James Franciscus

Karl Malden

Catherine Spaak

Pier Paolo Capponi

Horst Frank

Rada Rassimov

Aldo Reggiani

Carlo Alighiero

Vittorio Congia

Ugo Fangareggi

Tom Felleghy

Emilio Marchesini

Fulvio Mingozzi

Corrado Olmi

Pino Patti

Umberto Raho

Jacques Stany

Stefano Oppedisano

Ada Pometti

Walter Pinelli

Sascha Helwin

Marie Louise Sinclair

Martial Boschero

Cinzia De Carolis

Werner Pochath

Tino Carraro

Ettore Arena

Aristide Caporale

Giovanni Di Benedetto

Margherita Horowitz

Giuseppe Marrocco

Gennarino Pappagalli

Aldo Parenti

Franco Ukmar

Dario Argento

Dardano Sacchetti

Luciano Vittori

Ennio Morricone

Salvatore Argento

Erico Menczer

Carlo Du Bois

Luigi Cozzi

Bryan Edgar Wallace

Carlo Leva

Luca Sabatelli

Giuseppe Ferranti

Vincenzo Marchetti

Pierantonio Mecacci

Maura Turchi

Angelo Iacono

Roberto Pariante

Romeo Costantini

Franco Pedacchia

Lamberto Verdenelli

Eugenio Fiori

Romano Pampaloni

Mario Ronchetti

Massimo Anzellotti

Roberto Bertozzi

Roberto Brega

Arturo de Castelterlango

Rodolfo Flibotti

Giuseppe Gabrielli

Maurizio La Monica

Alberico Loreti

Renato Mascagno

Ettore Migalizzi

Giovanni Migalizzi

Maurizio Migalizzi

Firmino Palmieri

Francesco Rachini

Carlo Vinciguerra

Cesarina Casini

Sergio Fraticelli

Bruno Nicolai

Roberta Leoni

Luciano Anzellotti

Franco Fraticelli

Giuseppe Mangogna

Mystery

Thriller

Horror

Il gatto a nove code

Labrador Films

Seda Spettacoli

Terra-Filmkunst

Titanus

Germany

France

Italy

Sixth Sense and Nine Avenues.

 

Il gatto a nove code (The Cat O’ Nine Tails) is written and directed by Dario Argento. It stars Karl Malden, James Franciscus, Catherine Spaak, Horst Frank, Aldo Reggiani, Carlo Alighiero and Rada Rassimov. Music is by Ennio Morricone and cinematography by Erico Menczer. 

 

Blind puzzle solver Franco Arno (Malden) and newspaper man Carlo Giordani  (Franciscus) team up to see if they can solve the mystery of the murders that are terrifying the city. With their own lives becoming increasingly in danger, and the lines of investigation splintered all over the place, the men are drawn to the mysterious Terzi Institute where geneticists are tampering with gene patterns…

 

Argento doesn’t like it and the fans are very much divided about the worth of it on the Argento curriculum vitae, yet The Cat O’ Nine Tails is a delightfully entertaining oddity.

 

The plot is labyrinthine with relish on top, spinning the viewers into the same convoluted investigative maze that Messrs Arno and Giordani find themselves in. In fact, it’s near genius that it rarely makes sense under inspection, yet still there’s a fascinating edge to the story, with its characterisations, sexual kinks and cruel murders, there’s a power to the piece that rewards if you can just run with it, buy into Argento’s Giallo singed world.

 

With Malden turning in a great performance and Franciscus performing to a level nobody thought was in him, the lead characters really come to life. Add to that Morricone’s creepy jazzy-garde fuelled score underlining the skew-whiff nature of the beast, and Menczer’s photography tonally muted, tech credits are at one with the themes ticking away in the narrative, a narrative that has observation, ironically, on vision, sight and minds eye. While there’s a couple of rug-pulls jostling for our attention just to keep things twisty.

 

Then there is the director himself. The Cat O’ Nine Tails finds him restrained compared to the excess of style over substance films that would dominate his oeuvre post release of The Cat. That’s not to say there isn’t style here, there’s plenty as Argento dallies in POV, iris vision, and a nifty trick that gives the blind Arno “sight”, further ensuring that the supposed handicapped character is the key player and potential saviour of all. A number of scenes are bursting at the seams with suspense, with a cemetery/mausoleum sequence top draw, for sure Argento is firmly getting in his stride here.

 

It’s not a gore movie, something which I personally think has led to some of Argento’s fans giving the film the cold shoulder, but it’s the tale (or tails of course) and characterisations that hold it up as being under valued. It’s a Giallo whodunit flecked with sexual stings and no little amount style draped all over it. 7/10

Okay giallo movie from Dario Argento has its moments and fine performances from James Franciscus and Karl Malden, but the end wasn't exactly satisfying. Still some entertaining scenes here and there. **3.5/5**

Italiano

The Cat o' Nine Tails

The Cat O' Nine Tails Official Trailer 4K