X
- 1971
- GP
- National General Pictures
- 1 h 52 m
- 1971
- GP
- National General Pictures
- 1 h 52 m
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 projects and in so doing, both become targets of the killer.
Directed By: Dario Argento
- 1971
- GP
- National General Pictures
- 1 h 52 m
- 1971
- GP
- National General Pictures
- 1 h 52 m
The Cat o' Nine Tails
63
5.8
Where to Watch
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 projects and in so doing, both become targets of the killer.
Directed By: Dario Argento
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 5 Critic Reviews
63
40% Positive
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
60% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 5 Critic Reviews
63
40% Positive
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
60% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Structurally and thematically, Dario Argento’s The Cat O’ Nine Tails is an improvement over The Bird With the Crystal Plumage, even if the film’s non-linear convolutions of plot may purposefully distract. Set against a backdrop of genetic research and espionage, Argento’s formal obsession with allusions to seeing and sightlessness is on fierce display.
Typically over-the-top murder mystery from Argento, neglecting its rather straightforward plot about a series of killings connected with a genetics research institute in favour of gruesome set pieces, bravura camera-work and set design (one character has some truly amazing wallpaper, seemingly spattered with blood), heavy symbolism, and a strong sound-track by Ennio Morricone. Reason doesn't come into it; gorgeous, grisly style is all.
Only blindly abject devotees of the whodunit should discover catnip in The Cat O'Nine Tails. Any simple souls who expect large dollops of probability and authentic excitement are cautioned that they're in short supply in the concoction of slayings and sleuthing that is dished up here.
The film's standout moments include a photographer's (Vittorio Congia) death in front of a moving train; a car chase the streets of Rome; a sequence involving poisoned milk (a clear tip of the black leather gloves to Alfred Hitchcock's 1941 Suspician); and a final rooftop battle between Giordani and the elusive killer. Morricone's music fits tightly into this sophomore suspenser by Italian giallo specialist Dario Argento.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 9 User Ratings
5.8
67% Positive
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
22% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
11% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 9 User Ratings
5.8
67% Positive
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
22% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
11% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
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