Cat o' Nine Tails (1971)

I think Cat o' Nine Tails is one of those Argento-movies I've seen the least times. Mainly because I've only owned the quite crappy UK DVD. So now when I finally found the old Anchor Bay release I felt it was time to revisit this much debated giallo. Among fans it seem to be the least favorite in his animal-trilogy, and though I liked it a lot I can understand why some might dislike it. I won't bother with the story, it's the usual stuff - but with a fun twist. Even if James Franciscus is the official hero (and I love that guy!), it's a blind man and his niece that is the main concept in this movies. Karl Malden plays an ex-journalist, blind and living alone with his niece Lori. He's hobby is to solve puzzles and with the help of Lori he watches the surroundings. 

This is a wonderful idea, and gives us a lot of great scenes. Malden makes a believable character and his niece isn't that annoying that she could have been in some other production. They way the work together, without it getting to cute and silly, is a stamp of quality on the screenplay. When James Franciscus hot-shot journalist is introduced he's joining their team - it's not them joining his, but still he has respect for what they do and we see nothing of that tiresome disbelieve from that would be so easy to add to the script. Argento is his usually stylish himself and gives us a couple of fantastic murder-scenes, while not so gory, they are violent and sadistic. The direction is thought out with perfection, and even the weaker parts of the movie is easily forgiven when Argento shows us how to tell a story.

Argento has always been fascinated by gay characters, and in most his movies there's at least one gay or bisexual character. Sometimes strong and funny (like in Four Flies on Grey Velvet) and sometimes weak and cowardly (Deep Red). Here we have not one, but two gay characters. In once scene Franciscus is entering a gay club which is a very stereotypical club with trannies, older men in costumes and younger feminine men. But still, what makes this better than average, is that Franciscus character don't make a fuzz about it. He's even flattered when one characters tells him he has beautiful eyes. The gay characters are allowed to he humans and is far from stereotypes in their emotions.

My main problem is actually the script, or rather more the mystery itself. It works to a certain level, but after around half the movie the character of Lori is almost forgtten until she's involved again in the end, and Malden and Franciscus is wandering around in circles way to long. The story works itself up to a great final with a cool killing-of-the-baddie-scene, but to be honest, the motive never works. It's a longshot, and even if the killers worries had been true (I don't think the killer had to worry at all), I guess it could be worked out somehow with the help of good friends and colleagues. For me, that's the weakest part of the movie, but of course I can live with that and enjoy another fine giallo from Maestro Argento.