Die Katze

Bank robbery movie from Germany is hailed by some as the best of the genre, while I wouldn't go that far I would have to say its a damn good film worth your time and popcorn.

The basic plot is simple, two guys rob a bank, however it quickly turns into something much more complicated as the police show up and the real brains behind the robbery proves to be outside the bank controlling events.

The film begins and I was struck by the sense that this was going to be a piece of Euro-sleaze, however it wasn't long before the film had grabbed me and pulled me into its web of tension. You're never really sure where this thing is going or what the ultimate plan or outcome is going to be. Its nice to see a movie that completely surprises you from start to finish.

This is a small missed placed gem to try and find

(FYI: The print I saw was titled: Lives of a Cat and was dubbed in to English and had Japanese subtitles)

Seeing Dominik Graf's recent works makes me wish for the "Good Times", when he made great cinema like in this masterpiece. This is one of the best Bank Robbery / Hostage movies ever made. Great realism combined with a perfect genre thriller - almost impossible to achieve. Dominik Graf prefers to shoot on video nowadays. He claims, that he likes the quick way of shooting, and loathes the time you have to wait to get a big movie for the screen financed in Germany. He's got a point there, but all this fast made movies for TV are forgotten as fast. I will never forget DIE KATZE - for it's great performances, great story, great mood.

I admit that the German film industry doesn't easily export its work, even over the Rhine, thru ARTE TV channel. We see many of TV movies, crime, detectives and gang war stories, most of them made for TV and strangely not for the big screen option. But this movie: DIE KATZE was shown in France in 1988, after a winner prize at Cognac crime film Festival, if I am right. Taut, tension packed, with not a second length, you deal here with a masterpiece, especially, I repeat, for a German feature. Götz George is outstanding as the criminal mastermind; he reminds me Preston Foster in KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL. This kind of scheme could easily have been made as a mini TV show.

... having good times". And a good time you'll have when you see this brilliant thriller which features the Eric Burdon song very prominently. Along with "Dog Day Afternoon" this is my favourite bank heist movie, but "Die Katze" has the advantage of (dare I say it ?) better actors (especially Heinz Hönig and Ralf Richter are great), a more complex and clever plot and a tougher attitude.

The ending is one of the best in any movie: When Ehser cheerfully answers "Good." to the question "How are you?" it's the truth and the biggest lie at the same time. And then Eric Burdon starts to sing again...

Mr. Graf, I beg you, please don't waste your time on TV. "Die Katze" and "Die Sieger" are your best films and you just must return to the big screen. Please!