Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageThe Ninth Gate (1999)
Director: Roman Polanski
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
When Dean Corso (Depp), a cunning and accomplished New York rare book dealer, agrees to do a little job for rich publisher and demonologist Boris Balkan (Langella), he little suspects what's coming. Balkan already owns a copy of the 17th-century Satanic text, The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows - reputedly an aid in summoning the Prince of Darkness - but fears it's not authentic. Corso is to track down the other two extant copies and compare their engravings. But Balkan's not the only one after the book, as Corso's encounters with a mysterious girl who seems to be following him (Seigner) and the widow of a previous owner of the text (Olin) make clear. Polanski's film is as elegantly assembled as one would expect, and there's an engagingly understated irony to a number of scenes that suggests the director didn't see the story - from Arturo Pérez-Reverte's novel The Dumas Club - as fodder for a serious study in metaphysical evil. That said, for the most part Polanski plays by the rules, refusing to show anything explicitly supernatural despite the superstitions of everyone involved (save Corso, of course), and preferring to rely on old-fashioned mood and telling details for effect. Fun, but a pale shadow of Rosemary's Baby.Author: GA
Cast & crew
Director: Roman Polanski
Producer: Roman Polanski
Cast: Johnny Depp, Lena Olin, Frank Langella, James Russo, Jack Taylor, Emmanuelle Seigner full cast
Duration: 133 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Has David Cronenberg turned tame?
Has director David Cronenberg veered too far from his radical and bloody roots with new film 'A Dangerous Method'?
The 10 worst date movies
Just in time for Valentine's Day, we present ten of the least romantic films ever made
Where to watch this year's Oscar-nominated films
Find out where to watch 2012's Oscar-nominated films in London cinemas
10 unlikely badboy biopics
Featuring Phil Collins, Jeremy Clarkson, Nick Clegg, David Starkey and a host of other unlikely subjects
Interview: Sean Durkin on 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'
The first-time director of the brilliant new thriller discusses religious cults and robot boxing
Pop-up cinema for Valentine's Day
Side-step romantic clichés with some alternative Valentine’s viewing
What do you think?
Post your review now