Cat O Nine Tails

[DefJeff]

So I just saw this movie last night.

It was pretty cool... alot better then a few reviews I read made it out to be.

I'd definitally recommend checking it out if your a fan of Argento or Giallos in general. It's not his best, but far from his worst.

My only complaint is the ending! It felt like there should've been 10 or 15 more minutes to the movie. The ending just came out of no where, it took me by surprise!

[Andrew]

I love this one. I'm finding myself liking Argento's older films more than his newer stuff. James Franciscus reminds me of Robert Redford too. Anyway, it's a great giallo and AB's disc is great. I liked the ending a lot. I can see how you were like unimpressed, but I still loved it.

[Wermode]

I, too, have always enjoyed Cat. I think its reputation has suffered because Argento himself doesn't like the film. To me, it's Argento's mainstream movie effort...story and character emphasized over style and tone. Acting is good, too.

[Beastus]

I was rather dissapointed with the movie. Maybe his worst.

(Dario says that it's the movie he's less satisfied with)

[Yowie]

I love it !!!. Definitely somewhere among his 10 best. I also feel like Andrew about his older films. Hell, I even think it's better than the crude and somewhat cheapish "Tenebre". Honest !.

[Andrew]

Wermode - Good observation. It always seemed like an American-ish film to me. Maybe that's why I have some sort of almost nostalgic-like love for it. Seems like something you'd see on AMC on a Sunday afternoon :D. But I've never seen it prior to when I bought Anchor Bay's DVD. And I was less than an egg when the movie was made. Odd....very odd :).

[crank]

Minus the whole "I call him cookie because he's sweet" thing, I have to agree that Cat is probably in my top 5 Argento movies. The whole set piece in the crypt is really the highlight of the movie in my opinion.

crank

[hell ya!]

I really liked this move and don't see why Dario doesn't like it that much. The acting is great and my only complaint is the killer who was not shown enough for anyone to suspect him. Maybe I will watch it again.

[Jog]

This one is EASILY Argento's most overtly Hitchcock influenced film (though I'll admit I've never seen 4 Flies), and maybe it's really the similarity to another director's work that gets to him. It's a far way's off from, say, Opera... but I thought the film was at least good...

[Shannafey]

I love Argento and have almost all the Anchor Bay releases. Unfortunately I picked up the terrible Diamond transfer on this film, and that may be one of the reasons I didn't enjoy it much. I will have to get the AB disc and give it another chance.

[Andrew]

Oddly enough, I was pretty unimpressed with OPERA. Maybe it was Paff's (and everyone else's) praise that kinda let me down. But when it comes to stuff like BIRD... that's horribly underrated, if it's even average it's a pleasant surprise. For me, that was (is) the case with CAT.

Shannafey - Definitely look into getting the AB disc. It can be had for under $20 online, and is definitely worth the investment.

[dwatts]

In an older thread regarding this film, I wrote, "Fact is, I never enjoyed it very much during my first go around."

I watched this thing this weekend, and I've got to say, I've done a 180 degree change on it. I enjoyed it so much, I'm going to view it again tonight or tomorrow. I think first time I wanted more hardcore Argento, and this film isn't that. It does have a coherent story though, and some of the murders are pretty gruesome. No bad performances, and in fact it has some really great ones.

Glad to see, after reading others comments, that my DVD has survived :) I'd say this is an excellent film, just maybe not enough "Argento" for some. Thumbs up.

[dwatts]

Well, I did watch it again last night, this time on the big screen at home. I think I'm in danger of obsessing over this movie. It really is quite wonderful.

Argento is pretty clear on why he doesn't like it (too American) which is pretty funny in a way. On the one hand it's more "american" in that the script has virtually no holes in it (the very premise on which it is based has been debunked, though). Also, the two leads are both Americans. So what can be expected?

However, the flourishes are there for all to see, and it looks really nice. With a stack of fun extras, this one is really good.

[Crystal Plumage]

It's too one of my favorites.
I have the Dutch disc which looks fine and by the looks of the screenshots from the review section of THIS SITE (http://horrordvds.com/reviews/a-m/catnine/)they used the same print.But the Dutch version has no extras whatsoever.
I read that the new Italian version is in fact not as good picturewise and doesn't include the original soundtrack.
Look HERE (http://whiggles.landofwhimsy.com/misc-dvdimage-cat.html) to see the differences.

[RyanPC]

Just got done watching it, and I must say even though I think it is one of his least effective giallos, I did enjoy it. As in Bird with the Crystal Plumage, the acting, direction, and music is good, and there are even a few great murder sequences as well, that are a bit more gory than in the previous film. The main reason why I didn't enjoy this as much as many of his other films is because it's slightly dull (though the murder scenes are enough to get you interested in the plot again) and the plot itself is a bit weak if you think about it. However, I thought the ending was ingenious and quite a shock.

Here are my ratings for the "animal trilogy":

Bird - 5/5
Cat - 3/5
Flies - 3/5

I actually like Cat slightly better than Flies, but they are both worthy of three stars in my eyes. Hehe, that rhymed. :D

[Crystal Plumage]

Watched it again and it's a grower IMHO.Pretty solid effort.
First time I watched it it didn't do that much for me,but after repeated viewings it got better.Now it's one of my favorite Argentos.
Morricone's music is strong too,pretty much in the same vein as other soundtracks he did in this era.Recommended!

[Ash28M]

Watched it again and it's a grower IMHO.Pretty solid effort.
First time I watched it it didn't do that much for me,but after repeated viewings it got better.Now it's one of my favorite Argentos.
Morricone's music is strong too,pretty much in the same vein as other soundtracks he did in this era.Recommended!

I haven't seen Cat O Nine Tails but thats the way i feel about most of his films. When i first see them i like them but after a few viewing they become some of my favorite movies ever.

[dwatts]

Clearly this is a film you HAVE to see at least three times. After that - you'll love it forever.

[Morg]

I think it's underrated and one of Argento's best films. Many seem to prefer Bird with the crystal plumage over this one - which is a great film too - but I dug this the first time I saw it and continue to. It has some of the better characterizations in an Argento film - imo.

[Crystal Plumage]

And it contains more humor.