THE DANMAN CAN

The Cat O' Nine Tails   (1971), the second of  Dario Argento 's unofficial " Animal Trilogy ," is perhaps the least inventive of the three films. It drags a bit here and there with a plot that can be confusing and seems to exist just to stitch together the set pieces (typical of the genre). But it's still a stylish giallo featuring a pair of charismatic leads ( James Franciscus ,  Karl Marlden ) and an excellent, jazzy, atonal score by  Ennio Morricone . Dario Argento Films   Ranked Top 20 Directors Giallo Feature Films   Ranked Screencaps courtesy of  Land Of Whimsy

I've flip-flopped over the years as to whether I like Four Flies On Grey Velvet (1971) more or less than  The Cat O' Nine Tails   (1971) ( review ) (whereas I've always liked 1970's  The Bird With The Crystal Plumage  the most of  Dario Argento 's first three films). After this latest viewing of the former, I'm going to give the edge to the latter.  The final film in Argento's unofficial " Animal Trilogy ,"  FFOGV  is undoubtedly the most stylish and experimental of the three. It features innovative and indelible opening and closing scenes, and an excellent  Ennio Morricone  score (perhaps his best one for Argento). Due to a disagreement during scoring this would be the last time that the prolific composer—who scored all three of Dario's Animal Trilogy films—would work with the director until 25 years later with The Stendhal Syndrome   ( review ).  Four Flies  paved the way for many themes and trademarks that wo...

The Cat O' Nine Tails (1971), the second of Dario Argento 's unofficial " Animal Trilogy " is my least favorite and perhaps the least inventive of the three films. It drags a bit here and there with a plot that can be confusing and seems to exist just to stitch the set pieces together (typical of the genre). But it's still a stylish giallo featuring a pair of charismatic leads ( James Franciscus , Karl Marlden ) and an excellent, jazzy, atonal score by Ennio Morricone . You can find my  Dario Argento Films Ranked  list  here . You can find my  Giallo Feature Films Ranked  list  here . Screencaps courtesy of Land Of Whimsy

XYY  "Cookie"