The Cat Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Cat Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 18, 2025

The Cat is such an undeniably generic title that it's been used scores of times for both feature film and even some television properties, as evidenced by even a small smattering of titles in various online databases, including The Cat, The Cat, The Cat, The Cat, The Cat, The Cat, The Cat, and my own personal favorite, the short lived American television series from the 1966-67 season, T.H.E. Cat, where the definite article also served as an acronym for the lead character's name (Thomas Hewitt Edward), but where any lasting impact of the series might be better remembered for its Lalo Schifrin score and several episodes which featured live jazz performances from a coterie of Los Angeles session legends. So is this "cat" anything special? In several ways, yes, which is probably why the film turned out to be a perhaps unexpected smash in its native Germany, helping to catapult then fairly young director Dominik Graf onto the veritable A List.

If The Cat manages to evade the generic confines of its title, in at least one way it is undeniably "standard" fare, offering a basic plot setup of a bank robbery involving hostage taking. That's the "bad news", if indeed there is any in this film's plotting, though almost from the get go things are morally ambiguous and slightly askew as it's revealed that the mastermind behind the robbery, Probek (Götz George), has been having an affair with Jutta Ehser (Gudrun Landgrebe), the wife of Filialleiter Ehser (Ulrich Gebauer), who just happens to be the manager of the bank that's going to be robbed. Making things even more complex is the fact that Probek is not actually taking part in the robbery, leaving that to two underlings named Junghein (Heinz Hoenig) and Britz (Ralf Richter), while Probek monitors things from a high rise hotel room where he can keep an eye on police activities once they arrive to try to defuse the hostage situation and keep the robbers from escaping with their purloined loot.

If the underlying plot dynamic is nothing new, the actual presentation here is breakneck, cutting between various perspectives and interactions to create some unmitigated tension, which begins to play into various "breakdowns" along the way. The film evidently encountered quite a bit of shocked reaction at the time of its original release due to its perceived "brutality" and "violence", and while those aspects are very much in play, it may actually be in some more troubling emotional and/or psychological undercurrents that The Cat really delivers its most potent punches.

The Cat Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Cat is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Radiance Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Radiance doesn't tend to offer a bunch of technical information with their releases, and that's once again the case with this release, with the following generic verbiage in their insert booklet:

The Cat was supplied to Radiance Films as a high definition digital file. Additional grading was performed by Radiance Films and overseen by director Dominik Graf.

The back cover offers an equally generic "high definition digital transfer newly graded by Radiance Films and overseen by director Dominik Graf". This is an appealing looking presentation that preserves a rather gritty grain field while supporting generally commendable detail levels. The emphasis on grading in the minimal verbiage Radiance supplies may hint at some issues with whatever source element was used, as there are some variabilities in color temperature, and some of the low light material in particular has a somewhat bluish undertone which can affect black levels. Fine detail can also vary somewhat depending on a number of issues, including some of the technically difficult sequences where Graf's camera is almost a character itself, darting and weaving in and out of various fracases.

The Cat Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Cat features DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 options (the disc defaults to the stereo track). Both of these provide secure listening experiences, though the surround track definitely opens up the soundstage both for some of the calamitous sequences, including a huge explosion somewhat late in the proceedings, but also just with regard to some of the clamor in the bank once the robbers arrive and take hostages. A number of outdoor scenes with the police in a courtyard also have good engagement of the side and rear channels. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Cat Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Dominik Graf (HD; 1:05:05) is featured in this newly produced long form interview discussing the film. Subtitled in English.


• Christoph Fromm (HD; 32:01) is another appealing newly produced interview with the film's screenplay writer. Subtitled in English.


• Georg Feil (HD; 32:23) rounds out a trifecta of new interviews shot for this release. Feil was the film's producer. Subtitled in English.

Note: All three of the above supplements come with spoiler warnings, specifically about the ending of the film.


• Select Scene Audio Commentaries by Dominik Graf (HD; 12:36) also feature Artur Althen. Subtitled in English (which briefly conflicts with the actual subtitles for the film's dialogue).


• Trailer (HD; 1:52)

Additionally this limited edition features an insert booklet with an essay by Brandon Streussnig, as well as Radiance's trademark Obi strip and reversible sleeve (though someone should have proofread the reverse cover, as Graf's first name is misspelled, unless there's some German alternate to "Dominik" I'm unaware of).

The Cat Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Cat may have a completely generic (and often utilized) title, but the film itself is rather bracing and breathless. Performances are excellent and Graf stages things extremely well. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplements very enjoyable. Recommended.