The Cat O Nine Tails (1971)

Studio: Blue Underground
Theatrical Release: May 21, 1971
Blu Ray Release: May 31st, 2011
Not Rated

Review by James Klein

The gang at Blue Underground is at it again with another pristine blu ray of director Dario Argento's second giallo film. It's hard to believe it has been 40 years since the film has been released and this blu ray looks better than it has ever looked. Aside from some of the clothes and hairstyles, you would swear that this is a new movie. Those unfamiliar with Argento's work may not want to start here however as The Cat O Nine Tails isn't one of his better films.

The muddled plot involves a blind puzzle maker (Karl Malden...no joke) who lives with a little girl that serves almost like a seeing eye dog for him. Their relationship is rather bizarre and I was hoping the plot would go into darker territory. The puzzle maker overhears a robbery one night at a genetics lab and gets mixed up with a reporter (James Franciscus, best known as the lead from the second Planet of the Apes film) who is on the trail of the robber. When a man who may know some information is "accidentally" killed at a train station, both men are pulled into a murder mystery ala Hitchcockian style.

The biggest problem with the film is that the movie drags. We see characters walk from one end of the graveyard to the other...really slow. I understand Argento is trying to build suspense but it goes past suspenseful to just downright boring. The plot is at times muddled too and we are unsure who certain characters are or what significance they serve. It doesn't help that the Italian actors are dubbed and some of their lines of dialogue are un-intentionally funny ("I call him Cookie because he's sweet and I also like chocolate milk!"). Argento's trademark cinematography and POV shots are very nice and keep the film from being a total bore. But most younger filmgoers who are used to modern movies where there is an edit every two seconds, won't last long. The third act does pick up and gets interesting as the killer is finally revealed. But if you are curious to see Argento's other work, I would start with Deep Red (which was reviewed by yours truly a few weeks ago) or Suspiria. Even on the making of special feature included on the blu ray, Argento claims that this is his least favorite film.

I can't get over how beautiful this blu ray looks and sounds. The Cat O Nine Tails is a decent suspense thriller that does drag at times but it isn't bad by any means. I enjoyed the acting and the camera work and the final act is exciting. But what makes the film is the presentation by Blue Underground who once again proves that they are one of the best companies putting out blu ray's right now. They can make an average film like this into a must purchase.

Special thanks to Greg Chick at Blue Underground for this review. www.blue-underground.com