Italian master of horror Dario Argento's second directorial effort (and the centerpiece of the 'animal trilogy' of giallos) is a suspenseful murder mystery infused with the filmmaker's trademark graphic violence. 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.It is almost sad to revisit some of these older Argento films and wonder whatever happened to the guy that made them. For a man who hasn't made a decent film since the '80s, Dario Argento used to be a powerhouse. It isn't that he hasn't tried. Lord knows Dario keeps making movies. However, they just seem to get worse and worse, and if the leaked sales footage from Dracula 3D is to be believed, rock bottom seems no where in sight.
The Cat O'Nine Tails is a pretty standard giallo. Argento does take the opportunity to introduce some tricks which would become favorites in this film, including the killer POV shot that was his moneymaker for a long time. However, for my money, Cat's great selling point is a fantastic lead cast who put in fantastic performances. James Franciscus and Karl Malden deliver the goods in this film, with Malden turning in a fantastic performance as a blind former news reporter-cum-cryptographer. Franciscus provides the sex appeal in spades, and it nearly becomes his downfall.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that this film features the least sexy sex-scene in giallo history. One of the antagonists in the film is the daughter of the president of the genetics lab, Anna Terzi played by Catherine Spaak. At one point she is seduced by James Franciscus' newsman, Carlo Giordani, and what follows is the most awkward romance ever. Anna Terzi is the most inert sexual being ever captured on film, she can hardly be bothered to move her lips to make words come out, so I can't imagine she was particularly good in the sack. It is one of the most bizarre scenes I've encountered, and really nearly made me swear off sex entirely.
Apart from that, the film is a pretty decent ride. Franciscus and Malden are solid leads and share good chemistry. Argento's direction is stylish and precise. The film wavers near the tipping point at just under two hours, but manages to keep the pace somewhat brisk, especially during the more agitated action sequences. I liked it, it was no Deep Red, or even Plumage, but those are awfully high standards to keep. The Cat O'Nine Tails is certainly a film that any fan of '70s gialli should own, and this is a great way to have it.
The Disc:
Arrow Video follows up Blue Underground's disc with a solid release that looks and sounds great. As with many of their recent releases, there are both LPCM 2.0 English and Italian tracks. In this case the English track is far more robust and feels more natural, especially given that the leads both spoke English natively. The Italian track sounds more hollow, as dubbed Italian tracks often did.
The extras on this disc will look familiar, as many of them were recorded during the whirlwind 4 day trip to Italy from High Rising Productions. However, the material covered here is new material not previously released with other Arrow Video products. The interview with Argento is candid, and he mentions that it isn't his favorite film, though I remarks with fondness on working with the cast. There is an interview with Luigi Cozzi, which will look familiar to fans from the Deep Red disc in which there was a tour of Cozzi's Profondo Rosso store in Rome and an interview in his dungeon. In this interview he talks about helping craft the script for Cat and is also very open. The last interview is with giallo master Sergio Martino, in which he expands upon the idea of the giallo and what it meant. All very interesting material that adds up to just under an hour.
In addition there is the packaging, which is always a big selling point for Arrow Video. Right off the bat there is the custom art from Rick Melton. This one I'm not a huge fan of, only because it is from the climactic moment in the film and could be construed as a spoiler. However, if you don't like it, there are three other panels to choose from. Also included is a wonderful essay from Argento biographer Alan Jones who also wrote the notes for Deep Red.
This is a welcome return to form from Arrow after a couple of lackluster discs in Tenebre and The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. The Cat O'Nine Tails looks and sounds wonderful, and is supported by awesome extra features. Definitely recommended!