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Black Cat
|     review    |     awards     |     availability     |
Simon Yam tells Jade Leung to shoot
Year: 1991
Director: Stephen Shin Gei-Yin
Cast: Jade Leung Ching, Simon Yam Tat-Wah, Thomas Lam Cho-Fai
The Skinny: Mostly terrific Hong Kong remake of La Femme Nikita that's noticeably darker. Until the ending, that is, when we get some cheesy wrap-up meant to make the audience feel better.
Review
by Kozo:
     Hong Kong's version of La Femme Nikita is a gritty action piece at times, but at other times it’s strangely distant. Jade Leung is the Anne Parillaud/Bridget Fonda stand-in, an ex-hellcat turned assassin who receives a second chance from government agent Simon Yam. Once she gets out, she sets up a semblance of a life with Thomas Lam, but soon the reality of being a government assassin crashes in upon them. 
     Director Stephen Shin has made a virtual copy of Luc Besson’s original, carried by an intense, effective performance from Jade Leung. Simon Yam is perfectly cast as her mentor. Though its not as glossy as La Femme Nikita, Black Cat nearly surpasses its inspiration. The film is a dead-solid remake with a slight, darker twist at the ending that doesn’t exactly work. It pushes the characters and situations to the edge, but refuses to follow through. That’s actually quite a strange thing, because HK films are usually famous for going over the edge. Director Stephen Shin puts on some western-style brakes and allows a compromise for the conflicted heroine. It may make us feel better, but it unfortunately rings a bit false. (Kozo 1996)
Awards:

11th Annual Hong Kong Film Awards
• Best New Artist (Jade Leung Ching)

Availability: DVD (Hong Kong)
Region 0 NTSC
Mega Star/Media Asia
Widescreen
Cantonese and Mandarin Language Tracks
Dolby Digital 5.1
Removable English and Chinese Subtitles
 

image courtesy of Mega Star Video Distribution, Ltd.

   
 
 
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