The Wild Pussycat on the surface seems like it has everything I would want in an older flick. It’s got beautiful babes getting naked, a lady out for revenge, and did I mention it’s got beautiful babes getting naked? As I said, Wild Pussycat on the surface looks like a movie I would love. However, the problem with the movie lies in the story, acting and execution.
The story itself is simple enough. When sexy Gisela Dali finds out her sister was being pimped out to pay the rent, which results in her taking her own life, Gisela seeks revenge. She finds her sister’s diary and gets the down and dirty deets to find the man (Kostas Prekas) who did this to her sister. Her revenge involves locking him up in a soundproof room and forcing him to watch her have sex through a one-way mirror (I could think of worse punishments). Eventually, he becomes crazy and teeters on the verge of insanity. (Personally, if I was forced to watch Gisela have sex with a beautiful woman, I too would go crazy.)
The simple story is hurt when we factor in Kostas Prekas’ acting, which is borderline offensive to the viewer. His grimacing and arm flailing towards the camera are enough to make you want to stop the film. Another offence is the vagueness of what truly happens to Kostas’ character. Sure, I can kind of guess what I think happens, but in the end, I’m still not entirely sure, which makes the ending of the film fall flat.
Having said all of that, I still feel like The Wild Pussycat is an enjoyable-enough revenge flick, featuring heaps of nudity (and some awkward scenes of a cat staring into your soul as you watch two lovers do the deed). Mondo Macabro sees the same enjoyment in Wild Pussycat and has released it on a solid Blu-ray edition. It features the export cut, which has all the wonderful nudity intact and would be the one I would recommend checking out. The domestic Greek cut exorcises most of the nudity and replaces it with a random detective subplot that adds absolutely nothing to the main story. Both cuts feature solid video and are framed in 1.33:1. Mondo Macabro puts up a warning that to make the full export cut they had to use part of a theatrical version and warns of the difference in quality. It certainly didn’t mar my experience.
The export cut is featured in English, with one small section in Greek with English subtitles. The domestic cut is of course in Greek with English subtitles. Extra features are on the light side, with a Mondo Macabro trailer showcase, a Promo Trailer for Wild Pussycat, and a weirdly titled Publicity Material Mini Movie, which is a fancy way of saying still gallery. It’s on the light side at first glance, but one could say that the extra movie featured on the disc, The Deserter, is a bonus of sorts. The film itself isn’t the best thing around, focusing on a deserting soldier and his exploits with two women, one married. Eventually, things catch up with the soldier and not all love stories have a happy ending.
If you wondering more about what The Wild Pussycat and The Deserter look like, be sure to check out the full gallery at Cultsploitation.
The DeserterVerdict
The Wild Pussycat is wild at times, but other times it can be downright frustrating given Kostas Prekas’ sketchy performance and a weak ending. To make you even more frustrated, throw on the domestic cut and be amazed at what some trimming and extra reshoots can do to a story. Nevertheless, any film that features beautiful women getting naked is almost an A+ in my naughty book, so Mondo Macabro gets a recommend. (What can I say, I’m sleazily impressed.)