Not all his films are equal, but at his best Abel Ferrara is a great filmmaker, and he's made some terrific stuff. I'm given to understand that it wasn't his creative choice to have narration over the movie, in which case I can only assume it was the decision of producers Peter S. David and William N. Panzer. Whoever is responsible, it's an amazingly awful choice that serves no real purpose and rips us out of the viewing experience (even from the first moments) as the audio fundamentally clashes with what we're otherwise watching. Even the audio we hear during the protagonist's flashbacks and dreams are very poorly considered, sounding like bad V. O. from a second-rate late 90s videogame.
Meanwhile, I note that screenwriter James Borelli has only one other writing credit to his name as he joins Elmore Leonard in adapting Leonard's own novel; that's no mark against him, but I do find myself wondering about a book of which I can otherwise claim no knowledge. In the dialogue, scene writing, and elsewhere there are elements of the writing that seem extraneous, unnecessary to the tale at hand. It quite seems as though 'Cat Chaser' is dancing around its own narrative - not by way of playing cat and mouse, with characters toying with one another, but rather just generally coming off as unfocused and loose. As a prime example, a scene between George and Jiggs that comes just before the halfway mark is approached so lightly, with so flat and detached a tone, that at first it's easy to miss that it's a scene of actual import (pause, rewind, watch again), unlike many others, and then the dialogue is further treated so lightly that we have pause and rewind again. This is not the only scene to be thusly troubled (even down to the last minutes), and this is to say nothing of how discrete story threads weakly converge, and even more weakly branch out into others.
Sadly, it's not just the writing. Ferrara is excellent at his best; at his worst, sometimes I wonder just what he was thinking. There are some well-known and well-regarded names appearing here - Peter Weller, Kelly McGillis, Frederic Forrest, Charles Durning. All on hand give performances that are decidedly forced and overbearing, and less than convincing. That might be owing in part to the material, but surely it's also Ferrara's doing as director. In fact, I'm certain of it, seeing as how the orchestration of shots and scenes carries itself with similar overworked, scenery-chewing qualities; even Anthony B. Richmond's cinematography feels peculiarly brusque. Being aware of some of Ferrara's past indulgences, I don't think it's unfair to wonder if he and perhaps others involved were partaking of various stimulating illicit substances throughout production. That would explain a lot.
There are strong foundations here in the tale of shady figures getting drawn into bad business, with love, murder, and conspiracies floating overhead, and past personal history being dredged up. If imperfect, broadly speaking the narrative is solid as written. Seedy dealings, tackled with nuance and a delicate hand, can be superbly compelling. Sadly, in almost every capacity the execution of 'Cat Chaser' is flagrantly overcooked and desperately thin, and not only is it not entertaining, but in some ways - too many - it actively works to disengage viewers from the experience. This had advantages and potential, and it squanders almost all its possibilities, sometimes altogether blowing past suspension of disbelief. For what is earnestly done well (I think the effects might be the best part, to be honest), I want to like this more than I do. For all the terrible faults and weaknesses that present (including narration that persists through to the last seconds before the end credits roll), I wonder if I'm not being too generous. There are worse things one could watch, even within Ferrara's oeuvre, but unfortunately, there are also too many other titles that are much more deserving of one's time - also within Ferrara's oeuvre. I won't completely recommend against 'Cat Chaser,' but this is something to check out only on a lazy day, and after you've otherwise exhausted your watch list.
Meanwhile, I note that screenwriter James Borelli has only one other writing credit to his name as he joins Elmore Leonard in adapting Leonard's own novel; that's no mark against him, but I do find myself wondering about a book of which I can otherwise claim no knowledge. In the dialogue, scene writing, and elsewhere there are elements of the writing that seem extraneous, unnecessary to the tale at hand. It quite seems as though 'Cat Chaser' is dancing around its own narrative - not by way of playing cat and mouse, with characters toying with one another, but rather just generally coming off as unfocused and loose. As a prime example, a scene between George and Jiggs that comes just before the halfway mark is approached so lightly, with so flat and detached a tone, that at first it's easy to miss that it's a scene of actual import (pause, rewind, watch again), unlike many others, and then the dialogue is further treated so lightly that we have pause and rewind again. This is not the only scene to be thusly troubled (even down to the last minutes), and this is to say nothing of how discrete story threads weakly converge, and even more weakly branch out into others.
Sadly, it's not just the writing. Ferrara is excellent at his best; at his worst, sometimes I wonder just what he was thinking. There are some well-known and well-regarded names appearing here - Peter Weller, Kelly McGillis, Frederic Forrest, Charles Durning. All on hand give performances that are decidedly forced and overbearing, and less than convincing. That might be owing in part to the material, but surely it's also Ferrara's doing as director. In fact, I'm certain of it, seeing as how the orchestration of shots and scenes carries itself with similar overworked, scenery-chewing qualities; even Anthony B. Richmond's cinematography feels peculiarly brusque. Being aware of some of Ferrara's past indulgences, I don't think it's unfair to wonder if he and perhaps others involved were partaking of various stimulating illicit substances throughout production. That would explain a lot.
There are strong foundations here in the tale of shady figures getting drawn into bad business, with love, murder, and conspiracies floating overhead, and past personal history being dredged up. If imperfect, broadly speaking the narrative is solid as written. Seedy dealings, tackled with nuance and a delicate hand, can be superbly compelling. Sadly, in almost every capacity the execution of 'Cat Chaser' is flagrantly overcooked and desperately thin, and not only is it not entertaining, but in some ways - too many - it actively works to disengage viewers from the experience. This had advantages and potential, and it squanders almost all its possibilities, sometimes altogether blowing past suspension of disbelief. For what is earnestly done well (I think the effects might be the best part, to be honest), I want to like this more than I do. For all the terrible faults and weaknesses that present (including narration that persists through to the last seconds before the end credits roll), I wonder if I'm not being too generous. There are worse things one could watch, even within Ferrara's oeuvre, but unfortunately, there are also too many other titles that are much more deserving of one's time - also within Ferrara's oeuvre. I won't completely recommend against 'Cat Chaser,' but this is something to check out only on a lazy day, and after you've otherwise exhausted your watch list.