Lately, I've been interested in checking out the earlier, perhaps lesser known, works of Italian horror master Dario Argento. After The Bird With The Crystal Plumage, this one seemed like the way to go.

The Cat O'Nine Tails is a straight-up giallo as much of the majority of Argento's work is. This one involves a reporter and a blind puzzle maker teaming up to solve a string of murders, which began shortly after a robbery at a genetics lab. As is to be expected, the two soon end up on the killer's list.

Like Bird With The Crystal Plumage, Cat O'Nine Tails really gets to the bare bones of a murder mystery. The film relies much more on suspense and mystery rather than gore and brutality (it's rated PG after all :o). That means no one's head getting dunked in scalding hot water, no one eaten alive by rats, and no one's eyes getting plucked out by crows. The death scenes are actually pretty simplistic. It's the events leading up to the deaths that prove to be the most appealing. There's great POV tracking shots that create an effective suspenseful atmosphere. Cat O'Nine Tails also lacks Argento's signature surrealism or grand feel. The visuals of the film are very much downplayed so as to rely much more on plot and suspense to keep the film going. I think it worked.

One thing I felt made Cat O'Nine Tails unique was the use of humor, which I haven't seen much of in Argento films. There's a fair share of amusing scenes throughout the film. Among others, a scene involving a young aristocrat with a bad case of road rage, an amusing conversation between the reporter and a barber who's blade proves to be a little too close for comfort, and a policeman who can't help but share the secrets of his wife's ravioli. I think the humor really helped the film stand apart from Argento's other works.

All in all, a pretty decent murder mystery thriller (I wouldn't call it a horror movie) and a side to Argento I haven't yet seen. I think even non-horror fans would be able to get a kick out of this one.

No whips in this movie?


Sounds good even if it's rated PG and the title is misleading and I'm only typing this here because I didn't want to make a one sentence post.

Argento isn't as good as Fulci, but "THE CARD PLAYER & SLEEPLESS" both put faith in me with him again... "SLEEPLESS" is one of the best thrillers of all time. It's a movie you simply won't be able to tell who the killer is until they tell you.

FULCI'S, NEW YORK RIPPER, was the only other film I was never able to pin the murderer down.

FULCI was king.

Quoted from tomson No whips in this movie?

Haha! I'm afraid not. The title's a metaphor explained in the film. I thought it was actually quite clever.

I'm not a big fan of this one.  Karl Malden gives a decent performance but that's about the only thing worth recommending it for.  This was intermediate Argento, after Bird with the Crystal Plumage but before Profondo Rosso, which is the flick that really cemented his style.

Personally I think Tenebrae is Argento's single best flick, and Cat O'Nine Tails is a far cry from it.  Just my opinion.