Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Cat's Eye Blu-ray Movie Review

Get That Cat Out of Here!

Reviewed by Michael Reuben September 28, 2016

In 1980, Stanley Kubrick's The Shining ushered in a still-growing sub-genre of films adapted from Stephen King's writings. The Shining was quickly followed by Christine, The Dead Zone and Children of the Corn, among others. At about the same time, King began writing original screenplays, of which the first was the 1982 horror anthology Creepshow, directed by George Romero. Three years later, producer Dino De Laurentiis commissioned a second anthology from King as a vehicle for the young Drew Barrymore, who had previously starred in the producer's Firestarter, based on King's novel. The result was Cat's Eye, a collection of three short tales loosely connected by the presence of a purposeful feline. The first two chapters, "Quitters, Inc." and "The Ledge", were adapted from short stories published in King's collection Night Shift. The third tale, "General", which starred Barrymore, was an original composition.

Directed by Lewis Teague, who had previously helmed Cujo and whose training in the Roger Corman school of filmmaking proved to be useful in stretching a tight budget, Cat's Eye was released in April 1985 to respectable reviews and modest box office, but the film's audience and reputation have grown on cable and home video. For Cat's Eye's debut on Blu-ray, Warner Brothers has given it a new transfer and included the extras from the DVD.

As director Lewis Teague describes in his commentary, Cat's Eye was originally introduced by a prologue explaining the titular tabby's mission, but most of that sequence was removed by the studio (and, apparently, has not survived). The film now opens with the cat being chased by a dogged St. Bernard and taking refuge on a truck bound for New York City. Periodically throughout the film, the cat receives pleas for help from various incarnations of Drew Barrymore's character, Amanda, but before it can come to the little girl's aid, it has to run a gauntlet.

In New York City, the cat is captured by an operative of Quitters, Inc., a mob-run organization for people desperate to quit smoking. Dick Morrison (James Woods) has been referred to Quitters by a friend at work, but once he enters the office of "Dr." Vinny Donatti (Alan King), Morrison finds himself trapped in an anti-smoking protection racket, which threatens to brutalize his wife (Mary D'Arcy) and child (Barrymore in a wig and glasses) if he lights up again. As a demonstration of their technique, Donatti places the cat in an electrified room where it is submitted to shocks. The same thing will happen to Mrs. Morrison, he tells her husband, if Quitters' spies catch him smoking.

Woods delivers an expertly pitched comedic performance, as Morrison feels himself being stalked by Donatti's spotters (or is he just imagining things?). Paranoia is the essence of this segment, which ends with an ingenious twist, after Quitters' techniques actually work, and Morrison begins to relax into his newfound status as a reformed smoker . . . but then . . .

Meanwhile, the cat has escaped to Atlantic City via the Staten Island Ferry (it's best not to examine the geography too closely), where its effort to cross a heavily trafficked road becomes the object of a bet by a big-time gambler named Cressner (Kenneth McMillan), who ends up taking the pussy home after he wins. It's a big night for Cressner. His wife (Patricia Kalember) has been having an affair with a tennis pro, Johnny Norris (Robert Hays), with whom she's planning to run away, but Cressner's hired goons kidnap Norris so that Cressner can force him into a death-defying wager: Successfully circumnavigate the narrow ledge around Cressner's penthouse apartment, and Norris wins the wife, money and his freedom. Although Cressner insists that he never welches on a bet, he also doesn't play fair. In the end, nobody wins—but the cat manages to escape once again.

In the final tale, the tenacious feline makes it to Wilmington, North Carolina, where it is adopted as a stray by Amanda (Barrymore), who names it "General". Amanda's mother (Candy Clark) doesn't really want a house pet, but the girl's father (James Naughton) is more indulgent—which is a good thing, because Amanda is being stalked by a troll who hides in the walls of her bedroom and emerges at night to steal her breath. It is "General's" mission to save her.

This last installment in the anthology is the only one to feature a non-human monster, and the abrupt introduction of supernatural elements into an otherwise realistic narrative may be why "General" is the least effective of the three tales. Still, you have to admire director Teague's effective presentation of the troll stalking Amanda, who was created almost entirely "in camera" with tricks developed for an era before CGI made such creatures routine. The troll in Cat's Eye doesn't look like a puppet (and he isn't, as Teague explains in the commentary), and his weight and believable movements are qualities rarely achieved by computer imagery. His demise, cleverly accompanied by the Police song "Every Breath You Take", is both comical and satisfying.

Cat's Eye Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Cat's Eye was shot by the legendary cinematographer and director Jack Cardiff, whose work ranges from The Red Shoes and The African Queen to Rambo: First Blood, Part II. For this 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray, Warner's Motion Picture Imaging facility has scanned an interpositive at 2K, followed by color-correction intended to bring the image as close as possible to the original release. The result is a film-like Blu-ray with excellent detail in brightly lit scenes, revealing such minutia as the fine textures of the heroic cat's fur and the "sharp dressed man" wardrobe of James Woods's hapless smoker. Detail tends to fall off in darker passages, especially in "The Ledge" and "General", where a slight indistinctness is necessary to sell the practical effects. Blacks are solid throughout, and contrast enhances visibility without blowing out detail. The film's palette is mostly naturalistic, with occasional washes of red for dramatic effect (notably in "The Ledge"). Warner has mastered Cat's Eye with an average bitrate of 34.85 Mbps, with a solid encode.

Cat's Eye Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Cat's Eye's original stereo soundtrack has been cleaned of any age-related noise or interference and encoded in lossless DTS-HD MA 2.0. The film doesn't have any big sonic set pieces, but small effects like creaking doors, striking matches and cooing pigeons (in "The Ledge") are artfully layered into the mix, along with clearly articulated dialogue. When played through a good surround decoder, the track produces effective rear channel support for such elements as the wind whipping around Cressner's penthouse. The versatile composer Alan Silvestri (The Avengers, among many other credits) has provided an electronic score that establishes a distinctly different tone for each of the three tales, while also retaining continuity throughout the film. A cover of the Police's "Every Breath You Take" is employed to great effect in both "Quitters" and "General", and the former also features a memorable use of the song "96 Tears", made popular by the Sixties band called Question Mark and the Mysterians.

Cat's Eye Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The extras have been ported over from Warner's 2004 DVD release of Cat's Eye. The trailer has been remastered in 1080p.

• Commentary with Director Lewis Teague: Recorded in 2002, Teague's commentary is both low-key and informative on an array of topics, including the director's background, the genesis of Cat's Eye, the experience of working with King on the script, an account of the production, a description of the effects techniques and general directing insights.



• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1.78:1; 1:34): "Lovable pets. Classic cars. Quiet evenings. Favorite films. Adorable kids. And, of course, a monster or two."

Cat's Eye Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Creepshow set a high bar, with its inventive direction by Romero and its clever comic-book interstitials. Cat's Eye doesn't rise to similar heights, but at least two of its tales ("Quitters" and "The Ledge") are minor classics that are all the more impressive because they achieve their impact without gore or shock effects. Warner's Blu-ray presentation is superior and highly recommended.