6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.5 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
When a sexy, high-end escort holds the key evidence to a scandalous government cover-up, two bumbling young detectives become her unlikely protectors from a ruthless assassin hired to silence her.
Starring: Paz Vega, Janet McTeer, Christopher McDonald, Alphonso McAuley, Karel RodenComedy | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 1.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Run. Fight. Survive. Three invaluable pieces of advice when watching Cat Run, a patchwork misfire posing as a dark crime caper in the vein of Snatch or Smokin' Aces. It isn't in the same league as either one, though, or really any of the films it wants to be when it grows up. Its assassins, private detectives and corrupt politicians are clumsy clichés and dim-witted caricatures, its gunplay and fist fights are limp, its script is a mess, its story is convoluted and unwieldy, its ultra-violence pinballs between sick and silly, its comedy flatlines, and it utterly fails to distinguish itself from the dozens of direct-to-video genre mashups that line the bottom of the bargain bin at Walmart. Director John Stockwell and producer Bill Perkins, at least according to their audio commentary, would say I just didn't get it, but sorry gents, there isn't that much to get. They would say I missed the point of what was meant to be a "gonzo" action romp, but there isn't much of a point to miss. At its best, Cat Run aims too high and hits too low. At its worst, it fires into the crowd indiscriminately and hits whatever it can.
Vega is deadly serious. The movie? Not so much.
Aside from some minor banding and slight intermittent artifacting, Cat Run's 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer is easily the highlight of the release. Jean-François Hensgens' East European location photography is awash with overripe primaries, lovely on-the-run skintones, and bleak criminal-underworld blues and grays. Contrast is consistent even when the palette shifts, black levels are homicidally deep (barring a handful of exceptions), and delineation is reasonably revealing. Detail doesn't disappoint either. Fine textures are decently resolved, edges are nice and crisp on the whole, and closeups tend to shine. The image isn't going to blow anyone away, but for a direct-to-video actioner, the presentation is solid. Better still, noise and crush, while apparent from time to time, are contained, aliasing and significant macroblocking are held at bay, and there aren't any serious technical issues to contend with. Long story short, Cat Run looks pretty good, not to mention a great deal better than I expected.
The film's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, though, is a letdown. For all the over-the-top action, violence and lunacy it hurls at the screen, Cat Run limps along thanks to front-heavy sound design, a terribly hit-or-miss soundfield, and little support where it counts. LFE output drives the shoot-em-up home... sometimes. For the most part, it gets by without much kick or, really, much effort at all. The rear speakers, meanwhile, light up one minute and go dark the next, choosing which scenes they're apart of by, I don't know, lottery. When they're fully engaged, they bring some life to the soundscape. But that isn't nearly often enough as packed parties, bustling beaches, and crowded city streets fall flat and sit idly by. Dialogue is clean, clear and carefully prioritized, so there's that, but even it seems to struggle to exist within the various environments Catalina frequents. The acoustics of a small apartment sound strikingly similar to those of a larger mansion ballroom, and the inside of a car isn't much different from the inside of a cafe. Still, Cat Run's lossless track is serviceable and, for all intents and purposes, technically sound. Suffice it to say, mediocre sound design means this is about as good as it gets.
Cat Run didn't make me laugh, and not because I didn't get the jokes. It didn't make me squirm, and not because I'm desensitized to its brand of shock-em violence. It didn't draw me in at all, and not because I needed sleep or had better things to do. It was just that bad. Universal's Blu-ray release is better -- mainly due to its able-bodied video transfer -- but only just. Its DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track offers little and its supplemental package offers even less. (It says something when the best thing about a film is its audio commentary.) Rent it if you must. Watch it if you dare. Skip it if you know what's good for you.
2016
1987
Extended Cut
2013
Rio 70 / River 70 / Future Woman / Future Women / Mothers of America / The Seven Secrets of Sumuru / Die sieben Männer der Sumuru
1969
2018
1985
Special Edition
1986
2015
2018
1980
2017
2015
1994
2009
2012
2019
Retro VHS Collection
1992
1993
1954
2002