“DC Showcase: Catwoman” is a short film that of course focuses on Catwoman. This was originally released as an extra for the “Batman: Year One” direct-to-video film. “DC Showcase: Catwoman” helps to make Gotham feel bigger by showing a story there without Batman but it’s certainly not one of the city’s most engaging tales.

Catwoman (Eliza Dushku “Wrong Turn”, “Bring It On”) is going around Gotham City when she finds a cat with some jewellery. This leads her to track down a mysterious cargo shipment, which is linked to a vicious crook by the name of ‘Rough Cut’. Can this feline thief bring down the large mobster?

Catwoman is a pretty fascinating character in the “Batman” franchise because she walks the line between heroine and villainess. The depiction here of course lacks the detail found in other versions of the character because there just isn’t enough time for development here. This version does seem to be a real exhibitionist as she engages in a striptease for Rough Cut even though it seems entirely unnecessary. Rough Cut is not one of the more memorable criminals in Gotham. He just seems like a big guy in a suit. There are some other characters but they play very insignificant roles in the story.

“DC Showcase: Catwoman” is probably not going to be something you want young kids to see. There is a rather inappropriate strip sequence that really does just seem to be there to make Catwoman look sexy. The action sequences that we have here are decent. As mentioned, I think this does a good job in terms of making Gotham feel more like a big city with lots of different characters doing their own thing. However, as a story itself, it’s not as entertaining as it could be.