The Cat o' Nine Tails

The Cat o' Nine Tails (Il Gatto A Nove Code) (1971)

Runtime: 111 minutes

Directed by: Dario Argento

Starring: James Franciscus, Karl Malden, Catherine Spaak, Pier Paolo Capponi, Horst Frank

From: Various companies in several European countries

Sunday night I saw the Director's Cut of Doctor Sleep, which I enjoyed about as much as the theatrical version.. meaning "quite a bit." Some of the additional footage was nice, while the rest I understand why it was originally cut. I'm glad I saw it, even at 180 minutes long. This in comparison was short: 

It was not the plan to see several horror movies in a row (including revisiting the original My Bloody Valentine on the 14th) but it just turned out that way. This trend may continue for a few more days; it randomly struck me last night that it's been more than a year since a giallo was last seen, so I went with one that turned out to be subdued and had a logical story-surprising, considering the director-which does not mean The Cat o' Nine Tails was not an interesting watch.

A newspaper reporter and an older blind man who makes crossword puzzles (!) team up to investigate crimes connected to a genetic research institute. The blind man was not born that way, yet this aspect-along with him being assisted by his 10 year old niece-was amusing; it was tremendous when uncle and niece actually questioned a suspect. The girl is gone for long stretches, which was for the best when it came to plausibility... although I would have loved to have seen them query multiple subjects and get in all sorts of peril for absurdity's sake.

Otherwise, it was the newspaper reporter who did most of the sleuthing. It was more of a mystery than a horror movie and the kills were not wildly over the top like you expect from a giallo... that was OK with me. There were some setpieces done very well, one involving milk and another in a cemetery, along with some expected Argento flourishes, such as a super close-up of the killer's eye whenever they are on the attack, or the various POV shots.

The story always intrigued and there are enough memorable/odd moments where I was never bored with this tale. James Franciscus & Karl Malden were quality as the two lead, and there are various amusing ancillary characters, my favorite being Gigi the Loser, a crook with a black cloud over his head who at least is able to win an insult contest against a PRIEST; to clarify, the priest said 125 insults in a row without stopping, while Gigi did 137! This was even better than the astoundingly awkward way someone tries propositioning someone for sex. Such moments tickled me pink and so did the Morricone score. Such things make up for the illogical moments of the plot, especially the whole chromosome thing that is nothing but a load of bollocks. Then again, in an old Italian genre movie I suppose that scrutinizing the story is sort of like examining the drapes in a house of ill-repute...