Black Cat poster
Black Cat (Chinese: 黑貓; pinyin: Hei mao) is a 1991 Hong Kong action film directed and produced by Stephen Shin. The film stars Jade Leung as Catherine who accidentally kills a truck driver. After escaping trial, she is captured by medics who then inserts a "Black Cat" chip into her brain which puts her under the CIA's complete control. The CIA make her into a new CIA agent known as Erica.
Critics compared the film unfavorably to its inspiration, Luc Besson's 1990 film Nikita. Jade Leung won the award for Best Newcomer at the 11th Hong Kong Film Awards for her role in the film. A sequel titled Black Cat 2: The Assassination of President Yeltsen was released in 1992.
Plot[]
An 18-wheeler drives down an interstate highway in New York State. The truck pulls into the empty Liberty truck stop and the driver goes inside its restaurant. A lone woman sits at a table slowly polishing silverware. The truck driver, Beckerham, calls out for coffee to an unseen cook named Benny who comments on Beckerham's long days on the road. Beckerham takes a seat at a booth and Benny brings him a cup of coffee. On his way to the kitchen, Benny berates the woman for being lazy and laments hiring her. He tells her to go look after his customer, Beckerham, who watches the single sided exchange.
The woman unenthusiastically dumps some silverware on Beckerham's table and begins to wipe it down. Beckerham tries to sweet-talk her and comments on how she must hate her job. He propositions her with promises of a quick buck and places an unwanted hand on her waist, which is promptly pushes away. Undeterred, he reaches for her breast. In retaliation, she drives a fork through his hand and he screams in pain. He slaps her rage and the woman falls to the ground. Benny cuts in and stops Beckerham from beating on the woman, demanding to know what happened. Beckerham tells him about the fork and Benny immediately fires the woman, who is still lying on the floor.
Benny tosses the woman and her belongings out the front door of the restaurant. She runs back to him and demands that he pay her. He grabs a wad of cash that he has on him and tosses it on the ground and locks the door behind him. She reaches down for the money and sees that it's only $12 American dollars.
Inside, the restaurant, Benny tends to Beckerham's injured hand. He asks Benny where he found her. "She came in yesterday, flat broke, said she really needed a job," Benny says. He adds that he only really wanted to sleep with her. At the front door, the woman bangs on it, demanding to be let in. Angry, Benny tells her to go away or he'll call the police. He opens the door and she runs in past him. She goes bast the counter and grabs a silver harmonica. Benny questions her about it and she tells him that it's hers.
Outside, the woman sits and plays the harmonica. Beckerham steps outside the restaurant for a smoke and sees her. He approaches her and comments on her ability to play the harmonica. She ignores him. He propositions her again but she ignores him. Unbothered, Beckerham goes to his truck. The woman taps him on the shoulder just as he's about to get inside. "30 bucks, stud," she tells him. Amused, Beckerham pulls out the money and shoves it down her blouse. He pushes her down to her knees and begins to undo his belt. The woman is hiding a large rock behind her back and when Beckerham least expects it, she hits him with it, causing him to fall over in pain. She kicks him several times. She grabs the money he gave her and shoves it in his mouth.
She goes to her duffle bag and begins to walk away but Beckerham grabs her from behind and starts chocking her. He tosses her through the window of the restaurant, where a shocked Benny see her land on the floor. He picks up the phone and calls the police, demanding assistance. The woman crawls underneath a pool table but Beckerham tips it over. With a pool cue, she hits him in the head but he head butts her in return before lifting her and tossing her against a jukebox. Benny runs for a gun and shoots it in air. "I don't want any killing in the cafe," he says. It's enough to get him to stop his assault and he lets her go. Seeing a large piece of broken glass, the woman grabs it and shoves it in his chest multiple times. Benny interferes and hold her at gunpoint, but Beckerham pushes him aside and she lands on a pinball machine, dropping his gun. The woman grabs the gun and begins to fire frantically, taking out lights all around her, before one of the shots hits Beckerham.
The police arrive at the Liberty truck stop and find all the lights out. Two officers enter and call out. The interior is completely dark and only the lights from their flashlights illuminate it. One of the officers finds Benny and tells his partner to call an ambulance. The officer finds Beckerham lying over the woman. He pushes him off and checks the woman's vitals. She wakes up and shoots the officer through the chest.
At the police station, the woman is handcuffed to a bench. She is later stripped naked and stands before a pair of female officers who inventory her belongings. She is placed in a shower and allowed to bathe.
A female officer attacks her and she defends herself against the assault. Additional officers arrive to help break up the attack and drag the woman away.
The next day she is loaded into the back of a police van and transported downtown to her hearing. The further they travel within the courthouse she becomes agitated and demands to go to the restroom. While in the bathroom stall, she is once again targeted and a man shoots into the stall, but she defends herself and manages to steal a handgun. She runs down the courthouse hallways and manages to shoot her way out onto the street, where she encounters more resistance.
She runs down an alleyway until a dark van blocks her path. The driver rolls down the window and shoots her in the stomach, where she collapses.
In an operating room, a surgery takes place with the woman as the patient. A microchip is implanted in her brain during the surgery. She later awakens in stark white room. A man clothed in black sits beside her on the bed. He shows her a series of photographs and informs her that she has been declared dead. Officially, she was killed while attempting to escape from police custody. She is being offered a chance to serve her government and informed of the chip that's been implanted within her, to help her achieve her highest potential. She gets a sudden, sharp headache and withers in pain. The man gives her pain medication to help her manage the headaches. She catches him off guard and steals a gun he has in a holster. She quickly shoots him at close range and exits the room.
Armed, she runs through the organization's headquarters and tries to escape. The employees all pull their weapons but the man in black appears, unharmed, and calms everyone down. He approaches the woman and throws a bullet proof vest on the ground. He tells her that her first lesson is to always go for a head shot. When his back is turned, she attacks by jumping on his back but he easily deflects her and throws her to the ground.
The organization trains her in various disciplines. The woman sits, unimpressed, in a martial arts class with other students. The man in black silently observes. A firearms instructor gives a lesson to his students. Additional training objectives involve diction and rough water swimming.
The man enters the dining hall and removes a bouquet of flowers that served as decoration. The man and woman drive down a scenic road. She idly plays with a harmonica. He pulls over to the side of the road alongside a large meadow. Excited, the woman jumps out of the car and runs towards the meadow. The man approaches her and with laughter, she launches herself into his arms.
At a wedding, the woman takes out her intended target. She makes her escape with multiple hostile in close pursuit of her. After an intense shootout, she puts some distance between them when she finds a bicycle. Ultimately, she must jump off a bridge and into fast moving river. On the river bank, she loads her ammunition into her long range rifle and takes aim at her target, who's enjoying an outing on the water.
Under the cover of darkness and armed, she enters a private home. A man plays the harmonica before he goes to bed.
At an outdoor restaurant, she watches the man from her table. Together, they drive to his home and have coffee. Suddenly, she collapses to the floor, clutching her head. They go to the movies and have a good time together.
At a construction site, she climbs the scaffolding. She releases steel bars and the fall to the ground and land on the departing car of her target.
At a hot springs/sauna, she approaches her target. She kills him and escapes before his bodyguards realize what has happened.
The woman breaks up with her boyfriend. He is approached by police officers and apprehended. Realizing what has happened, she launches a rescue attempt.
At a nearby field, the man in black arrives in a helicopter. With tears in her eyes, the woman turns and shoots her boyfriend.
Cast[]
- Jade Leung as Catherine/Erica
- Simon Yam as Brian
- Thomas Lam as Allen
Development[]
Director Stephen Shin originally wanted the film to be a straight remake of Luc Besson's film Nikita but couldn't after Disney purchased the rights for its American remake, Point of No Return.
Home Media[]
Panorama Blu-Ray
88 Films Blu-Ray
Vinegar Syndrome Blu-Ray
The film was released on DVD by Mega Star/Media Asia and Joy Sales. It contained no special features.
Black Cat was released on Blu-Ray and DVD in Hong Kong for Region A by Panorama on May 7, 2021.
Black Cat & Black II were released on Blu-Ray for Region B on February 28, 2022 by 88 Films. It contained several special features:
- Brand New 2K Remaster from the Original Camera Negative
- Additional Re-grading Carried out in the UK
- 2.0 English Mono
- 2.0 Cantonese Mono with English Subtitles
- 2.0 Cantonese Mono with English SDH
- Audio commentary with Asian cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
- Audio commentary with Asian cinema expert Frank Djeng
- Interview with Actress Jade Leung
- English opening and closing
- Original Hong Kong Trailer
- English Trailer
- Remastered Trailer
- Recreated Tai Seng Trailer
- Reversible Sleeve
Black Cat was released on Blu-Ray in Germany for Region B on February 3, 2023 by Cargo Records. It contained no special features:
Black Cat & Black II were released on Blu-Ray for Region A on January 30, 2024 by speciality film restoration and distributor Vinegar Syndrome. [1] It was limited to 5,000 copies and had reversible sleeve art. It contained several special features:
- Commentary by film historian Samm Deighan.
- Interview with actress Jade Leung (14:12)
- Interview with "Black Cat" martial arts director Benz Kong To-Hoi. (13:28)
- "Copycat? 'Black Cat' and its Influences": a video essay by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas. (16:42)
- English Trailer (4:34 ) and Cantonese Trailer (3:50)
- Image Gallery with poster art and film stills for "Black Cat."
Video[]
Black Cat - Trailer
88 Films Trailer