“Catwoman” (Warner Brothers)
Any movie that features Halle Berry in full sensual style is a movie worth seeing. And as the title character in the new film “Catwoman” she is purr-fectly delicious. The script may be sketchy but it is good enough to keep Berry on screen for a solid two hours, and for most audiences that will be enough.
Berry plays Patience Phillips, a mild mannered artist slaving away at a job where she is under-appreciated. She is such a mess of insecurity that she wears the same clothes to work two days straight. No one seems to notice or even care.
One night she delivers a drawing to her boss’ office and overhears the wrong conversation. This results in her being killed, but a cat named “Midnight” brings her back to life. She still looks like Patience but she evolves into Catwoman.
Tom Lone (Benjamin Bratt) is a police detective who is attracted to Patience but fascinated by Catwoman. It is that old comic book trick. He doesn’t recognize her when she has her catmask on.
Sharon Stone is Laurel, the wife of the man (Lambert Wilson) for whom Patience works. She ends up being Catwoman’s arch foe and a catfight between the two women climaxes the movie.
Berry is magnificent in both personas in the movie. She makes Patience and Catwoman individuals but then blends them together seamlessly. She has the athletic grace the role requires and the catlike agility that makes her stunts believable. She is certainly more of a true action figure than Ben Affleck ever was in “Daredevil.”
Bratt is window dressing as Lone and doesn’t have the charisma to match Berry in their scenes together. Stone looks great and chews up the scenery as the conniving Laurel. Alex Borstein provides comic relief as Patience’s friend Sally.
The film is rated PG-13 for profanity, violence and sensuality.
Casting Halle Berry in the lead role was a smart move. This may be comic book lite, but with Berry at her sexiest this is comic book hot!
I scored “Catwoman” a kitten with a whip 5 out of 10.
