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Johnny Depp, Frank Langella, Lena Olin, Emmanuelle Seigner, Barbara Jefford ... see more see more... , Jack Taylor , Tony Amoni , James Russo , José Lopez , Willy Holt

An authority on rare books is drawn into a confrontation with the forces of darkness in this thriller directed by Roman Polanski. Dean Corso (Johnny Depp) is a rare book broker who makes his living tr... read more read more...acking down valuable items for rich bibliophiles. Corso is hired by Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), a millionaire New Yorker with a vast collection of occult literature and a keen interest in "The Nine Gates to the Kingdom of Shadows." Legend has it that the book was co-written by Satan in the 17th century, and only three copies are known to exist; the owner of one recently sold the book to Balkan a few days before killing himself. Balkan wants Corso to find the other two copies (one owned by a Mr. Fargas in Portugal and the other by a French collector named Kessler) and examine them to determine if they are forgeries. Corso is told to be thorough and spare no expense. He begins by visiting Liana Telfer (Lena Olin), the widow of the man who once owned Balkan's copy of the book, who has an unusually strong desire to get the book back, and confers with his friend Bernie (James Russo), who soon turns up dead, in a manner much like an illustration from the book. Corso learns that the book contains clues to a puzzle that will allow people to call up the devil, and certain people will stop at nothing to find the missing parts of the formula. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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60% liked it

112,952 ratings

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42% liked it

86 critics

R, 2 hr. 12 min.

Directed by: Roman Polanski

Release Date: December 24, 1999

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DVD Release Date: July 18, 2000

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Flixster Reviews (5,107)

  • mumby1988
    October 28, 2011
    mumby1988
    With the notable exception of Se7en, numerical horror-thrillers are utter rubbish. With their ridiculous twists, over-the-top acting and an overreliance on special effects, they epitomise all that is banal and disappointing about these two genres. You would think that Roman Polan... read moreski, the man who gave us Repulsion and Rosemary's Baby, would be able to handle such well-worn material in at least a workable manner. But instead we end up with a ripe old stinker every bit as disappointing as Prince of Darkness.

    Polanski has always been a fan of absurdist, quirky comedy, being greatly influenced by France's crown prince of absurdity, Eugene Ionesco. While absurdity in and of itself is no bad thing, Polanski has always been at his best when this aspect of his sensibility has been minimised, or at least properly accommodated. You have to admire him for being able to switch between bleak, serious works like Tess and The Pianist, and something more fun and frothy like Frantic. But his out-and-out exercises in comedy have dated very badly, with What? being the worst example.

    Further doubts are raised by Polanski's attitude towards the source material. When interviewed in 1999 he said that he didn't believe in the supernatural - something you would never have guessed from Rosemary's Baby. He was drawn to the novel El Club Dumas by Arturo Pérez-Reverte because it was an opportunity to play with the clichés of a genre that he enjoyed. The consequence is that we aren't sure how seriously Polanski is taking things, and therefore how seriously we should be taking him.

    The Ninth Gate starts off quite atmospherically, with good pacing, dusty books and nice gothic colours. Film noir touches are evident throughout, from the archetype of the downbeat detective (or "book detective" in this case) to the enigmatic women in his life. Like so many noirs or Hitchcock films, the blond is enigmatic but for the most part on the hero's side, while the brunette is seductive and passionate to the point of being pure evil.

    Having set things up quite nicely in the first ten minutes, The Ninth Gate starts to crumble as more and more ridiculous elements encroach. We might swallow the story about the three copies of The Nine Gates, if only because Frank Langella sounds authoritative as he wades through exposition. But subsequent developments are so clouded or convoluted that we quickly give up trying to figure it all out, insofar as there is anything to figure out. It feels like the sort of thing that Polanski could have done in his sleep - and for much of the film, he might as well have done.

    All the big plot points in The Ninth Gate can be anticipated because they borrow all too heavily from better genre efforts. Having Dean Corso commissioned to search for The Nine Gates is exactly the same set-up as Angel Heart, but with a book instead of a jazz musician. His infiltration of a secret ceremony is lifted from The Wicker Man, and the mansion scenes strongly resemble Eyes Wide Shut, although this may be coincidental. There are also very standard references to The Omen in the use of 666, for instance, The NINE Gates being published in 1666. There is even a nod to An American Werewolf in London, as Corso arrives at the castle in a truck full of sheep.

    Having given up on taking The Ninth Gate seriously, the next logical step is to try and enjoy it as a comedy, perhaps as an unintentional one. But the comedic elements are so completely at odds with Polanski's execution of the twists that they feel like they have escaped from a different film. The twin brothers, who are played by the same actor via split screen, bumble their way through their lines like a cross between Thomson and Thompson from Tintin and Alf Garnett in Till Death Us Do Part.

    The silliness of the supporting characters increases as the film moves on. Baroness Kessler, played by Barbara Jefford, is introduced as a formidable character of real threat to Dean Corso - who then slips almost immediately into pantomime villain mode when we discover that she only has one hand. Corso later finds her slumped in her motorised wheelchair having been strangled: he turns the wheelchair around, only for her to go careering through the double doors, like Mason Verger's death in Hannibal two years later.

    Like many numerical thrillers, The Ninth Gate suffers from dodgy special effects. It's hardly a dull car crash like End of Days, in which Gabriel Byrne demonstrates his demonic power by blowing everything up, and Arnold Schwarzenegger try to stop him with a grenade launcher. But alongside bad continuity and an unconvincingly burnt book, there are at least two examples of dodgy wire work, in which Emmanuelle Seigner floats down into a scene, without any prior clue that she could fly.

    The Ninth Gate is littered with irritating plot holes which leaving us scratching our heads even in the moments when generic convention could fill in the gaps. There is no explanation of the serpent tattoo on the brunette's back, nor of Boris Balkan's ability to know exactly where Corso is at any one time - which is, conveniently, always within reach of a phone. But more annoying than either of these is Polanski's contempt for the subject matter. It's hard to believe that either Corso or Balkan know or care so much about rare tomes when they treat them so carelessly. They don't bother to handle them with gloves, flip through ancient pages like they were airport paperbacks and carry them around in scruffy bags which get flung everywhere.

    This care-free attitude spills over into the performances. Johnny Depp had wanted to work with Polanski for some time, but Polanski didn't tell him that he wasn't giving the performance that he wanted - in other words, he was almost completely undirected in the role. To be fair to Depp, he gets the physical stuff right, modelling himself on Raymond Chandler and being more convincing than he is in Secret Window. But otherwise it's pretty phoned-in, with Polanski being unable or unwilling to tease out the greatness that Tim Burton or Terry Gilliam had managed.

    Frank Langella is no stranger to trashy villains, having played Skeletor in the awful He-Man movie, Masters of the Universe. He does the best with a surprisingly underwritten role, looking a little bit like Michael Redgrave in The Dambusters. Lena Orin has far too little to do beyond flashing her stocking tops in the first half-hour and then dressing up like the actress from Scottish Widows for the satanic ceremony. As for Seigner, she does a good demon stare, but otherwise she's too airy-fairy, wafting through the scenery as if she doesn't really care who she's playing or what she's doing. In any case, it's essentially the same character she plays in Frantic - the quirky outsider who helps the male protagonist, only this time she's the devil as well.

    The final nail in The Ninth Gate's coffin comes with its ending, which is hopelessly dragged out and completely incoherent. We get to see Langella self-immolate and fail to pass through the Ninth Gate - but that's not the end. Seigner makes love to Depp against the flames with her demon eyes, the camera zooms in on Depp as if he realises who she is all along, and he seems about to scream - but that's not the end. After the two drive back, and Seigner remarks "is that it?" (to which the answer is "no"), Depp goes back to the bookshop and finds the missing page - but that's not the end. Depp then goes back to the castle and the screen fades to white, in one of the most shambolic and unsatisfying endings in 1990s cinema.

    The Ninth Gate is an example of what happens when a great director indulges themself to the extent that they no longer feel the need to try. As an exercise in supernatural horror it is every bit as rubbish as Prince of Darkness: Polanski's film looks better, but Carpenter's was shorter. In attempting to put his stamp on overly familiar elements, Polanski fails to deliver chills, thrills or knowing laughs. Thank God that he redeemed himself beyond all recognition just three short years later.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    October 15, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Roman Polanski's The Ninth Gate is an average supernatural/psychological horror film that has a pretty impressive cast. The Ninth Gate has a great concept, however the film does leave a bit disappointed by the films conclusion. What's really disappointing is that the film has suc... read moreh an engaging premise for the story; however the film takes too long to get to the point, and at times the film feels rushed as if the director doesn't know how to properly execute the ideas thrown before the audience. The Ninth Gate is still a good film; however it could have been much better than this. Not saying that The Ninth Gate is a bad, but there is definite room for improvement. The film takes far too long to get to the point, and it's frankly a bit too slow. But the pacing of the film is somewhat necessary to establish the plot that director Roman Polanski presents to the viewer. Sure it's long, but in the end there is a fairly good ending here, nothing remarkable, but good. The cast here make this film watchable and they deliver good performances. Despite the films flaws, The Ninth Gate is pretty good film that despite the fact that many people don't like, it's not as bad as what many people have claimed to be. However compared to Polanski's horror masterwork, Rosemary's Baby, this film doesn't even come close. The Ninth Gate has a very good concept for a horror film, and it succeeds at entertaining, however there is much to be desired from the end result.
  • Redlats
    March 5, 2011
    Redlats
    Normally I like thrillers. And of course, everyone knows Johnny Depp. But I only rate this movie three stars. The role of the book dealer could have been played by anybody. And the film had an unsatisfying ending.
  • ythelastman89
    February 25, 2011
    ythelastman89
    If there's one Roman Polanski movie that I can watch over and over without ever getting tired, there's no debate that I choose The Ninth Gate. It is one of the coolest and most underrated movies ever made. The plot is so well constructed and manages to morph into all these differ... read moreent sub-stories and roll back into a grand finale of bizarre. Johnny Depp conquers the screen as Dean Corso, who makes book collectors look like Indiana Jones. You also have to hand it to Frank Langella, he plays one flawless villain and maybe even tops his Skeletor performance here. This also isn't afraid to go completely into the beyond and cover ground that tends to be shied away from due to audience alienation. I think the end result is a masterpiece that's also incredibly charming and fun. It has the beauty, charisma and class of any respected thriller, but it also has something totally unique.
  • SajinPA
    January 10, 2011
    SajinPA
    The only thing good about the movie is presence of Johnny Depp. A total joke of a movie about a book written by devil him/her self.
  • FilmFanatik
    February 24, 2010
    FilmFanatik
    It's got some problems, but it's not as bad as people make it out to be.
  • gokhale1
    February 23, 2010
    gokhale1
    Excellent film...Grossly misunderstood! Easily one of Polanski's finest!:

    Some of the critics ratings and user ratings really surprise and shock me at times. "The Ninth Gate" is rated so low, even by the critics (and several movie buffs), I really did not have much expectation... read mores from this movie. However, it was after all, a supernatural thriller by Roman Polanski and that was reason enough for me to see it. This, along with some comment I read somewhere that it is similar to Angel Heart, heightened my curiosity and finally saw it! And boy.. am I glad I did!

    This is one of Polanski's finest films. There is no sense comparing it to Polanski's earlier classic based on the supernatural, Rosemary's Baby. That is, of course, a classic, but that does not render The Ninth Gate any lesser in terms of quality. The story revolves around a man called Dean Corso (Johnny Depp), who happens to be a dealer in rare books. He is hired by a wealthy book collector by the name of Boris Balkan (Frank Langella) to authenticate a rare and very special book in his possession, "The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of the Shadows". There are only three surviving copies and Balkan is convinced that only one is authentic and the others, forgeries. Corso takes up the job and then begin his investigations and a very mysterious odyssey full of twists and turns. To reveal anything more would be a crime. One should watch the movie to experience it completely.

    Polanski has incorporated all the elements that make for a great movie. An interesting plot (based on "El Club Dumas", by Arturo Pérez-Reverte), Darius Khondji's brilliant cinematography, Wojciech Kilar's killer background score, Polanski's masterful direction and the overall atmospheric nature of the movie make up for a great watch! Not to mention some great acting from Johnny Depp (always dependable) and Frank Langella. And let's not forget Mrs. Polanski herself, Emmanuelle Seigner in a very interesting role.

    As for the poor reviews this film generally got, I must say I am stumped. There is not a single weak moment; the proceedings glide by smoothly, and are more than intriguing. Suffice to say, it's a very well made film and a fascinating experience.

    Never mind, that some so-called critics have lambasted it for some unanswered questions and ambiguities in the story. They are probably the kind who like everything packaged in a neat order with ends all tied up, and are averse to enigma and ambiguity. My viewpoint is that there may be untied ends and unanswered questions...but it is nothing that can't be figured out.

    The Ninth Gate is the kind of movie that you would wanna watch again..and then discuss it with fellow-viewers..then watch it again. And am sure, every viewing will yield newer ideas and interpretations..
  • SirPant
    September 18, 2009
    SirPant
    This is an odd film from Polanski. I've not got a lot to say about it but for all its quirks, I quite like it!
  • CloudStrife84
    May 5, 2009
    CloudStrife84
    Johnny Depp must be the most versatile actor that has ever lived. Who else but him could take on such various characters as a swashbuckling pirate, a murderous barber, a michael jackson-ish chocolate factory owner -- or in this case, a book dealer -- and yet be so brilliant in ev... read moreery role he does. Sadly, however, I thought the one he played in this film to be his least charismatic and noteworthy. But I suppose that's all got to do with the script and story, and not his acting per se. Still a fairly intriguing thriller on the whole, and certainly worth the watch. But I can't say you're missing much if you should choose to skip it.
  • yona71
    March 21, 2009
    yona71
    Johnny Depp portrays a rare book dealer in search of the last two copies of a book said to be written by the devil himself. The cinematography and acting is brilliant, and Polanski never fails to let you know you're watching one of his unique pieces.
    This film is quite creepy as... read more it draws pictures in ways that your imagination needs to define.

View All The Ninth Gate Reviews

Critic Reviews

Richard T. Jameson
January 1, 2000
Richard T. Jameson, Mr. Showbiz

Plenty of talent is wasted here.

Jay Boyar
January 1, 2000
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel

The filmmaker takes you on a journey that goes absolutely nowhere.

Louis B. Parks
January 1, 2000
Louis B. Parks, Houston Chronicle

On a scene-by-scene basis, it sometimes entertains, but never amounts to anything. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

I kept hoping Polanski would take the plot by the neck and shake life into it, but no. Full Review

Elvis Mitchell
January 1, 2000
Elvis Mitchell, New York Times

About as scary as a sock-puppet re-enactment of The Blair Witch Project, and not nearly as funny. Full Review

David Hunter
January 1, 2000
David Hunter, Hollywood Reporter

The film never gets around to illuminating much about the lead character.

Jay Carr
January 1, 2000
Jay Carr, Boston Globe

The self-immolating and oblivion-bound Ninth Gate is the kind of film that's going to give satanic cults a bad name.

Michael O'Sullivan
January 1, 2000
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post

It's so disappointing for the director of Rosemary's Baby to have to stoop to something as desperate as pyrotechnics and nudity. Full Review

Terry Lawson
January 1, 2000
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press

Isn't likely to be mistaken for one of Polanski's great shockers.

Chris Vognar
January 1, 2000
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News

It drags, it clunks, it leaves you stuck between a guffaw and a groan. Full Review

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    • Rodero Bernie: He said you queered his pitch.
    • Dean Corso: Well, he should've been quicker off the mark.
    • The Girl: If you say...
    • Boris Balkan: Mumbo-Jumbo, Mumbo-Jumbo.
    • Dean Corso: You're not my friend. You're my client.
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The Ninth Gate Trivia

  • In this movie the story is about finding the book of the devil...  Answer »
  • Which director links the movies "Rosemary's Baby", "Repulsion", "The Ninth Gate", "Oliver Twist" and "Chinatown"?  Answer »
  • In what film did actor Johnny Depp star as a rare-book dealer confronting the devil?  Answer »
  • Who Took part In These Movies: Charlie And The Chocolate Pirates Of The Caribbean Benny & Joon The Ninth gate Finding Neverland  Answer »
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