Asian horror has absolutely set a certain bar when it comes to foreign films. Some of those movies are simply terrifying unlike anything else out there (Ringu being a prime example of the most terrifying Asian horror.) They just know how to take a good, solid concept, low budget and scare the living daylights out of you. So I was pretty excited to see The Cat which looked a little stereotypical right out of the gate but still aimed to give you some chills. One thing is for certain, you can't fault them for not telling a good story. The Cat is part murder mystery, part psychological thriller and part good old fashion scare-fest. The problem with the film is in its execution. It drags far too much towards in the middle and feels like it desperately wants to get to the point but has to fill in the feature length 90 minutes. The movie starts out great and within ten minutes it actually gave me a great scare and a "holy crap" moment that horror films rarely do for me. It is full of what I call cheap "jump" scares but sometimes that's fine if done in the right style and this one has a few of those moments. Another thing I really liked about The Cat was the story was really well done. It was very clear and concise and made sense and had a neat and tidy ending that suited the story very well.
Dong-wook Kim is our scream queen and she does pretty well in the role. She has a certain innocent look and certainly plays the proper intensity and emotions in the scenes as necessary. She seems almost too sweet to pull off the emotionally troubled angle but she does well in the role. The rest of the cast are all decent. No one particularly stands out because they are there to support our heroine and they do that well enough. There is a small sub-plot of a romance that is mostly unnecessary but serves a small purpose.
One reviewer on IMDb said it very well. This will definitely freak out and entertain those that don't have a lot of experience with Asian horror. There is far better out there. Still the creepiness and solid story is entertaining and fun to watch. There is nothing inherently bad about The Cat. It is simple and straightforward and doesn't try to stress itself too much. Given the film is really about killer cats on the surface level it could have been very very cheesy but shockingly it never is. It is just sort of forgettable but definitely worth a watch at least once. 6/10
Dong-wook Kim is our scream queen and she does pretty well in the role. She has a certain innocent look and certainly plays the proper intensity and emotions in the scenes as necessary. She seems almost too sweet to pull off the emotionally troubled angle but she does well in the role. The rest of the cast are all decent. No one particularly stands out because they are there to support our heroine and they do that well enough. There is a small sub-plot of a romance that is mostly unnecessary but serves a small purpose.
One reviewer on IMDb said it very well. This will definitely freak out and entertain those that don't have a lot of experience with Asian horror. There is far better out there. Still the creepiness and solid story is entertaining and fun to watch. There is nothing inherently bad about The Cat. It is simple and straightforward and doesn't try to stress itself too much. Given the film is really about killer cats on the surface level it could have been very very cheesy but shockingly it never is. It is just sort of forgettable but definitely worth a watch at least once. 6/10