I'd read several reviews that this was an excellent HK film before I watched it, claiming it was better than the films that inspired it. Well, I have to say, if it is, then I don't want to watch them. The acting was terrible. The pace was slow (compared to what it should have been). The ending was abrupt and I felt like I'd been cheated out of at least 30 minutes more
Add a Review
-
bluesekai10 August 2000
-
ebiros216 December 2012A Chinese girl who has chip implanted in her brain, and brain washed to be a perfect weapon finds herself loose in America. Much like in Rambo, she finds herself in lot of violent situation and trouble with the locals and the police, She gets picked up by the Chinese agency that did all this to her. She then continues her job as the perfect assassin, and a weapon of destruction.
When I first saw this movie in the '90s, the theme seemed too far fetched. The premise of the story was too far out there for me to relate to. This caused me to lose interest in the story. But now that we know that there really is a super soldier program like this called the MK ULTRA, and it's off shoot the Monarch project conducted by the US (secret) government, I now realize that this movie was actually 15 years ahead of its time.
Like in real life there is no spy like James Bond, who's so visible to the public, there is no super soldier like Hei Mao (Black Cat) in real life. So this movie is like a James Bond version of the MK ULTRA. Even the part that she has a "chip" implanted in her brain is like the real life MK ULTRA soldier Duncan O'Finion. I'd have to applaud the far reaching imagination of the script writers.
The movie is really vividly made with settings done like a real life MK ULTRA soldier might be in. Like she appears in the U.S. as a starters. The story could have taken place 100% in China or Hong Kong, but for some reason the writers chose "America" for the killings to take place. Her mode of operation, her relation to the agency that created her. The way the agency "calls" her to activate her, all are straight out of MK ULTRA.
Was all this a coincidence, or did the writers knew more than they are alluding to in this movie ? With the real life MK ULTRA soldiers coming out nowadays, the (Black) cat is out of the bag. -
HumanoidOfFlesh17 September 2001Stephen 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.
-
clovis-528 January 2001This 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! -
Bogey Man30 May 2002Black 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 -
Well, I have to say that the 1991 Hong Kong action thriller "Hak Mau" (aka "Black Cat") is a unique experience.
When I sat down to watch "Hak Mau" here in 2022, it was for the very first time, and I do believe that I have never even ever heard about this movie from writers Bo Shun Chan, Tan-Ping Lam and Wai-Lun Lam. But of course, with it being a Hong Kong movie that I hadn't already seen, there was no doubt about sitting down to watch it.
Let me just clarify on the part of "Hak Mau" being a unique movie, as mentioned above. I mean that not in a positive manner. Because the storyline in "Hak Mau" is a scrambled mess of confusion and randomness. There is absolutely no coherent red thread throughout the course of the 96 minutes that the movie ran for. And director Stephen Shin didn't bring the boat safely to harbor.
"Hak Mau" felt like a movie that was concocted in the minds of high school students and then brought before one of their elder brothers who happened to have a video camera. Trust me, the storyline in "Hak Mau" is just utter rubbish.
Sure, there is a fair amount of action in the movie, but it feels shallow and pointless, because it is just random scenes of violence put into an equally random series of filmed scenes.
The movie stars Jade Leung and Simon Yam, so at least you have some familiar faces on the screen, provided you are somewhat well-familiar with the Hong Kong cinema.
Yet, I managed to sit through all 97 minutes of "Hak Mau", but it was quite an ordeal. I did so, hoping that the storyline would pick up and improve. That just never happened.
My rating of "Hak Mau" lands on a very generous three out of ten stars. -
Obviously, a Hong Kong clone of Le Femme Nikita, its ok for what it is, but its nothing awesome. The music is flat out bad in many parts, and the execution of the predictable storyline is somewhat rushed but also dull at the same time. The Point of No Return is a superior remake in my opinion, by a factor of multiples.
-
jakedesigns11 October 2020Just a fun little note. You have the name of the Actor as the "Groom" wrong. I know, because it's me 😁
I worked a few days as an extra in the film. On the day of the wedding scene, the hired Groom didn't fit the tuxedo. I stepped in and my 1-shot movie career was born! Without even a credit....lol -
I am not following the voting crowd on this film. I loved it as much as the original-Nikita. I just have a thing for films where women take a hit and keep coming. If more women were like Black Cat men would think twice about abusing them. This movie is continual action. And unlike Nikita the action is even more violent. Cat is almost scary in her quest to reach her objective. If you like full on action, I highly recommend it. This is better than any of that Cynthia Rothrock stuff; and I like her for what she does.
-
Captain_Couth19 February 2005Black Cat (1991) was an unofficial remake of the international French hit "Nikita". Unlike the first film, Black Cat has everything you thought Nikita had (hardcore violence and gritty realism). The film follows a young female drifter (Jade Leung) who gets into trouble whilst in Canada. She's deemed uncontrollable and unfit for society. After a speedy trial she's condemned for life. That's until a suave C.I.A. agent (Simon Yam) gives her a second chance at life, but with brutal consequences.
A dark and dreary film with no light at the end of the tunnel. Jade Leung (a former glamor model) is perfect as the Black Cat. A hit man who has no feelings or emotions, just a tool for the government. But like all machines they break down, will she give into her emotions or will she go through her missions like a good slave? Check out Black Cat!
Highly recommended.
Followed by Black Cat 2: The Assassination of Boris Yeltsin. -
(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. -
webmaster-30175 July 2008Tagline: Trashy HK entertainment at its best Review by Neo: HK in the 90s is known for creating just as much trash as classic movies. Black Cat does not qualify as a classic, but as far as trashy entertainment is concerned, it is really pure guilty pleasure. Imagine, someone who killed a police and in the process being recruited by the CIA and somehow become a CIA agent. As bizarre as it seems, it didn't really matter, as the film is ultimately fun in a trashy way.
In the early 90s, it is almost truism to say that any movie that look trashy, sleazy and with some degree of sexual tension, there will be the ever dependable Simon Yam. Yam is easily an underrated actor, whose talent is still yet to be recognised within the HK Films Award. It is a shame as Yam is certainly someone who has come a long way since those Cat III days and one just need to glimpse at recent films like Eye in the Sky and Election for any indication. Here he is the typical early 90s Simon Yam, whose screen presence alone allows him to ease through his supporting role.
Playing the title character of the Black Cat is Jade Leung, her raw and uncomforting acting makes her perfect for the role. The opening scene may seem a bit too staged, but Leung's facial expressions when she kills the guy and the cop is just priceless to endure. However, due to not fault to Leung's effort, one must wonder why the director Stephen Shin didn't bother developing her character further. While the Black Cat succeeds in being trashy yet entertaining, it is once again another case of what could have been. With the ending perfectly panned out for a sequel following, Black Cat 2 is already on the list of upcoming movies Neo is going to watch.
All in all, the Black Cat isn't really trying to do too much, nor is the director aiming for such lofty ambitions. Still, somehow, the flick manages to succeed all its trashy goals and the result is giving the audience some guilty pleasure. Perhaps, Neo is just abnormal, but in all truthfulness, Black Cat isn't going to win any awards. Still for mindless entertainment alone, you can probably get a lot worst than this and for one last time, Black Cat is just plain trashy fun (Neo 2008)
I rate it 7.75/10- www.thehkneo.com
-
jostinkissoon5 March 2021I never saw the original Nikita but they had small scenes that I feel add to the overall bigger picture from a film making/art point of view. Keep in mind it is the 90s HK film...it is just that style with this story. I enjoyed the actress and actors aswell. Its not the greatess film but I enjoyed it more than some films I have seen today. Classic films have a feeling and vibe that makes it an experience. It has many flaws but I found something I liked in it