'The Cat O' Nine Tails (1971)' eschews much of the horror usually associated with the Giallo genre, despite featuring a number of relatively protracted and painful POV murder sequences, and focuses more on the mystery aspects of its story, which sees a blind puzzle enthusiast and a reporter work together to try and figure out who's behind a series of deaths connected to a pharmaceutical company. Argento ensures that the piece is peppered with pretty much all his trademarks (although this was only his second feature), which naturally leads to a relatively distinct and stylish affair. It's nowhere near as colourful or, even, borderline experimental as some of his later work, but that isn't too big an issue. Perhaps the film's weakest element is the fact that its mystery isn't actually all that intellectually stimulating because the plot doesn't provide you with any real clues as to what's going on and why. If you guess who the killer is before the thing outright shows you, you really have just guessed. Still, the narrative is engaging enough and it has just enough red herrings to at least feel like it's keeping you on your toes. It does have its duller moments, but it also has some well-crafted set-pieces and it's enjoyable overall. The two leads are compelling and the musical score (by Ennio Moriconne, no less) is quite catchy, too. It's a solid little mystery-thriller. 7/10.
Review of The Cat o' Nine Tails
