The Cat o' Nine Tails AKA Il gatto a nove code (Dario Argento, 1971)

After a doctor falls in front of a train, journalist Carlo Giordani (James Franciscus) follows a trail of clues back to the Terzi Medical Institute - where a break in has taken place, but nothing appears to be missing.

When an incriminating photograph reveals that the doctor’s death was murder, Carlo soon finds himself the killer’s next target.

Joining forces with Franco "Cookie" Arnò (Karl Malden), a blind former reporter, Carlo is in a race against time to unmask the killer before they have covered their tracks…

The Cat o' Nine Tails is more of a refinement of what Argento developed in The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. Less concerned with the narrative, The Cat o' Nine Tails is more stylistically daring - particularly in the flashy, disjunctive editing style, and the introduction of a POV camera. Unlike the leather jacketed silhouette of the previous film, the killer is signified by extreme close ups of their eyes.

And unlike the familiar ordinary hero of the previous movie, we get a pair of heroes: A rugged journalist (James Franciscus) and a blind man (Karl Malden).

The film is filled with eccentric details - Malden has a cane with a hidden blade; one of the potential suspects is gay; the villain reveals his own motivation before being exposed.

  

It also boasts a more overt sense of humour - the cop who brags about his wife’s cooking; our macho hero is terrified when they are sneaking through the graveyard; the journalists go from shock at a man falling in front of a train, to back to work when the starlet they have been waiting for arrives on said train.

Once again, appearances can be deceiving: ordinary objects (canes, milk) can become weapons. The film foregrounds the idea of what exists within and outside the frame, literalised in the first clue: the photo of the doctor’s murder is cropped for publishing, hiding his murderer’s hand.

 

As well as drawing attention to the cinematic frame, the diegesis draws attention to sound - Malden’s character recognises the sound of the killer’s shoes.

An enjoyable potboiler, despite some unique aspects The Cat o' Nine Tails is a little anonymous compared with the freshness of Plumage. Solid performances and a cynical edge of irony are welcome, but it does feel a tad formulaic. 

Related

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage

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