Moggy Cheung

The Cat (Lam Nai-Choi, 1992)

Hong Kong cinema is often characterised by its eccentricity and unconventional style, drastically  distinguishing it from Hollywood. Consequently, its genre output attracts international audiences with a taste for insane content. My first exposure to Lam Nai-Choi’s work was his unofficial adaption of the popular manga, Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1992). Set in a sadistic prison, the film’s excessive violence and gore made it a splatterfest classic comparable to Peter Jackson’s Braindead also released that year. Regrettably, I remained unfamiliar with Nai-Choi’s other films until they became more available relatively recently. Produced directly after his magnum opus, The Cat (AKA The 1000 Years Cat, 1992) is a surreal sci-fi horror that achieves almost the same heights; a feat in itself, considering how much Riki-Oh is an incredibly tough act to follow.

Sourced from the popular series of books written by Ni Kuang, concerning the paranormal/science fiction novelist Wisely, played by Waise Lee (seriously!) in the film. The Cat is an adaptation of The Old Cat. The film revolves around three extraterrestrials: one, a young woman named Princess (Gloria Yip); her elderly bodyguard, Errol (Lau Siu-Ming); and a black cat known as the General, who are after an artefact which will aid them to defeat a powerful enemy and help them return home.

The plot is largely secondary to the film’s visual spectacle, which is just as well as the original director assigned to direct The Cat constantly demanded for script changes, as revealed by screen writer Gordon Chan in an interview in the 88 Films' Blu-ray release. Amusingly, once Nai-Choi was hired to direct the picture, he wasn't in the least bit bothered about the screenplay. For those familiar with 1980s cult sci-fi classics The Thing, The Terminator, The Hidden, and The Blob you will no doubt spot their inspirations on the film. A gun deal involving the possessed Wang Chieh-Mei (Phillip Kwok) unfolds in a manner that is reminiscent of the scene where Arnold Schwarzenegger's killer cyborg is tooling up in a gun shop.

Aside from the melting pot of obvious influences, the film also exhibits unusual tonal shifts. While The Cat primarily qualifies as a science fiction horror film due to its subject matter, gory violence and special effects, it occasionally resembles a Saturday morning children’s show in relation to its peculiar sense of wonder and naivety. Conversely, some scenes featuring Wisely and his girlfriend Pai So (Christine Ng) are shot in a manner reminiscent of an erotic film. Wisely is portrayed as intensely horny around his partner, while the camera focuses on Pai So’s perspiring body. The gratuitous close-ups are predictably jarring from the rest of the film.

The pièce de résistance is an epic junkyard brawl between the titular character and a dog. The sheer absurdity of the fight is difficult to describe, but the sight of a cat performing a suplex on a dog is a sight for the eyes and one that won't be forgotten easily. This was all achieved before the advent of computer-aided effects, with much of the grandiose battle executed using hand puppets, stop-motion animation and practical effects. It is undoubtedly one of the most ludicrous fights I involving domestic animals I have ever witnessed. Incredible.

Nai-Choi’s film does not merely culminate in a single impressive fight sequence; it merely set a precedent for the remainder of the film. A particular highlight is the alien antagonist, still possessing Wang Chieh-Mei’s body, conducting bullet-ridden destruction upon Wisely’s home. The scene is characterised by a distillery's worth of vodka stored in the premises used as Molotov cocktails, which burn with napalm-like intensity. You know you aren't watching a Hollywood film when one of its main cast members is doused in flame retardant and performing their own stunts amongst all the fire and carnage. Then again, how many of Hollywood's thespians are like Phillip Kwok, serving as a stunt co-ordinator on their film?

The alien antagonist undergoes transforms into an even more monstrous entity once the General is revitalised by a beam of light from its home world. Simultaneously, the antagonist attacks diners in a canteen with appendages reminiscent of the creature from The Thing. The practical effects are remarkably well executed and evoke a sense of nostalgia for an era when computer-generated visual effects were not so prevalent. Ultimately, the extraterrestrial villain smothers the entire building when it assumes the form of a colossal, gelatinous mass. This is what I live for.

According to Asian film expert Frank Djeng, the villain was an analogical representation of  Britain's handover of Hong Kong to China. Thus, the scenes where Philip Kwok acquisition of black market Chinese Army weapons, along with him manifesting into a giant, red amalgamated monster, depicts the fears and woes of Hong Kong's citizens. You would never know it, unless someone told you. As an ignorant foreigner, I just assumed it was all inspired by some of Hollywood's greatest sci-fi horror films from the 1980s. 

Interestingly, a Japanese version of the film titled Nine Lives was produced concurrently using some of the same cast, sets and effects. The differences between the two films are numerous but the use of an alternative director and Japanese actor Hidekazu Akai as the lead are the most significant. Admittedly, I have not yet seen the Japanese version but further details regarding the changes between the two films are listed on this website.

 

The Cat is an amazingly eccentric film that should appeal to anyone with an interest in unconventional and whimsical films from around the world. Its influences are evident yet it instils its own brand of bizarre entertainment; making it a unique viewing experience. The fact that Lam Noi-Choi chose to retire from the film industry after helming The Cat is noteworthy, as it's a magnificent mic drop for any director. 

 

Lovers of psychotronic cinema will dig this.