FILM REVIEWS

THE CAT O' NINE TAILS

Starring Karl Malden, James Franciscus.
Directed by Dario Argento, Rated GP, 1971.
DVD Reviewed By: Chris Beyond.

I love almost all of Dario Argento's films (and plan to review some of them in the coming months), but for some reason I couldn't get into this one. Sure, there are some neat killing scenes, but there is SOOOOOOO much talk in this one that I had a hard time just trying to stay awake. "Is there a killer out there?"

"Yes there is a killer out there."

"Are you the killer?"

"No."

"Are you?"

"Nope."

"Where is the killer?"

"I don't know. Do YOU know where the killer is?"

"Nope. Let's discuss this for another 90 minutes or so."

Those aren't direct quotes, but they may as well be. Anyway, it's not a bad film at all, but only get this one if you have tons of caffeine nearby. Or better yet, take a note from another Dario Argento film "Opera" and tape needles under your eyelids to force them open. Oh, and don't expect to see a cat with nine tails and a sharp jagged spine like on the poster art. This is a cat of nine tails in the figurative sense. Oh and (like many of Dario's films) this film was filmed in English, but is also dubbed in English. You go figure that out. I guess nobody wanted Americans to hear any trace of any Italian accents that we would have heard were it not dubbed. The DVD has a documentary on the film and lots of trippy psychedelic trailers for you to enjoy too after you wake up.

-- (Chris Beyond is the editor/creator of No-Fi "Magazine" and contributor to www.anxietyfilms.com)