Warner Bros.
Starring: Mel Gibson, Kurt Russell, Michelle Pfeiffer
Directed by: Robert Towne
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!
Synopsis: McKussic (Mel Gibson) is a drug dealer who is trying to retire but encounters resistance from all sides, including his police officer buddy Frescia (Kurt Russell) who thinks he should pay for his crimes.
Kitty Cameo: An unnamed tabby cat is seen a few times in the film. It’s first seen outside McKussic’s sliding glass door in the rain. McKussic gets up to apparently let the cat in but the scene suddenly fades.
Later in the film the cat is sitting on top of a garbage can outside the beach home. The cat knocks an empty pasta box off the can.
McKussic drives up and then approaches the house, noticing the cat and the box on the ground.
The cat plays with the box for a moment before McKussic continues inside. According to producer Thom Mount on the DVD’s commentary track, the seemingly simple shot took all night because, “the damn cat wouldn’t do what he was supposed to do.” He went on to say that one shot, “was the one time that the cat stopped and played with Mel on the way into the house. And it was a very expensive cat shot. Cost about $140,000. And my best advice to you is … no animals.”
The cat is only seen one more time walking along a fence as the camera moves toward the house.
Final Mewsings: Cats don’t always take direction.
Many thanks to Nick Wale for reminding us of the cat in this movie!
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