6. Cat O' Nine Tails (1971)
Franco Arno is a blind, retired journalist who lives with his orphaned niece Lori, nearby the Terzi Institute. While out on a stroll late at night, Arno overhears a conversation between two men in a car in front of the institure. He asks Lori to look at their faces. That same night there is a break in at the Terzi Institute and one of the researchers drops dead on a train station. However Lori recognises the man from the car the previous night. A nosy journalist - Carlos Giordano - is contacted by Arno who asks him to come and help him unravel the drama. Apparently the researcher who died at the train station was pushed under the train deliberately. There is some sort of scandal about new drugs that have been made at the institute that act against criminal instincts. Of course, the murderer finds out that Carlos and Arno are hot on his trail and he will do anything to stop them from unearthing him. Apparently this is Argento's least favourite film. The storyline is a bit slapdash (but coherent plots were never Argento's strong point) but Karl Malden plays an interesting character in the shape of the retired, blind journalist - Franco Arno - and attracts and maintains the viewer's interest throughout the film. Ennio Morricone's score manages to thrill and delight and the cinematography in the film is excellent - especially the shots from the killer's point of view. There is a lot of excitement until we unearth the killer and the shock twist. He may not like it, but The Cat O' Nine Tails remains seminal Dario Argento.