The Cat o' Nine Tails

source: The Cat o' Nine Tails

Look I love Argento's directing, don't get me wrong; but sometimes even the most dedicated Argento fan who grew up with "American" films (for better or worse)has to wince at the lifeless acting and less than stringy plotlines in his films. This was different. One of Salvatore's projects and one of Dario's earliest (right after the success of Bird with the Crystal Plumage, apparently) it had a screenplay written for it that kept me mystified right here in the year 2001. Things of course moved slowly at times - this is an Italian film in 1971 after all, but of course the cinematography is phemomenal and the story is compelling. Also, there are some really great lines of dialogue that had me cracking up. i bought the DVD off Ebay and so my copy was pretty darn good. Check this one out if you get the rare chance. Good stuff.

THE CAT O'NINE TAILS (Il Gatto a Nove Code) Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 (Cromoscope) Sound format: Mono (35mm and 70mm release prints) A blind ex-journalist (Karl Malden) overhears a blackmail plot outside a genetics research laboratory and later teams up with a fellow reporter (James Franciscus) to investigate a series of murders at the lab, unwittingly placing their own loved ones at the mercy of a psychopathic killer. Rushed into production following the unexpected worldwide success of his directorial debut THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE (1969), Dario Argento conceived THE CAT O'NINE TAILS as a giallo-thriller in much the same vein as its forerunner, toplining celebrated Hollywood actor Karl Malden - fresh from his appearance in PATTON (1969) - and rising star Franciscus (THE VALLEY OF GWANGI). Sadly, the resulting film - which the ads claimed was 'nine times more suspenseful' than "Bird" - is a disappointing follow-up, impeccably photographed and stylishly executed, but too plodding and aimless for general consumption. Malden and Franciscus are eminently watchable in sympathetic roles, and cinematographer Enrico Menczer (THE DEAD ARE ALIVE) uses the wide Cromoscope frame to convey the hi-tech world in which Argento's dark-hearted scenario unfolds, but the subplot involving Euro starlet Catherine Spaak (THE LIBERTINE) as Franciscus' romantic interest amounts to little more than unnecessary padding. Highlights include an unforgettable encounter with the black-gloved assassin in a crowded railway station (edited with sleek assurance by cult movie stalwart Franco Fraticelli), and a nocturnal episode in which Malden and Franciscus seek an important clue inside a mouldering tomb and fall prey to the killer's devious machinations. But despite these flashes of brilliance, the film rambles aimlessly from one scene to the next, simmering gently without ever really coming to the boil. It's no surprise that "Cat" failed to emulate the runaway success of "Bird" when released in 1971. (English version)

Dario Argento's second horror film (simultaneously the second entry in his animal-trilogy) is quite a stylish giallo, successfully blending grisly brutality with intelligent plotting. "The Cat O' Nine Tails" actually delivers more than you normally expect from an Argento film as it contains several flawlessly elaborated suspense-sequences that can easily stand a comparison with Alfred Hitchcock's best work, and no, that's NOT giving it too much credit! The story involves a series of sadistic murders all connected with the management staff of a genetic research institute in the heart of Rome. The institute is doing some breakthrough work in linking a particular DNA structure to typical criminal-behavior and the risk for industrial espionage is high. The blind neighbor Franco Arno and his young niece Lori help journalist Carlo Giordani in his search for the murderer. It's pleasing to see how Argento clearly put more thought the plotting here than in his later, more famous, work. Even though the premise is very over-the-top and confusing, Argento makes efforts to cover every possible hole in the plot whereas - in his later work - he simply inserted more gore to distract your attention. The camera-work is fantastic and guided by a solid Ennio Morricone score. Some of the highlights in "The Cat O'Nine Tails" include a shocking scene in a train-station (ouch!!), a cynically fun sequence at a barber's place and – especially – a claustrophobic scene in a vault which almost causes you to distrust the one character of who you were certain that he was in the good camp... You'll know what I mean by that when you see the film...It truly is a powerful scene. The symbolism sometimes is a little too heavy, though, and the film is slightly too long. But that's just to name two minor flaws in an overall very good horror movie. This is definitely one of Argento best films and it certainly is his most underrated one. Personally, I enjoyed it a lot more than "Profondo Rosso" which is more acclaimed but actually less intriguing. One more thing: make sure you've got your finger ready on the rewind-button during the very last sequence! The murderer's deadfall is definitely something you'll want to see in instant replay!

The second Dario Argento movie is one of his classics, although not as excellent as "L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo". Also here there's everything you expect from an Argento picture -an extremely well directed thriller, exciting shots and a very good editing. The story is original, but at the end everything seems a little... thrown away, it seems that Dario was in a hurry to finish and the terrible truth at the end has something wasted. A journalist and a blind man investigate about a series of murders -as it happens in many Argento films. Their research focuses on a medical institute, which is developing a medicine for curing criminal instincts. James Franciscus, the leading man, is too American and too handsome for being a credible Italian journalist. And the scene in the crypt is highly improbable -Franciscus penetrates a crypt in order to look for a necklace... Good points are the shots -subjective shots-, in which the spectator can follow the action with the assassin eyes. Good cinematography, exciting soundtrack of Ennio Morricone and excellent presence of Karl Malden -he acts very well the role of the blind man. If "L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo" deserves 9 out of 10, "Il gatto a nove code" deserves "only" 7 out of 10.

Karl Malden stars as a blind man with a talent for solving puzzles who teams-up with reporter Carlo Giordani(James Franciscus)to launch a private investigation into a string of peculiar murders,all of which seem to involve a dubious genetic research facility.The killer soon becomes wise to the duo's plans and will do whatever it takes to stop them from reporting to the police."Cat's Nine Tails" is the second giallo made by Italian maestro Dario Argento.The film is well-acted and very suspenseful.Karl Malden is awesome as the blind puzzle designer."Cat's Nine Tails" is even less bloody than Argento's stunning debut "The Bird with the Crystal Plumage",so gore-hounds expecting vicious murders in the vein of "Deep Red" or "Tenebre" will be disappointed.Still there are some truly unnerving stalking sequences and subjective killer's view camera shots.The score by Ennio Morricone is as always splendid.9 out of 10.

Okay, most critics even Argento lovers give this film poor reviews. I admit this is not his best work, but it's not a bad mystery Giallo film and I enjoyed it a lot. From the intricate plotting, to the impressive Argento style camera-work, and those trendy (circa 1971) sets this film is a winner. I saw this at the theater when it was released, as a teenager coming off seeing Bird W/ The Crystal Plumage 2 years before so I expected at least another stylish horror film. I got it black patent leather gloves and all. Argento himself said this is his most disappointing film. I disagree it delivered the goods in a well made, suspenseful, well plotted, never boring and good looking package. His worst film by far is the atrocious Phantom of The Opera (1998). Avoid that one. Although Cat O' Nine tails is no Suspiria or Deep Red, it still is a worthy addition to any Argento or Giallo horror film collection. I give it 8/10.

I personally love this movie and I'm a shameless admirer of Dario Argento, so take my comments as worth a grain of salt. Sure, "Cat O' Nine Tails" (1971) is not an Argento "masterpiece" (depending what one's criteria are) and is certainly not a perfect film, but the "good stuff" in this baby just outweighs whatever it's faults may be, as far as I'm concerned. It's beautifully photographed (as usual) and makes lovely use of the widescreen filmscape, it has a great Ennio Morricone musical score and it really displays the first true signs of Argento's unique "ultra-style" and technique for which he is now so beloved. There are some gorgeous set pieces here and some truly striking sequences (the cemetery scene and the car chase are my two particular favorites). The film is filled with typically Argento-esque odd, eccentric characters and bit players and the atmosphere created is one of true unease and hidden perversion. Karl Malden is terribly sweet and thoroughly convincing as the blind man Arno and James Franciscus is handsome and cool (almost too cool) as the reporter with whom he collaborates. I think Catherine Spaak makes a great leading lady with her aloof beauty and non-acting presence. She, to me, represents the kind of female character that Hitchcock was so good at bringing out of his actresses; she is a virtual blank slate upon which the director (in this case Argento) projects what he wants. This being Argento's second film as director, it's perhaps true that he does not achieve the delirious highs and awe inspiring beauty of some of his later films. But on the flip side, "Cat O' Nine Tails" is exceedingly better than so many other 'giallo' films of that era or any era. Definitely a must for any Argento fan and, I think, a good recommendation for anyone looking for a unusual Euro-Horror-Thriller.

When fans of Dario Argento watch his films, they expect to see certain things: violence, amazing camera-work, violence, crazy story-lines, violence towards women, etc. And that's the main problem with CAT O' NINE TAILS: it doesn't deliver those things fans of Argento expect to see. If you take Argento's name off of this film's credit, I'm sure a lot of people would consider it great but because it's sorta thrifty when it comes to the usual Argento ingredients, too many have dismissed it as being average. Most of the on-screen killings are strangulations. I'm sure many fans of Argento were disappointed with this. And most of the people killed are men, which probably also disappointed fateful Argento fans, accustomed to seeing the director murdering women in spectacular ways. Compared to other non-Argento Gialli, CAT O' NINE TAILS is excellent. For example, it is much better than DELERIUM, SOLANGE, TORSO, THE CASE OF THE BLOODY IRIS and slew of other average or mediocre gialli out there. It's a shame this movie is a Dario Argento film because it is completely overlooked as a great giallo. With that said, the film still has some weaknesses. It's all over the place. One minute, it's a mystery. The next, it's a racing movie. Then it suddenly becomes a romance story, etc. The lack of focus in the direction and the script is evident throughout the movie. In comparison, THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE was much more focused that this second movie in Dario's animal trilogy. The characters' motivations are also murky and muddled. The relationship between handsome Franciscus and not-so handsome Malden is fun if not really convincing. There's simply very little background information about those two characters, certainly James Franciscus' character, who is as one dimensional as humanly possible. But the acting is better than most Argento films and what's lacking in details in the characters is compensated by the excellent cast. The little girl was really good. The comedic bits, like the barber shop scene or when Franciscus decides to wear a raincoat after making love (?!?!) fell flat with a big thud. But the film's story-line IS interesting, if implausible. The feel and look of the film is dream-like and the music is excellent. Even if CAT O' NINE TAILS doesn't have as many signature Argento scenes as his other famous films, there are a couple of stand-out moments or shots peppered throughout which makes this worthwhile viewing. And there's actually an ending to this Dario Argento film. All in all, I think CAT O' NINE TAILS is totally memorable. It is much better than the crap Argento has been making these days. And like I've said above, it is much better than most non-Argento gialli made in those days. So, the only thing wrong with this great film is that it's a Dario Argento film.

Being left gasping for breath after getting gripped by Dario Argento's The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970-also reviewed) ,I placed an order on Amazon to get a R2 DVD of his second Giallo as fast .When the film arrived,I instantly put it in my DVD player.Sadly,about 5 minutes into the film I had to turn it off,due to the picture quality of the film looking like it had covered with mud. A few months later,as I started to think about what film I would enjoy watching for the very first time on my birthday,Argento's claws came out,ripping any other competitor's apart.Checking to see if there was any chance of a classy print of the film being out on import DVD,I was thrilled to discover that Blue Underground had brought the film out with a cleaned-up sound and picture,which made me realize that I at last had the chance to view Dario's second Giallo with all its claws intact. View on the film: Shortly after having watched this excellent film,I decided to take a look at the extra 13 minute DVD interview with Dario Argento. In the interview ,I was shocked to hear Argento say the he feels that this is the worst film that he has ever made! One of the most interesting aspects I found with Cats,when compared to Argento's other " Animal trilogy" Gialli,is that this is the one that seems to spends the most amount of its time focusing on the gathering of clues in the characters intense hunt for the killer. With the great,puzzle-solving screenplay (that Dario co-wrote with Dardano "The Beyond" Sacchetti and Luigi Collo) the writers give the film a strong mix of Giallo paranoid thriller and a hard-nosed 40's detective film (with some added,cleverly done,stylish murder scenes for good measure.) The writers closely follow Carlo (played with a tense determination by James Franciscus) and Franco (played by a terrific Karl Malden,who does very well at showing Franco's increased interested for getting involved in an almost" one last case" scenario- Although,it is a shame that he is given the nickname "Cookie" by his niece,instead of "Themis") gather up all of the clues that are hidden in the shadows of the shady corporation,as they also each try and deal with the fact that someone is going around,attempting to stop them dead in their tracks. Checking up for some details about the rest of the cast online,I was disappointed to find that lead actress Catherine Spaak, (who is also the first lead actress to be featured (partly) naked in an Argento film) seems to get bashed quite a bit for her performance.Whilst Spaak does not have a charismatic side as strong as other actresses in Dario's film,she makes up for a good amount of it by giving Anna a chillingly icy side that help to give her scenes a good,untrustworthy feel. As the film begins to near the ending, Argento starts to hint at a killer twist. Sadly,,Argento instead finishes the film with a whimper,instead of the much needed bang that it seemed to had been building towards. Whilst the open ending does let the film down a bit,Dario's tremendous directing makes sure that the whole audience is pulled right into this wonderful twisting & turning Giallo,with scenes such as ones that involve a suspicious looking glass of milk and a creepy search round a grave yard,allowing Argento to create a tense, lively Giallo with nine lives.