"The Cat o' Nine Tails" refers to the number of leads that Franco 'Cookie' Arno will follow in an attempt to solve a murder. The blind former journalist and self-confessed puzzle 'buff' overhears part of a conversation; "I'm not interested in blackmailing you. I have to pass on the information."The film's faceless killer breaks into an Institute, and what is stolen remains a secret to everyone, including the spectator. This is an example of Argento not being Hitchcockian, who posited that the viewer should know more than the films characters do, in order to effectively build suspense; 'we know they are in peril + they do not = suspense.'Soon after the burglary, one of the two men in the car that 'Cookie' overheard is pushed to his death in front of a train. With the help of reporter Giordani, 'Cookie' hopes to solve the mystery, beginning with a photograph. Re: Antonioni's Blow-Up, the protagonist is obsessed with the idea that the truth lies buried inside a photograph. After the picture of the man falling onto the tracks is taken, a starlet exits the train and poses for paparazzi. Someone (maybe the killer) remarks; "That's right. Smile... a man is dead." This is a classic example of Argento nudging the spectator for enjoying the elaborately staged demise, even though he wants you to be amazed by the 'elaborately' staged demise.Braun, the 'homosexual' character didn't do it, even though he seems to implicate himself. Like the character Anna who was groomed to be Professor Terzi's lover from a young age, Braun is no less defined by his sexuality than any other typically 'perverted' Argento character. The jealous ex-boyfriend of Braun's lover gives Braun's address to Giordani. While the nameless man may be a hissy gay archetype (he threatens to kill himself if his lover doesn't return to him), Argento reveals that the man is less ashamed of his sexuality than he is concerned that Giordani might judge him for being a 'snitch.'Stylistically the colour scheme is almost monochromatic at times, and broken with careful explosions of red; the nieces red jacket, a red sports car, blood… and like Deep Red and Tenebre, Argento's obsession with utilising architecture and interior space is well showcased. Morricone continued his musical collaboration with Argento, and his Dirty Harry-esque soundtrack works a treat.

RELEASE DETAILS: Copyright 1971 by Seda Spettacoli/Mondial Film (Rome) and Terra Filmkunst (Munich) and Labrador Films (Paris). U.S. and U.K. release by National General Corporation (N.G.C.). New York opening at neighborhood cinemas: 26 May 1971. U.S. release: May 1971. U.K. release: July 1971. 112 minutes (U.S.); 104 minutes (U.K.). Italian release title: Il Gatto a nove code.COMMENT: This Techniscope Dario Argento film suffers from cropping on a TV screen, though it is not one of his class "A" efforts all the same, despite fluid camera-work for the subjective eye of the madman and typical thematic pre-occupations, plus some rather grisly killings. Interest in the actual identity of the murderer is rather perfunctorily worked up, and Karl Malden is almost laughably uncomfortable in the role of a blind ex-newspaperman who loves solving puzzles. James Franciscus is not much more at ease as the newspaperman, but Catherine Spaak makes an agreeable femme fatale.OTHER VIEWS: The above review was based on the cropped TV version. This movie is now available on DVD in its original 'Scope format. Needless to say, it plays far more suspense-fully and really rivets the attention. Even the actors like James Franciscus and Karl Malden come across with far more power and innate charisma.

Ranking among Argento's best movies, The Cat O'Nine Tails is a compelling giallo with solid writing and two strong leading performances.A fine James Franciscus is the conventional Argento protagonist; more interesting is the blind amateur sleuth played by a magnificent Karl Malden. A vamped-up Catherine Spaak, who was memorable as Gassman's daughter in Il Sorpasso, isn't quite as good as the femme fatale.Neither as creepy as Profondo Rosso nor as stylish as Suspiria, The Cat O'Nine Tails distinguishes itself among Argento's thrillers for its writing, with more care put into dialogues and secondary characters, and an unusually complicated plot.Argento, a huge Hitchcock fan, homages the British director with a sequence involving a poisoned glass of milk (Suspicion).7/10

I saw this on The Horror Channel.Having seen a few Dario Argento horror flicks on this channel now, I would dare say that Cat O' Nine Tails is the most restrained, at least in the gore/violence stakes, of those I've watched. There are moments of extreme but swift, clever nasty bits, though.I guess you'll be watching this cos it is by this so-influential 'Italian Hitchcock' maestro rather than for its story, but having said that, it's decently far-fetched enough but with enough relevance to paranoia around government testing of miracle drugs and all that...It looked to me to have been made in English, rather than dubbed, or could just that the brilliant, understated performance by Karl Malden was and everyone else were dubbed after. He plays a blind, retired journalist, who has a young orphaned girl as his visual aide and along with a current newspaper reporter,(James Franciscus) they uncover all these secrets after a man, they suspect, was pushed under a train, rather than falling and then, other murders.I'm no expert on the horror genre but would dare say that this still has signs of the director's visual stylish daring, but is less operatic than some of his, being more workmanlike and 'American'. It still works well, but is more akin to a crime thriller than out-and-out horror, though we do get moments of terror and suspense and the odd twist in the tale.This might be a lesser Argento (number of reviews and score on IMDb) but is still a heap better than many Hollywood affairs but somehow, doesn't have that magic ingredient that his best movies have. Quite good, but not great.