The Ninth Gate
A rare book dealer, while seeking out the last two copies of a demon text, gets drawn into a conspiracy.
Big Plot Twist
United States
France
Spain1999
Feature Film
Realism:
Supernatural
Character Focus:
Demon Film
Professional Film
Cultist Film
Cultists:
Worshipper
Trickster:
Impostor
Lurer
Catastrophes:
Fire
Dimensional:
Hellish
Excellent in my book!
Performances
Effects
Plot
This is a love letter to those fascinated by old books, witchcraft and secret societies. It is one of Roman Polanski’s best achievements. It’s no coincidence that Depp showed interest. The script is brilliant. It’s as much about a man’s passion for literature as it is about the occult and the Devil. It isn’t about the Necronomicon or the bible. It’s somewhere in between.
Johnny Depp isn’t forcing his act. He’s not a chameleon, this time around. This is one of his most honest performances. He plays a book dealer jaded by his work who wouldn’t recognize evil if he met it. He’s a dirty capitalist, an atheist, and he will stop at nothing to get his cut. He’s looking for a grimoire; a book specifically designed to raise the Devil.
The sets are lavish. This is Manhattan in all its splendor. Hotels, libraries, extensive book collections, it even ends in a sumptuous castle, of all places. It’s a slow-burn, but it doesn’t drag. The procedural is the centerpiece, but it’s not tedious. Emmanuelle Seigner is hot. Frank Langella is enigmatic. Depp is way over his head. This film is spotless, and it has two excellent twists.
