Cat's Eye (Japan 1997)

Rating: ***
Director: Kaizo Hayashi
Cast: Yuki Uchida, Izami Inamori, Noriko Fujiwara, Kane Kosugi

Wow! A prime example of the Japanese doing what they do best - taking a ludicrous premise and giving it a serious treatment, with spectacular results. To the Cat Cave! Three lovely young ladies run a restaurant called "Cat's Eye," but it also serves as the headquarters and hideout for their alter egos, a band of cat burglars also known as "Cat's Eye" (this is the identical setup in "High Heeled Punishers" (1995) ). It's a good thing nobody has made the connection. These girls run around in black vinyl fetish gear with an arsenal of outlandish gadgets that would make Bruce Wayne jealous. They're on a mission to procure a bunch of paintings by their father, who was kidnapped by some nasty Chinese villains when the girls were little. But life isn't easy for the girls. One of the girls is dating a police officer dedicated to busting Cat's Eye, and another girl is dating a boy who happens to be one of the nasty villains (who she eventually kills, much to her horror). They finally meet up with their estranged father, but the outcome is not pleasant. A little slow and talky in parts, but the action sequences are a hoot. Amazing gadgets including lipstick bullets and mechanical rats accent their slinky cat outfits with spectacular results. Purely for visual titilation, this movie is silly as hell but really sexy and ultra-cool, with a stunning animated intro that introduces our cat burgling cuties. One hell of a good time.