by Linda Kay
Also Known As: Fair Game
Directed by: Mario Orfini
Synopsis: Eva (Trudie Styler) has had it with her womanizing, abusive husband Gene (Gregg Henry) and leaves him. But he isn’t through with her and to get revenge he locks her into her new home with a venomous and aggressive snake.
Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): The first time we see Eva she is rescuing a small turtle from a hissing longhair ginger tabby cat she calls Paylo (that is how she pronounces the cat’s name so we will go with that spelling, although perhaps she meant to say Paolo?)
The cat is panting and looks distressed in a second shot.
Eva gives Paylo skritches under his chin and offers him something from her grocery bag before taking the turtle inside to join two other turtles she has in a terrarium.
Moments later Eva opens the door to retrieve her grocery bags (which she has left on the stoop) only to find Paylo snooping about. She quickly tosses the cat away from the bags and warns him not to try to get in through the skylight.
After Gene has left the snake in Eva’s apartment he sits outside in his car monitoring the situation within the home. At one point Paylo slides down his windshield in a Spring Loaded Cat moment.
Paylo looks accusingly in through the windshield at Gene, who turns on the wipers to scare the cat away.
Eva sits upon a pile of items in the middle of her room in a bizarre attempt to keep the snake from getting to her. She is startled by a flash of lightning and looks up to see Paylo looking down from the skylight above.
She desperately whispers “Help me!” to the cat, but he turns and walks away, never to return in the film.
Final Mewsings: If you want the cat to save you, don’t ban them from entering through your skylight!
Many thanks to Mark Murton for letting us know about the cat in this film.
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