manga in jokes however.
CONCLUSION
What do you have when you put an A-list cast with a
Z-list director and writer. You have Cat's Eye, and uneven and ludicrous
action film that barely qualifies for a B-movie title. This is a shame,
since it is an A looking film.
As with most adaptations, you loose something in the translation from
comic to film, or anime to film. For the most part, the heart and soul of
the source material is still there. Not with Cat's Eye. Fans of the manga
or the anime will sit there and wonder what the hell happened to the cute
and charming trio of thieves. Why do they look like extras in a Michael
Ninn adult film? When did they start using shiuriken instead of cards to
announce their crimes. What is up with the excessive violence?
This is not one of the worse films ever to be churned out by the Japanese
movie factory, but it comes close. The blame is pointed directly at Kaizo
Hiyashi. His script makes for a great anime, but a lousy live action film.
If Cat's Eye had kept it's animated opening, and be voiced by his A-List
cast, it would have been successful. However, there is justice in this
world, and now he is directing episodes of "Power Rangers"
instead of real movies.
So, why would anyone want to watch this film? Well, there are three
reasons. Norika Fujiwara, Izumi Inamori, and Yuki Uchida. These three
women are prime examples of what super star power looks like. They are
beautiful, smart, and very physical. Despite poor direction, you can't
help but be in awe of their on screen presence.
Visually,
this film has a retro-future look which works well. Reminiscent of the
worlds of "Max Headroom" and "The Heroic Trio", these
three leather wearing babes fit right in.
If you want a film that is well done yet hip, get "Red Shadow".
If you want to watch a silly but great looking film, Cat's Eye is it.
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