Cat O'Nine Tails (1971)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Jeff "

  
  Dario Argento's second film is a fairly underrated Giallo film. Argento has long expressed that Cat O' Nine Tails is one of least favorite films. Yet, this is a solid piece of Italian horror cinema. A film that is thrilling, horrifying and suspenseful. As a second work,… More
  Dario Argento's second film is a fairly underrated Giallo film. Argento has long expressed that Cat O' Nine Tails is one of least favorite films. Yet, this is a solid piece of Italian horror cinema. A film that is thrilling, horrifying and suspenseful. As a second work, Argento would mould and sharpen his skills as a director and along with his debut, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage; Cat O' Nine Tails was just the early horrifying attempts by Argento to create memorable horror films. This is an underrated film, and though Dario Argento has directed far superior Giallo films such as Deep Red, Tenebrae and Opera, Cat O' Nine Tails is still a well crafted film. The cast do a fine job here and the plot is thrilling, suspenseful, and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Dario Argento has made a terrific Giallo film with Cat O' Nine Tails, and it doesn't deserve the hatred it has received. I have to admit that despite this not being the strongest of Dario Argento's films, this is still a must see for fans of the director. Cat O' Nine Tails has enough thrills going for it to appeal to the Argento Connoisseur. Karl Malden delivers a solid performance Cat O' Nine Tails is very well crafted Giallo film, and despite Argento's mixed feeling about his film, this, I think is nonetheless a great film with a wonderful cast, effective story, and plenty of mystery and thrills that is a signature in all of Argento's Giallo's. Everything you'd expect from a great Giallo film is here, and as an Argento fan, I very much recommend it. An underrated film that is better than what critics have claimed it to be.

• Tim S

  
  To be honest, I didn't find The Cat O'Nine Tails to be all that great. I actually found it kind of boring. The signature giallo plot twists are there and there isn't much gore to be seen (as Argento is usually known for), but it wasn't very appealing. I find it… More
  To be honest, I didn't find The Cat O'Nine Tails to be all that great. I actually found it kind of boring. The signature giallo plot twists are there and there isn't much gore to be seen (as Argento is usually known for), but it wasn't very appealing. I find it interesting to see Karl Malden pop up in a seemingly stripped-down mystery thriller, but it feels more like an American best-of rather than being its own thing. I found The Bird with the Crystal Plumage to be far superior, even though it came first. Dario Argento would go on to perfect the giallo later in the decade, while he felt this to be his weakest effort. I would have to concur with that. It's not terrible, but it's certainly lackluster.

• Cassandra M

  
  When I first saw this I thought it was a wee bit undistinguished, much less interesting or exciting than an Argento movie should be. After watching it again I realised I couldn't have been more wrong, as this is a mystery/suspense film as they come, lacking mainly in the gore or… More
  When I first saw this I thought it was a wee bit undistinguished, much less interesting or exciting than an Argento movie should be. After watching it again I realised I couldn't have been more wrong, as this is a mystery/suspense film as they come, lacking mainly in the gore or twistedness of Argento's best loved work. The plot is nicely complex and intriguing with many suspects and much going on and it unfolds at a good pace as a blind puzzle maker, skillfully played by Karl Malden probes the mystery. The screenplay is by the ever useful Dardano Sachetti and only slips up with a few scenes that have a vaguely cheesy, Americanised feel. Also the film has intrigue in spades but not so much intensity. There are a few murders, not too gruesome, in fact some of Argento's tamest, but they have great style and work in the more intrigue driven context. There is some real fine suspense and camera work, particularly in the break in scene and the rooftop finale. Ennio Morricone provides a customary fine score, creating a good haunting and hypnotic atmosphere for the film. Altogether, this is a fine work, one that all fans of the director or Italian thrillers in general should check out.

• Ariuza k

  
  The Cat o' Nine Tails is Dario Argento's 'difficult second movie'. This is the one that had to follow up his genre-defining debut The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. It's a movie that many fans (and the director himself apparently) think is unsubstantial.… More
  The Cat o' Nine Tails is Dario Argento's 'difficult second movie'. This is the one that had to follow up his genre-defining debut The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. It's a movie that many fans (and the director himself apparently) think is unsubstantial. Certainly it's relatively weak when set alongside Crystal Plumage but when it is considered as a film in its own right and directly compared to other early 70's gialli, it's actually pretty good. The story basically involves a couple of amateur sleuths - a journalist and blind ex-newsman - who get embroiled in a series of murders that surround a genetics institute. Plot wise, the film is very far-fetched. Events and character actions don't exactly make logical sense a lot of the time. This is a common feature of giallo cinema but it is something that viewers unfamiliar with the genre might find a little off-putting. If you can accept this and roll with it you will find that Cat o' Nine Tails is a good exercise in suspense film-making. Although it's fair to say that the story compares quite badly in comparison with the classic giallo twist-in-the-tail narrative of Crystal Plumage; although it is serviceable enough. Unlike many of his contemporaries, such as Umberto Lenzi or Sergio Martino, Argento did not incorporate graphic violence in his early gialli. Sure, there are murders here that are quite disturbing but it's not exactly a blood-bath. What Argento does show, however, is a clear understanding of how to generate suspense. There are some very tense, well handled scenes such as the poisoned milk set-piece, the sequence in the mausoleum and the climatic rooftop fight. He is helped in creating this kind of atmosphere by the soundtrack provided by Ennio Morricone. It's a nice dark piece of work with a memorable main theme, not as good as his work on Crystal Plumage but superior to his subsequent score for Four Flies on Grey Velvet. Like that latter film, Cat o' Nine Tails has a more experimental approach than his debut movie. Argento incorporates odd editing techniques where we see quick flashes of events before they actually happen. This disorientating approach helps create a slightly mad, off-kilter atmosphere. We are actively encouraged to identify with the killer in this film, as the various POV shots and the huge close-ups of their retina attest. Overall, this isn't the best looking movie that Argento has directed but it's still very accomplished. The cinematography is good and the interior décor is, at times, insane - check out Bianca Merusi's wallpaper; its garishly appalling in a way that only early 70's décor can be! The acting here is pretty decent. James Franciscus and Karl Malden lead the cast well enough. And there are some interesting performances from other supporting cast members, most notably Cinzia De Carolis as the little girl Lori, Horst Frank as the homosexual Dr. Braun and Rada Rassimov as Dr. Calabresi's doomed lover Bianca. As is typical in movies from Argento's golden period, and unlike other gialli of the time, there is a distinct lack of eye-candy; this is not a criticism, far from it, just an observation. It's interesting how disinterested he appeared to view the sex side of things in his classic gialli when you weigh it up against the somewhat dubious relish he seems to give it in his latter (inferior) thrillers. I think this film has definitely been unfairly maligned for either not being as good as The Bird with the Crystal Plumage or for not containing sufficient sex and violence. While it's true that it's restrained compared to many of its contemporaries, it's a better film than most of them because its mystery is compelling enough and its a genuinely tense affair a lot of the time. Not only that but this movie has one of the most ambiguous and downbeat endings in any gialli I have seen - lets just say that you really aren't too sure about the well-being of certain cast members at the end. If you're a fan of either giallo cinema, the work of Dario Argento or cult Italian cinema in general then I would strongly recommend seeking this one out. It's ultimately a superior, if relatively restrained, slice of giallo mayhem from the master of the genre.

• Keiko A

  
  Meany today wouldn't know what Giallo films are there Italian hardback books that consisted of mystery/crime and with the all famous yellow background. Then in the 70s the first true Giallo movies came out starting with Dario Argento's the bird with the crystal plumage.… More
  Meany today wouldn't know what Giallo films are there Italian hardback books that consisted of mystery/crime and with the all famous yellow background. Then in the 70s the first true Giallo movies came out starting with Dario Argento's the bird with the crystal plumage. Defying the films are characterized by extended murder sequences featuring excessive bloodletting, stylish camerawork and unusual musical arrangements and stories. All thought not all Giallo films are violent let alone scary the cat of 0'nine tails is a great example of very good story telling with out the all famous killing scenes. Franco Arno is a blind man that lives with his young niece and makes a living writing crossword puzzles. One night, while walking on the street, he overhears a weird conversation between two man sitting in a car parked in front of a medical institute where genetic experiments are performed. The same night someone breaks in the institute and kills a guard. Arno decides to investigate with the help of reporter Carlo Giordani. Unlike Meany would say to me the story was very well done and suspenseful but it cane be very hard to follow sometimes. But lots of cliffhangers and very good stories make the prefect Giallo film. 90% for story it can be hard to follow like I said but its very well done. 80% for acting again it's very well done 70% for special effects although there's not much that is very unusual for an Argento film. 80% for characters there's lots of them with a tone of back story 90% for everything else. The music was very good but suspiria is still in the lead If you can find It I say watch it Keiko's score 90-100

• Conner R

  
  Not anywhere near the perfection of the other Animal Trilogy films from Dario Argento, but still a great movie. It is perhaps the most outlandish and sarcastic plots of his early work, mainly due to the fact that it has a Blind man and a little girl solving a mystery. However, it is… More
  Not anywhere near the perfection of the other Animal Trilogy films from Dario Argento, but still a great movie. It is perhaps the most outlandish and sarcastic plots of his early work, mainly due to the fact that it has a Blind man and a little girl solving a mystery. However, it is beautiful looking and experimental. I think this is the movie that Dario Argento really went for it and tried a lot of different angles. Some worked and some didn't, but it's a fun movie nonetheless.

• Anthony L

  
  The king of Giallo, Dario Argento at his best. Pure genius and glorious 70's cinema.

• Ken S

  
  Decent Giallo from Argento. Couple of good kills, a great ending fight sequence and Karl Malden turning in an interesting performance

• Lafe F

  
  Weird Dario Argento "Giallo" (gorey Italian detective mystery) movie with people connected to a genetics research project being killed. There was no cat in this movie! I don't know why Argento chose animal names for his first three Giallos. Karl Malden is a blind… More
  Weird Dario Argento "Giallo" (gorey Italian detective mystery) movie with people connected to a genetics research project being killed. There was no cat in this movie! I don't know why Argento chose animal names for his first three Giallos. Karl Malden is a blind puzzle-solver who helps the detective James Franciscus unlock this strange case. There's a few nice death scenes: someone being hit by a train, someone sliding down an elevator cable and shredding their hands, someone drinking from a poisonous pyramid-shaped milk carton. The plot is a bit silly and borning, but there's some nice set pieces.

• Daniel P

  
  One of Dario Argento's lesser 70's works, the film suffers from an overly confused story and a totally ridiculous plot device that must have sounded far-fetched at the time, and feels very dated now. Argento's excellent direction and POV shots (familiar from the… More
  One of Dario Argento's lesser 70's works, the film suffers from an overly confused story and a totally ridiculous plot device that must have sounded far-fetched at the time, and feels very dated now. Argento's excellent direction and POV shots (familiar from the superior <i>Opera</i> and <i>Deep Red</i>) mean this is at best an interesting curio for giallo fans.

• Marcus W

  
  Argento's excellent photography is once more on display here, in particular the killer's POV shots. And here I was thinking John Carpenter had invented that. The plot is very complex and while this is a well-written film, the nine possible leads (hence the title) to the… More
  Argento's excellent photography is once more on display here, in particular the killer's POV shots. And here I was thinking John Carpenter had invented that. The plot is very complex and while this is a well-written film, the nine possible leads (hence the title) to the murderer are unnecessarily complex, become confusing and lack tension - until the last half hour at least. It's not as gripping or as mesmerising as some of his work. So, good Argento, rather than awesome Argento.

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