MAD CATS (2023) Director: Reiki Tsuno

MAD CATS 

Release Date: September 01st, 2023

Duration: 88 mins.

Director: Reiki Tsuno

Writer: Reiki Tsuno (Screenplay), 

Starring: Sho Mineo, Yuya Matsuura, Ayane, So Yamanaka, Chiyuki Kanazawa, Moka Kodama,

Website IMDB

MAD CATS is the debut film from CM/MV director Reiki Tsuno. Made on a low budget and shot by cast and crew in short bursts between other jobs over nearly two years, it is a fantastical story of killer cat people coming after hapless humans that combines slick gun fu action, Hollywood film references, and tongue-in-cheek humour for a fun time.

Working as a road movie, the adventure starts with Taka’s (Sho Mineo) desire to rescue his archaeologist brother Mune (So Yamanaka) from the paws of the titular Mad Cats. They are a group of monster cats who have taken on the form of human females and formed a cult-like group determined to execute unscrupulous pet shop owners. Taka gets in the way. Chases ensue with the introduction of a McGuffin: an ancient box containing the Forbidden Catnip of Bastet, a much-coveted treasure from the days of the Pharaohs. Along the way, Taka befriends a vagabond named Takezo (Yuya Matsuura) and the two come under the protection of Ayane (single-named actress Ayane), a deadly kitten who left the Mad Cats litter for personal reasons.

The plot is just enough to push the narrative forward through a series of slickly choreographed battles involving one or two of the individual mad cats, each of whom wields a unique weapon, like a pitchfork, nunchaku, or a shotgun, or displays a different fighting style. Adding flavour to each battle are visual references to (or direct pastiches of) Hollywood properties like Terminator II (1991) and John Carpenter’s In the Mouth of Madness (1994) – specifically a diner scene with the crazy person wielding the axe, to give an example.

Due to its low budget nature, some of the CG and effects lack the explosive fireworks and the resultant sturm-und-drang that a larger budget productions can bring. However, the film has a clean visual sheen and lean editing that doesn’t waste a second. The film also benefits from having a cast of female performers who have the charisma to enliven what are effectively two-dimensional roles as they bring feline qualities to their movements and expressive eyes and purr with appropriate menace. For their part, the guys play up the buffoonery of their characters, portraying with aplomb the panic-stricken big-mouthed men with an energy akin to The Three Stooges. In a way, their performances undercut traditional masculine roles letting the film subverting action stereotypes and the ladies lead the dance and both Sho Mineo and Yuya Matsuura commit to the bit with such energy that their mugging for the camera punches the humour up a level. As a whole, the full-on physical performances of the cast as a collection of cool characters throw enough energy at the screen to make the experience fun, action scenes propulsive and amusing.

In terms of looks, the film is fantastic as it establishes itself as a borderless action film. Tsuno’s choice to shoot in spaces like trailer parks, abandoned theme parks, diners, and a British country manor was so that the film doesn’t particularly look Japanese. At times it feels like wandering through an apocalyptic wasteland, a la the later Phantasm movies while at others, there are set-dressing and action references to Indiana Jones movies. As a result, it gains a dreamlike or manga-esque edge that sets it apart from typical low-budget crime/action flicks set in Japan like Hydra (2019) and Re:born (2017). His sense of style also makes the blocking and framing of scenes excellent as characters enter and exit in ways that keep the action fun to watch as fight choreography and visual gags of people running around in chaos are executed cleanly. It all culminates in a final fight where light, shadow and excellent editing highlight the work of the female fighters, particularly Ayane, a relatively new name (as far as I am aware) on the action scene who shows fantastic fighting skills and has a naturally cool look. She portrays a character of few words but projects a lot of charisma and she has the flying fists and physicality to own fight scenes.

Mad Cats really impresses as an indie production that looks better than its background would suggest. It is best entered into with the view of it being a smorgasbord of references to other movies and a fun time that can be enjoyed by all. The film really does shine in the visuals department and the performers all gamely perform their roles to really make the film punch above its weight and be an enjoyable experience.

Third Window Films released an all-region Blu-Ray and digital edition of MAD CATS on January 29th.

The extras are a good offering that provide excellent background showing the work that went into the fight choreography and how it translated into the final scenes. It gives a viewer a new appreciation for the idea that martial arts and dancing  have lots of similarities. Likewise, the extras also give an appreciation for the movie references that Reiki Tsuno is reaching for, especially for the fans of horror genre cinema out there. He mentions that he is a fan of Evil Dead 2 (1987) and that thanks to his parents love of cinema, he pushed himself to learn English and work with iconic names in American genre cinema. These extras make the film worth a re-watch just to see how everything slots in.