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Movies / On DVD / The Ninth Gate
The Ninth Gate

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The Ninth Gate (1999)

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Reviews Counted:84

Fresh:35

Rotten:49

Average Rating:4.9/10

Consensus: Even though the film is stylish and atmospheric, critics say The Ninth Gate meanders aimlessly and is often ludicrous. And despite the advertising, there's hardly any chills.

Runtime: 2 hrs 13 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Synopsis: Based on a novel by Arturo Pérez-Reverte (THE CLUB DUMAS) and coscripted by director Roman Polanski, THE NINTH GATE was Polanski's first feature after a long break following the release of 1995's... Based on a novel by Arturo Pérez-Reverte (THE CLUB DUMAS) and coscripted by director Roman Polanski, THE NINTH GATE was Polanski's first feature after a long break following the release of 1995's DEATH AND THE MAIDEN--in between, there was an aborted project that faltered when designated star John Travolta opted out. Dean Corso (Johnny Depp) is a cynical rare books dealer hired by Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), a scholar specializing in books on Satanism, to recover the only two remaining copies (in addition to the one owned by Balkan) of THE NINE GATES OF THE KINGDOM OF SHADOWS, a 17th-century text with cryptic illustrations supposedly contributed by Lucifer himself. Corso's investigation takes him to Europe, where he is pursued by a strange girl (Emmanuelle Seigner) who seemes to assume the role of his guardian angel: Bizarre deaths inspired by the book's morbid illustrations befall all those who come into contact with the book--except himself. This occult mystery should satisfy fans of subtly creepy, stylish tales of the supernatural along the lines of Polanski's own ROSEMARY'S BABY. [More]

Starring: Johnny Depp, Frank Langella, Lena Olin, Emmanuelle Seigner

Starring: Johnny Depp, Frank Langella, Lena Olin, Emmanuelle Seigner, Barbara Jefford, Jose Lopez Rodero, James Russo

Director: Roman Polanski

Director: Roman Polanski
Screenwriter: John Brownjohn, Roman Polanski, Enrique Urbizu
Producer: Roman Polanski
Composer: Wojciech Kilar

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Jul 18, 2000

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for The Ninth Gate

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

The first hour of the picture is sublime.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
06/05/03
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Suspenseless and fairly ludicrous.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
01/01/00
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

A total washout when reaches its laughably hackneyed, fire -and- brimstone ritual finale.

Full Review Source: SPLICEDWire | comment Comment
01/01/00
Rob Blackwelder
Rob Blackwelder
SPLICEDWire

Painful to watch The Ninth Gate’s meticulous tone and rhythms go for naught in its final half-hour.

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
01/01/00
Tom Block
Tom Block
culturevulture.net

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

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jay Boyar
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel

At least the action is moved by earthbound dementia rather than by the power of a divinity.

Full Review Source: Cinema Signals | comment Comment
10/29/04
Jules Brenner
Jules Brenner
Cinema Signals

Compulsively watchable.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Peter Brunette
Peter Brunette
Film.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Sorely underrated...wisely counter-cultural to Hollywood's idea of what a supernatural thriller should be. [Blu-ray]

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
08/17/09
Peter Canavese
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews

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

comment Comment
01/01/00
Jay Carr
Jay Carr
Boston Globe
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Flat dialogue, overly long scenes, and a too-hazy story make The Ninth Gate a near-complete letdown.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
01/01/00
Nick Carter
Nick Carter
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Polanski came very close to creating a great film here. It's just too bad he forgot to end it.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Shay Casey
Shay Casey
rec.arts.movies.reviews

The script is so bereft of real surprises that it's best to keep the lid on what few there are.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Mike Clark
Mike Clark
USA Today
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The Ninth Gate est un énième film sous-évalué qui mérite davantage d’attention et de reconnaissance.

Full Review Source: Panorama | comment Comment
10/07/04
Louis-Jérôme Cloutier
Louis-Jérôme Cloutier
Panorama

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

Full Review Source: At the Movies | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
At the Movies
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The movie is a kicky college course in demonology, whereas The Blair Witch Project seemed to be a truant from horror kindergarten, one with poor prospects of graduating to The Sixth Sense.

Full Review Source: San Diego Union-Tribune | comment Comment
01/01/00
David Elliott
David Elliott
San Diego Union-Tribune

The key word here is 'whore,' not 'horror.' As in 'too bad Polanski's become one' ... and such an ineffective one, to boot.

Full Review Source: eye WEEKLY | comment Comment
01/01/00
Gemma Files
Gemma Files
eye WEEKLY

The worst occult film to star big-name actors in many years, and a startlingly inept and unsatisfying piece of storytelling.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jonathan Foreman
Jonathan Foreman
New York Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Dull turns to ludicrous, as action and plot twists fly at the audience from left field-- if not the bleachers.

Full Review Source: Flint Journal | comment Comment
01/01/00
David Forsmark
David Forsmark
Flint Journal

Delivers plenty of atmosphere.

Full Review Source: ESplatter | comment Comment
01/01/00
Lucius Gore
Lucius Gore
ESplatter

Polanski's sly sense of film-noir conventions pokes fun at the genre while at the same time honoring it.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob Graham
Bob Graham
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z)
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