Black Cat

(1991) The Black Cat (In Chinese with English subtitles) ACTION

Inspired by Luc Besson's "La Femme Nikita" but in it's own unique kind of way starring Jade Leung who after going through an abusive environment starting with an assault by a trucker before making her life even worst for herself as soon as she crazily accidentally shoots a cop dead. She eventually gets picked up by an gov't organization where she along with others are being trained as assassins to execute specific people with a controlled chip installed in their heads called the "Black Cat" with only a one kind of pill to soothe their frequent headaches. This is the Chinese equivalent version of "La Femme Nikita" and is very entertaining since it's unique and not like a direct frame by frame copy of it's predecessor like "Point Of No Return"! A sequel was made called "The Black Cat II: The Assassination Of Boris Yeltsin" which is more action oriented.

Jade Leung is Black Cat, a abused woman who took ouf her revenge on her male attackers. After being officially dead, she has a chip placed in her brain by the CIA and is given a second chance at life as a highly trained professional assassin. This is based off Luc Besson's La Femme Nikita. However, in my opinion I prefer this to the original film. The storyline is tighter, there is much better action, it's violence is more fierce (and there's a lot more of it). It brings to mind"girls with guns" movies, as well as femme fatale fare like Naked Killer. Simon Yam appears in both films, giving a solid performance and great screen presence. Overall, Black Cat is a nice looking , fast paced, well acted and all.around entertaining action flick.

This flick would qualify as the first remake of the 1990 French classic, before Hollywood and American television picked up the idea. The early scenes in this Hong Kong crime actioner are a little rough around the edges, causing me to fear a "Tokyo Shock"-style schlockfest. But I persevered and was rewarded. There is violence and action aplenty along with the melodramatic and romantic elements that we've come to love and expect in this kind of film.

What really makes the flick stand out is Jade Leung's performance. She is feral and dangerous in the beginning, like a sort of creature. In the course of the film she metamorphoses into someone beautiful and sexy, while retaining her dangerous quality. The actress deserves credit for the way she pulls that off.

Oh, and the closing credits music is a spare, crisp example of late-80s/early 90s urban setting film music. Well done!

Black Cat is directed by Stephen Shin and it stars Jade Leung, in her first feature role. This is the Hong Kong "remake" of Luc Besson's classic La Femme Nikita, which is one of the greatest action pieces in the world of cinema. Black Cat fails to be great even though it is made in Hong Kong, where action films are usually unmatchable. Erika/Catherine/Black Cat is a violent young female who goes to jail and has the same offer as in Nikita: to become an assassin to the government. She starts the training and once she's ready and skilled enough, the killings may start. What follows is tired scenes and nothing special in the whole movie.

The action scenes are okay and stylish at times (especially during the credits) but they are so few and can't save the whole film. There is absolutely no depth in the characters (Leung, Simon Yam or others) and the film is pretty irritating to watch because it offers nothing more than just gun fires and action, which are nothing special considered this is made in the land of Woo, Lam, Mak and other great directors.

So I can't recommend this too much but Hong Kong fans will want to check it out and so did I. This could have been far far worse and due to the few stylish scenes and images in the film, it is not too impossible to sit through, and in fact, I've watched this two times now.

4/10

Stephen Shin's "Black Cat" is a watchable Hong Kong effort,but also a total rip-off of Luc Besson's "Nikita"(1989).So we have here a female killing machine(Jade Leung),who kills so many men that it has to be seen to be believed.Nice performance by Simon Yam(more known as a necrophiliac killer in "Dr Lamb")is another reason to see this movie.Check it out.