The Cat o' Nine Tails (1971)

Such a frustrating disappointment

Good movie but grossly overrated

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

With the release of THE CAT O'NINE TAILS director Dario Argento was on his way to stardom. Having directed THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE the previous year to critical praise he set out to make a follow up that would include stylistic items that became familiar in almost all of his films.Blind crossword creator Franco "Cookie" Arno (Karl Malden) is walking home with his adopted niece Lori when he overhears a conversation taking place in a car as they walk home, a blackmail attempt being made. He tells Lori to describe who is talking and they continue on. That night the man in the car breaks into a medical research lab and takes something.Investigating the break in is reporter Carlo Giordani (James Franciscus). At the police station is Franco who overhears Carlo's questioning a detective about the break in. He introduces himself and the pair hit it off, enough so that they begin sharing information in the hopes of solving the case and Carlo getting a scoop out of it.As the movie carries on the motivations for the break in, the blackmail scheme overheard by Franco and the investigation conducted by Carlo all tie in together. As each piece of evidence is collected or investigated, suspects are murdered or disappear. Those who seem innocent might not be how they appear to be. And eventually the lives of Franco, Lori and Carlo are on the line as the guilty party does everything he can to prevent them from finding out his identity.The movie is not the best that Argento ever made but it does offer a glimpse into the development of his style, his use of camera and color and his way of depicting the acts committed by his protagonists. In watching his films I noticed that this film tried to take a different approach, focusing less on the murders and more on the original crime involved. From those I've watched it was a direction Argento abandoned, instead going back to the murders instead.This film also felt more talkie than Argento's previous film, THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE, or his subsequent films. As a sophomore outing though he does show that he was developing as a director and the potential was there. Thank goodness it came out with each movie he made.Some have hailed Argento as the next big thing to come out of Italy when discussing directors and rightfully so to my mind. He was at the forefront of a new wave of Italian directors who focused nearly all of their films in either crime or horror, who made films with little funds and who made use of their limitations to become more artistic and stylistic than many who came before. Without Argento and his substantial success in other countries directors like Fulci might never have been discovered or their films shown in other countries.Fans of Argento will want to add this to their collection. It's not the first time the film has been released on disc but it is the best edition you will find for the film. That's because Arrow has once again gone out of their way to make this the best edition of the film possible.To begin with they're offering this film in a 4k restoration from the original camera negative. The extras on hand are also above and beyond what we've had in the past. There is a new audio commentary track by critics Alan Jones and Kim Newman, new interviews with Argento, co-writer Dardana Sacchetti, actress Cinzia De Carolis and production manager Angelo Iacono, script pages for the lost original ending translated into English for the first time, the original Italian and international trailers, a reversible sleeve with new artwork by Candice Tripp, a double sided fold-out poster, 4 lobby card reproductions and a limited edition booklet with illustrations by Matt Griffin that includes an essay on the film by Argento as well as new writings by Barry Forshaw, Troy Howarth and Howard Hughes. Whew! That's a lot of bang for your buck!If you've never seen the movie I highly recommend it. Not only is it a way to become acquainted with Argento it is a solid film all unto itself. It is entertaining and will keep you guessing as to the identity of the killer. But what else would one expect with a Dario Argento film?

An early suspense thriller from Dario Argento which lacks some of his later horrific overtones but still benefits from a good helping of style and an involving plot - the story was also written by Argento. Altogether, this is a complex, involving film with plenty of unusual characters with diverse relationships, some good acting, and some moments of extreme violence for which Argento later became known. A big plus in the film's favour is the casting of the charismatic James Franciscus in the lead role as an investigative reporter who's determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. You could be forgiven for thinking that blond American Franciscus falls into the category of his contemporary wooden actors such as William Shatner and Doug McClure, but this is not the case. He lends a sophistication and skill to his character which is rarely seen in these horror films, and Argento gets nicely subtle performance out of him.Franciscus is ably supported by an ageing Karl Malden, cast as a blind man. Malden enjoys himself a lot in a meaty role like this, making his snooping, quick-thinking busybody both comical and humane. The pair are supported by a pushy Catherine Spaak playing a mistress and plenty of other Euro-folk, including Rada Rassimov (Ivan's brother) and Horst Frank, familiar from his earlier role in 1967's potboiler, THE VENGEANCE OF FU MANCHU. A jazzy score from Ennio Morricone never misses a beat, considerably adding to that whole '70s "cool" feel to the film, a make-believe world of exotic locations, wholesome folk and the occasional loose cannon.Argento doesn't fail to add his own trademarks into the brew - including tracking shots (from the killer's point of view, this was before BLACK Christmas too) and some unflinchingly brutal murders. Indeed the giallo form is present and correct here, with a faceless killer (we only ever see their eye in extreme close-up) garrotting a number of unfortunates who were too slow to figure out what was coming. A photographer in the wrong place at the wrong time, an informant and even a couple of scientists fall prone to this powerful murderer, their deaths, while not explicit, still being realistic and hard-hitting. Near the beginning of the film, another man is pushed under the wheels of a train, Argento taking the opportunity to show us his mangled body bouncing and writhing as it is broken under the tons of steel pounding over it.Plenty of action and suspenseful sequences build up the twists and turns in the plot, which lead to a predictable confrontation between Franciscus and the killer. This is a fast-paced, intriguing thriller with plenty going on to fill out the lengthy running time, and a must for fans of both mysteries and Italian crime cinema.

I enjoyed this film however I am bias because I am a big fan of Dario Argento's work.Although some reviews of this film may not put it in the same league as his later works, and despite the fact there is no chance I would state it was anywhere near my favorite work of his, it was still an enjoyable piece of film and a good murder mystery. Sure it does not have the same level of artistic camera work of later works, nor does it have any trademark black gloves or loads of gore, however it still stands up well for a film that is 44 years old.The story is good and revolves around a Medical Research team who's office is broken into and a blind man as well as a reporter who are trying to track down a killer and in the process becoming targets themselves. The characters are good and in the usual fashion of Argento he will keep you guessing right up to the end, and when you think you know who the killer is, you'll be wrong.If you like Argento's work, you should check it out.

Ranking among Argento's best movies, The Cat O'Nine Tails is a compelling giallo with solid writing and two strong leading performances.A fine James Franciscus is the conventional Argento protagonist; more interesting is the blind amateur sleuth played by a magnificent Karl Malden. A vamped-up Catherine Spaak, who was memorable as Gassman's daughter in Il Sorpasso, isn't quite as good as the femme fatale.Neither as creepy as Profondo Rosso nor as stylish as Suspiria, The Cat O'Nine Tails distinguishes itself among Argento's thrillers for its writing, with more care put into dialogues and secondary characters, and an unusually complicated plot.Argento, a huge Hitchcock fan, homages the British director with a sequence involving a poisoned glass of milk (Suspicion).7/10