‘Cat O Nine Tails’ (CONT) is the second movie in director Dario Argento’s Giallo “Animal Trilogy”. It is yet another intense thriller from the ‘Master of Suspense’. While Argento claimed that this was not one of his own best movies, most critics, including yours truly, disagree with him. CONT is one of the better Giallo movies that packs non-stop suspense, great visuals in its cinematography, and good performances from its cast. Shot in Berlin, Turin, and in a studio in Rome, the movie is a whodunit that tells the tale of how a journalist and a former blind journalist combine efforts to catch a killer.

A blind middle-aged man, Franco (Karl Malden), lives with a young child, his granddaughter Lori (Cinzia De Carolis), in an apartment. On one occasion, as the two of them take a nocturnal walk, they pass a parked car. Franco, who has a keen sense of hearing, overhears a man on the passenger side say something about blackmail to the other who is in the driver’s seat. After walking a few paces, Franco asks his Lori to turn around and describe the two men in the car. Lori can see only one of them as the face of the other is obscured in the darkness.

The following day, while taking a walk, Franco bumps into Giordani (James Franciscus), a reporter. In their brief conversation, the polite reporter tells Franco that there has been a break-in at the Terzi Medical Institute, a research center that specializes in gene technology. Giordani proceeds to the institute and learns that an unseen assailant broke into the center the previous night after knocking out one of its security personnel. However, nothing obvious seems to be missing at the institute. Giordani also gets a glimpse of the beautiful Anna (Catherine Spaak), the daughter of Terzi, a rich individual who owns the institute.

Next, Calabresi (Carlo Alighiero), a doctor at the institute, is seen telling Bianca (Rada Rassimov), his fiancée, that he knows the identity of the person who broke into the institute. Calabresi soon dies a gruesome death when he is pushed into the path of a running train by an unseen person who may be the intruder responsible for the break-in at the institute.

The next day, Lori notices a photograph of the person she saw the previous night in the newspaper. She then reads the article in the newspaper to Franco. The article, written by Giordani, goes on to say that the man, Calabresi, died an accidental death at a railway station. The article also mentions that a freelance photographer captured a photo of Calabresi as he was falling before the train.

Lori and Franco visit Giordani at the newspaper office. Franco, who also used to be a journalist before losing his eyesight, suggests that the image in the newspaper is only a partial cropped version of a larger photograph. Giordani makes a call to the photographer and validates Franco’s observation.

After the call, the photographer takes a closer look at the photo but soon becomes the murdering assailant’s next victim. After murdering the photographer, the killer leaves the scene with all the photos.

Soon Giordani and Franco team up to investigate the case. They realize that to solve the case, they can pursue nine possible avenues or leads each, holding secrets that can solve the case. Of the nine leads, five of them are researchers at the institute. Anna and Bianca are two more leads. The missing photos and the break-in at the institute account for the remaining two. The title of the movie ‘The Cat O Nine Tails’ is a metaphorical allusion to these nine leads. While Franco visits Bianca with Lori to find out more from her, Giordani picks up most of the remaining legwork, which includes questioning Anna.

Giordani visits the Terzi mansion and meets the senior Terzi. After a conversation with him, Giordani and Anna have an exchange of words but soon reconcile and predictably begin a relationship. As the two men, Giordani and Franco, plunge deeper into the investigation, the stakes get bigger when they realize that the killer has both of them in his sights.

The rest of the plot has some chilling moments that include a break-in into the Terzi mansion, opening a casket, the killer’s kidnapping of Lori. The movie ends after some violent moments on the rooftop of the institute.

‘Cat O Nine Tails’ also includes an impressive car chase scene. In customary fashion, Argento uses light and shadow effects in some nocturnal scenes to intensify the plot, reminiscent of classic film-noir movies. The visuals in the movies are impressive throughout. In comparison to other Giallos, even those from Argento, CONT packs a lot lesser gore and nudity. This is a must-see for fans of mystery and slasher movies.