Saturday, February 18, 2012

The Cat o' Nine Tails (1971)

The Cat o' Nine Tails • Il gatto a nove code (1971)
The Cat o' Nine Tails • Il gatto a nove code (1971)

Genre: Giallo • Thriller
Director: Dario Argento
Starring: James Franciscus, Karl Malden, Catherine Spaak, Cinzia De Carolis
Language: Italian
Duration: 112 min.
Rating: 7.7  

Summary:
A newspaper reporter and a retired, blind journalist try to solve a series of killings connected to a pharmaceutical company's experimental, top-secret research project and in so doing, both become targets of the killer.



The Cat o' Nine Tails is a film written and directed by Dario Argento. The second of three films that are considered his 'animal trilogy' following his breakout debut The Bird with the Crystal Plumage and preceding Four Flies on Grey Velvet.  

This one is somewhat of a letdown compared to the success of his first, not at all a bad film, but I feel it suffers a bit from the sophomore slump, with some sloppy holes in the story, and perhaps not the same chemistry working with a different cinematographer, Erico Menczer, this time around.

The Cat o' Nine Tails • Il gatto a nove code (1971)

There are still plenty of individual moments of greatness to be enjoyed here. I thought the lead pair of James Franciscus and Karl Malden had some superb chemistry together, even though the screenplay was scattershot and couldn't decide which one to follow, I liked their teamwork. Questionable acting talent, and cold fish love scene notwithstanding, Catherine Spaak makes an altogether stunning impression, sporting a wardrobe of drop-dead sexy outfits, and performing a surprising turn behind the wheel in a brilliant car chase scene through the cramped streets of Rome.

The Cat o' Nine Tails • Il gatto a nove code (1971)

Again Ennio Morricone provides a fantastic score, another catchy theme along with some jazz tinged cues which are jarringly used to maximum effect throughout. There is a fine sequence that takes place in a train station resulting in an homage to Antonioni's Blow Up. There's also a couple of memorable strangulation murder scenes, less bloody than expected but ever so gruesome. But most impressive of all is the intense rooftop ending sequence. A masterful showdown featuring Argento's favorite visual play with angles and shadows, as well as some gravity assisted camera work.

It's spotty and lacks overall focus, with Argento obviously still in an early feeling out phase of his career. However, The Cat o' Nine Tails is still a solid giallo, with it's fair share of the director's stylistic flourishes, and a more than worthy finale.

Bonjour Tristesse

The Cat o' Nine Tails • Il gatto a nove code (1971)

The Cat o' Nine Tails • Il gatto a nove code (1971)

The Cat o' Nine Tails • Il gatto a nove code (1971)

The Cat o' Nine Tails • Il gatto a nove code (1971)

The Cat o' Nine Tails • Il gatto a nove code (1971)

The Cat o' Nine Tails • Il gatto a nove code (1971)

The Cat o' Nine Tails • Il gatto a nove code (1971)
 
The Cat o' Nine Tails • Il gatto a nove code (1971)

11 comments:

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Thanks Sam! I actually lost this review 3/4's of the way through when my computer crashed, and had to start over again...

Lisa Thatcher said...

Great review!  I want to see it for that final scene and for that amazing spiral staircase shot.

David Zou said...

I'm glad here is the one Argento I have watched,still great with some fantastic horror scenes and the score,but the story is a bit all over the place. 

G said...

I vaguely remember seeing this at some point....

Anthony said...

I wonder if this one is on Netflix?

d_4 said...

It just feels odd not seeing the boobie rating. Don't really feel like getting off my ass and checking this one out but eh, if I spot it on youtube or something. Cough.

Jack Deth said...

Hi, Bonjour:

Thanks for the great critique!

There is kind of a resting on their laurels tinge to 'Cat o' Nine Tails'. Though the suspense, story and chemistry between the players more than make up for it.

Also glad to see that I'm not the only one who noticed a similarity with 'Blow Up', 'Blow Out'. And another lesser known, Evil Conspracy gem from 1978. 'Blue Sunshine'. With Zalman King and Robert Walden.

 

Sam Fragoso said...

Elegantly written as per always.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

David, if you thought this was great, then I must recommend you watch Deep Red.  I feel he took everything to another level with that film.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Argento loves his staircases, there are similar shots in many of his films. Really the entire final act, including the lead up to that rooftop scene is excellent.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

I'm not a subscriber so I'm not sure about that.

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