THE HUNTRESS: HER NAME IS CAT is another oddball sex 'n' violence shocker from Hong Kong director Clarence Ford. The worst thing about the movie is the disjointed direction, which makes watching and making sense of the thing a real chore; Ford directs in one of those tiresome, hyper-stylised ways, with lots of odd camera angles, quick-fire editing, and crazy camera shots. It looks cool at first but after about five minutes it becomes overcooked.
Not that the style hides much of the story, because this is very simple stuff indeed, an assassination-style thriller clearly modelled on the likes of LEON. Almen Wong is the titular character, a top-notch killer who's sometimes overdubbed with the sound of a big cat, for some bizarre reason. She begins a relationship with family man Michael Wong (who looks faintly embarrassed to be here), and a combo of action and romance follows.
THE HUNTRESS is notable for featuring endless cheesy sex scenes that tease nudity but steadfastly refuse to reveal any (Wong clearly wasn't willing to go the whole hog, leaving the whole film pretty much a tease). The action sequences are more fun, with all of the wild over-the-top fights and shoot-outs that you'd expect to see, but the film is very cheap and slapdash throughout. Poorly-translated subtitles don't help. In the end, the only way I could enjoy this was as a so-bad-it's-good piece of entertainment.
Not that the style hides much of the story, because this is very simple stuff indeed, an assassination-style thriller clearly modelled on the likes of LEON. Almen Wong is the titular character, a top-notch killer who's sometimes overdubbed with the sound of a big cat, for some bizarre reason. She begins a relationship with family man Michael Wong (who looks faintly embarrassed to be here), and a combo of action and romance follows.
THE HUNTRESS is notable for featuring endless cheesy sex scenes that tease nudity but steadfastly refuse to reveal any (Wong clearly wasn't willing to go the whole hog, leaving the whole film pretty much a tease). The action sequences are more fun, with all of the wild over-the-top fights and shoot-outs that you'd expect to see, but the film is very cheap and slapdash throughout. Poorly-translated subtitles don't help. In the end, the only way I could enjoy this was as a so-bad-it's-good piece of entertainment.