NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Radiance Blu-ray (March 2025): Radiance have transferred Dominik Graf's The Cat ("Die Katze") to Blu-ray. It is cited as being a "High-Definition digital transfer newly graded by Radiance Films and overseen by director Dominik Graf". Like the film itself the image quality is gritty and often quite dark. Grain textures vary but are mostly, pleasingly, rich and heavy. Colors are un-embellished and there is appealing sharpness. The 1080P image is clean and offers a rewarding HD presentation. 

NOTE: We have added 58 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Radiance give the option of DTS-HD Master stereo track or a 5.1 surround bump (both 24-bit) in the original German language. The Cat has violence of various forms that come through with impacting depth - and in the surround - modest separations. The minimal but punchy score was by Andreas Köbner; a composer best known for his extensive work in film and television music, particularly in German productions. His career spans decades, blending classical training with a practical knack for scoring diverse genres. Also notable in the film are tracks by Eric Burdon and The Animals, Cruzados, Jennifer Warnes (singing Leonard Cohen's First We Take Manhattan,) Chris Rea, Roger Chapman, Annabel Lamb, Cruzados and others. Radiance offer optional English subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Radiance Blu-ray offers a few interviews as extras. "Good Times" is a new (2024) hour+ long interview with German film director Dominik Graf. He’s a well-known figure in both cinema and television, celebrated for his work in genres like police dramas, thrillers, and crime mysteries, though he’s also explored comedies, melodramas, and documentaries. He built a reputation for blending American-style genre storytelling with German sensibilities. He’s also a vocal advocate for genre cinema in Germany, often engaging in public discussions through articles and interviews. Here he discusses his experiences working on The Cat recorded exclusively for Radiance by Robert Fischer's Fiction Factory - as are all three interviews in the set. Screenwriter Christoph Fromm (Stalingrad: The Loneliest Death) discusses the challenges of writing The Cat, and how he adapted Uwe Erichsen's novel to the screen in this 1/2 hour video piece. He’s collaborated a lot with director Dominik Graf, penning other films like Treffer (1984), and Spieler (1990.) His work often dives into crime and thriller genres, but he’s versatile - think historical dramas and even children’s books. In the third interview producer Georg Feil recalls assembling the creative team behind The Cat, and his experiences during the film's production - for over 1/2 hour in this interview. His production credits include gritty crime series like Schimanski, Der Fahnder, and Auf Achse. He’s also taught at the University of Television and Film Munich and written novels like Das Gesetz (1985.) For about a dozen minutes Director Graf provides commentary on three short scenes from The Cat, with contributions from director and editor Artur Althen. Also recorded exclusively for Radiance by Fiction Factory. All extras are in German with optional English subtitles - including the select scene commentary. Lastly is a trailer for The Cat and the package offers a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow and is a limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings.

Dominik Graf's The Cat is a German crime thriller that has earned a cult reputation as one of the standout genre films from late-1980s West Germany. It’s a taut, gritty bank heist flick with a twist-heavy plot and a stellar cast, including Götz George (son of the acclaimed actor Heinrich George and actress Berta Drews,) striking Gudrun Landgrebe (A Woman in Flames,) and Heinz Hoenig (Wolfgang Petersen’s Das Boot.) Shot in Düsseldorf between June and August 1987, the story kicks off in a seedy Hotel Nikko room (now the Clayton Hotel), where Probek (George), a hardened crook, is tangled up with Jutta (Landgrebe), the wife of a bank manager across the street. What starts as a steamy affair turns into a calculated heist. Probek’s crew storm the Credit Bank, taking seven hostages and demanding 3 million Deutschmarks. Probek, the real brains, watches from the hotel, directing via walkie-talkie while tipping off the cops anonymously to up the stakes. It’s a house of cards - everyone’s double-crossing, and it collapses messily by the end. Graf’s direction is the star here - lean, muscular, no fat. He blends sweaty realism with genre flair, using Düsseldorf’s urban sprawl (plus Munich and Erkrath exteriors) to ground the chaos. The Bavaria-Atelier studios in Grünwald handled interiors, and Martin Schäfer’s cinematography (Wim Wenderrs' Paris, Texas) drenches The Cat with uncomfortable darkness and vérité suspense, giving it a retro ‘70s hangover vibe. I was so pleased to see this fabulous neo-noir-ish effort on Radiance Blu-ray with the extensive new extras. Absolutely recommended.

Gary Tooze