Black Cat 1 & 2 – Vinegar Syndrome Archive (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Hong Kong/Canada, 1991 (Black Cat), Hong Kong/Canada, 1992 (Black Cat 2)
Director: Stephen Shin (Both Films)
Cast: Jade Leung, Simon Yam, Thomas Lam (Black Cat), Jade Leung, Robin Shou, Zoltan Buday, Craig Bruhnanski, Bob Wilde, Dmitri S. Boudrine, Tatiana Chekhova (Black Cat 2)

Release Date: January 30th, 2024
Approximate Running Times: 96 Minutes 8 Seconds (Black Cat), 91 Minutes 18 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Films)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Cantonese (Black Cat), DTS-HD Stereo Cantonese (Black Cat 2), DTS-HD Mono English (Both Films)
Subtitles: English (Both Films)
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $49.98

Black Cat: "After brutally killing an abusive trucker at a rest stop, tough as nails drifter Catherine soon finds herself facing life in prison due to her violent outbursts. But, when a daring escape from the courthouse leaves her all but dead, Catherine awakens to find she's been given another lease on life, the only catch: she must train to become an assassin for the CIA under the codename Black Cat. With the tutelage of fellow agent, Brian (Simon Yam, Ip Man), Catherine must learn to give up any chance of a normal life if she wishes to remain alive." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Black Cat 2: "After undergoing a series of medical experiments in order to become a more efficient assassin, Catherine struggles to maintain what little of her human side is left. Deemed compromised by her higher-ups, Catherine is given one more chance when she is partnered with a young hot-headed agent, Robin (Robin Shou, Mortal Kombat). Catherine must use her newly enhanced skills in order to stop a violent assassin before he claims his next victim." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (Black Cat), 4.5/5 (Black Cat 2)

Here’s the information given about the transfers, "Newly restored by Vinegar Syndrome from existing studio masters."

Black Cat comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 39.5 GB

Feature: 27.9 GB

The source used for this transfer is in immaculate shape. Flesh tones look correct, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Black Cat 2 comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 22.7 GB

Feature: 22.4 GB

The source is in great shape. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, black levels are strong, image clarity and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic look. That said, there are a few moments where this transfer is not as solid as Black Cat’s transfer.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Cantonese - Black Cat, DTS-HD Stereo Cantonese - Black Cat 2, DTS-HD Mono English - Black Cat), 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono English - Black Cat 2)

Black Cat comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Cantonese and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Black Cat 2 comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD stereo mix in Cantonese and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. The Cantonese language track for Black Cat also has some dialog in English, Mandarin, and Japanese. The Cantonese language track for Black Cat 2 has some dialog in Russian. The English-language track for Black Cat 2 has some dialog in Russian. All four audio mixes are in great shape. Dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise, all of these tracks sound great. That said, both Cantonese audio tracks sound more robust than the English-language tracks. And in the case of Black Cat 2’s Cantonese-language track, it sounds noticeably more robust. Included are removable English subtitles for both Cantonese language tracks; there is a removable English SDH subtitle track for Black Cat’s Cantonese language track; both English language tracks come with removable English SDH; there is a second removable English subtitle track for Black Cat for Japanese dialog when watching with the English language track; and there is a second removable English subtitle track for Black Cat 2 for Russian dialog when watching with the English language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include stills galleries for Black Cat and Black Cat 2, Hong Kong theatrical trailer for Black Cat (3 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with Cantonese text, no subtitles), English language export theatrical trailer for Black Cat (4 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Hong Kong theatrical trailer for Black Cat 2 (3 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with Cantonese text, no subtitles), English language export theatrical trailer for Black Cat (3 minutes 29 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with English text, no subtitles), a video essay by author and historian Alexandra Heller-Nicholas titled Copycat? Black Cat and Its Influences (16 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with martial arts director Benz Kong To-Hoi (13 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an interview with actress Jade Leung (14 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with author and historian Samm Deighan for Black Cat.

Other extras include reversible cover art, a bottom loading VHS inspired slipcase, a double-sided poster, and a 40-page perfect bound book (limited to 5,000 units) with an essay titled Watch Out for Shards When Breaking Glass Ceilings: The Double Standard for Female Assassins written by Erica Shultz, and an essay titled La Femme Erica written by John Charles.

Summary:

Black Cat: Although female characters in Hong Kong cinema have always been able to compete with their male counterparts. A film like Black Cat is a different breed that actually finds its inspiration from Luc Besson's La Femme Nikita. I was hesitant at first to watch Black Cat because of the numerous elements in Black Cat that mirror La Femme Nikita. Fortunately, the result is a film that is so much more than a La Femme Nikita clone.

The thing that grabbed me in the opening moments of Black Cat was its setting. Where most Hong Kong films are set in Hong Kong, Black Cat is set in North American locations. This change to a familiar location gives Black Cat a different vibe that works in its favor. It should be noted that later on, the protagonist is given jobs in Hong Kong and Japan, which return her to more familiar locations.

When discussing Black Cat, one must not overlook the importance of casting Jade Leung in the role of the protagonist. Though this is her first film, she delivers a remarkable performance that carries Black Cat. She would return to the role of Catherine/Black Cat in Black Cat 2. That said, none of the other performances left any lasting impression.

From its opening moments, Black Cat sets a relentless pace that's reinforced by tense moments, which all build up to a very satisfying conclusion. Another strength are the well-executed kill sequences. Ultimately, Black Cat is a solid action film that fans of Hong Kong cinema are sure to enjoy.

Black Cat 2: The narrative for this sequel is a continuation of Catherine's, aka Black Cat's, story. After a recap of the first Black Cat film, we find scientists working on a comatose Catherine. They are whipping her memory, making her a clean slate that can be turned on and off because of a microchip. Where she had free will in the first film, she is now a mindless killing machine.

Though the first film was an unabashed La Femme Nikita clone, albeit with some Hong Kong cinema elements thrown into the mix, Black Cat 2 is an entirely different beast that is best described as a Hong Kong riff on The Terminator. And nowhere is this clearer than how Catherine has become nothing more than a killing machine who lacks all of the traits she had in the first film.

Another thing that is noticeably different about Black Cat 2 when compared to its predecessor is how action-heavy it is. Where the first film spent an ample amount of time when it came to exposition, Black Cat 2’s narrative feels like not much more than a means to string together some action sequences. Fortunately, when it comes to the action sequences, they are all well executed, and there is a ridiculously high body count in Black Cat 2.

That said, Black Cat 2's greatest asset, like its predecessor, is Jade Leung in the role of the protagonist, Catherine, aka Black Cat. Unfortunately, she is not only misused; she is underused in Black Cat 2. Ultimately, Black Cat 2 is an inferior sequel that forgoes the core elements that made its predecessor such an amazing film.

Black Cat 1 and Black Cat 2 get an excellent release from Vinegar Syndrome Archive that gives both films solid audio/video presentations and informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer