Cat Chaser

Originally slated for release by Vestron Video some years back, this title was one of many held up pending the sale of Vestron, which LIVE Home Video recently acquired. Based on Elmore Leonard's bestselling thriller, Cat Chaser stars Peter Weller (Robocop 2) as George Moran, a Florida beachfront hotel owner who takes a nostalgic trip to Santa Domingo where he once saw military action and meets an old flame, Mary (Kelly McGillis). Mary is now married to the former chief of secret police--a ruthless and rich man who, needless to say, does not appreciate George's attentions to his wife. When George is approached with a plan to bilk Mary's husband of some 2 million dollars and get Mary to boot, he winds up in a series of double crosses and just plain screw-ups that are the landmark of Leonard's novels. Although the dialogue offers some primo Leonard, the film gets off to a slow start--further hampered by the fact that periodically a voiceover offers third-person narration directly from the novel. The voiceover is badly done, and though the narration is not listed in the credits, I suspect that the reading is being done by Elmore Leonard himself. Director Abel Ferrara doesn't really have a sense for effectively creating a tableau of misfits who embark upon a mission that is clearly way over their heads. On the page, Leonard's novels have successfully mined this theme many times. On the screen, this time, it just doesn't work. Not recommended. (R. Pitman) [DVD Review--Jan. 26, 2004--Artisan, 90 min., R, $14.98--Making its debut on DVD, 1988's Cat Chaser sports a disappointing full screen transfer that is undistinguished at best, with a Dolby Digital stereo soundtrack that is overdriven (you'll be turning down your volume asap), and no extras. Bottom line: a so-so film, and less so on DVD.]