The Ninth Gate

Since I have the new title of Critic I think I will review some stuff.

I think this movie sucks. Not even worth renting.

I'm going to have to agree.

[red]SEMI-SPOILERS BELOW![/red]

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If you're like me, the previews for this movie caught your eye - this religious thriller stuff always looks promising. There's just one tiny problem with this movie...

...very little is explained in the end! It's amazing how little they actually explain. After a buildup of over 2 hours of mystery, you want some HUGE ending - you want to see satan himself judging by the previews and the rest of the flick.

Instead, some bad guy handles his devil-calling ceremony the wrong way and dies - Johnny Depp sleeps with this lady who's been following him around (we're never told who she is or where she came from, but guess what? She can fly and is a martial artist! What a gal.), and then, upon discovering the mistake in the bad guy's ceremony, heads off to the castle to meet the devil himself - it ends there.

Wrong...just wrong.

Hey Chris,
Here's a thousand year old book. It's really brittle and falling apart, oh and it's worth millions. Catch! Take it with you, just throw in the trunk of your car or something.

Ugh! I too liked the previews and I agree with your review 1000%!

A big ditto. It's another movie that wasted the talents of Depp. See also: The Astronaut's Wife.

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Beep Beep!

Have you read the book it is based on: The Dumas Club? My father did, and when I heard that that is what this movie was based on, it made it somewhat interesting to me. I agree--it wasn't well done at all, but it was an interesting premise.

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Travel Pieces

Im such a huge Depp fan & Roman Polanski has brought some true gems to the big screen(Chinatown) but this film was far to reminiscent of his earlier & far superior work Rosmarys Baby, which is one powerhouse of a film.
The ending to the Ninth Gate was abrupt & certain pieces to the puzzle have obviously been ommitted from the released version.
Anyone who was curious about Ninth Gate should check out Polanski's Rosemarys Baby starring Mia Farrow, truly a subtle masterpiece. If youve already seen it then you know what I mean.

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******"The Majority Is Always Wrong" Steve Mcqueen in Enemy Of The People******

There is a thread for The Ninth Gate!!! Well unfortunately I won't be able to take part in the bashing of this film because I liked it. Yes, there were a few holes in the plot, but dang I love Europe, books, mystery and Depp. I think a but of inferring is required with this film which isn't always a bad thing. I expected more out of it as well but I thought it was fun enough of a movie that I would rent it again even after seeing it in theatres.

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nothing can be as bad as uncertainty - when worlds collide

Wow... No love for The Ninth Gate? I love this flick! Then again, I tend to prefer ambiguous endings in film, so the apparent lack of exposition at the end doesn't bother me as much. The film shot so well, and the mystery is so engaging. Sure, you don't get a paint by numbers ending, but I think the implications are clear if one wishes to take the time to consider them.

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I have a DVD copy of this and never want to see it again. A lot of piss-poor camera work (especially at the end) , this mystery that doesn't build up to anything - since I didn't really care about Depp's character in the first place.

I'm better off not remembering this happened .... maybe the movie would have been worth it , had they summoned the actual devil and filmed it (with John Depp confronting him).

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Piss poor camera work? This film is shot impeccably. Sure, one can level complaints about the ending, as it is ambiguous, but the technical prowess of the film isn't something one can complain about.

Meanwhile, one of the reasons the film is good is because the devil ISN'T in it. Talk about cliche, a silly confrontation with the the devil would have destroyed the elegance of the picture. The film is a mystery picture, not a cornball horror flick.

I just recently saw this movie about 2 weeks ago and I really enjoyed it. I thought the gaurdian angel chick was hot in a dark and mysterious way.

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Stallone is my hero!

It's been so long since I saw this that I hardly remember it.

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"I was walking down the street with my friend and he said, "I hear music", as if there is any other way you can take it in. You're not special, that's how I receive it too. I tried to taste it but it did not work." - Mitch Hedberg

It's been a while since I've seen this too... but I really like it and agree with Sedai... it's more mystery than horror... and much like Rosemary's Baby, you're supposed to draw your own conclusions...

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Not a fan of this one. Really wanted to like it, but couldn't.

While I can appreciate films with ambiguous endings, I don't think it worked here. Too many unanswered questions, and not the kind you can necessarily just guess about. It's one thing to leave some things for the viewer to decide, but I think it's another to build towards a climax all movie, and then just end. Just my opinion, naturally. Fascinating setup, had me interested all flick, but moaning when it faded to black. So it goes.

One thing I thought was particularly goofy...

I really need to rewatch it, but I kinda always thought

I was thinking the same thing. I remember thinking part way through that she had something to do with everything, but I couldn't put my finger on exactly why I was thinking that.

I agree with this completely, although I could tolerate this flick a little more because at least it ended with unanswered questions, rather than answering them badly.

I absolutely loathe films like The Ring and Identity for this reason: they get all your "WTF" wheels turning for the whole film, and then decide to end with a completely unfounded, ridiculous conclusion.

That, and I never really expected much from The Ninth Gate to begin with.

Well, the final shots of the missing authentic drawing clearly showed the sylph next to a multi-headed serpent. The sylph was clearly this mystery woman. I took this ending as Polanski's way of trying to tie it up visually, instead of a cheese-ball reveal, eg. Identity. The implications that all these people were pawns of the beast, used in the game of all games (like the drawings said), seem pretty clear.

Since the reveal we get at the end is the ninth and final drawing, it must hold the key.



Clearly she was in league with the beast, and her aim was to seduce Corso and perhaps conceive with him at the appropriate time. Think about the lecture at the beginning of the film that Balkan is giving. The lecture is on the occult and witchcraft, but more precisely, about Familiars. Now, Balkan states clearly in the film that his...hobby, which is more of an obsession, is strictly related to Lucifer himself. Every single book in his collection is on the subject. He makes this quite clear.

The first appearance of this woman is in this lecture, dressed very strangely, and special note is taken of her socks, one greed, one red. This classic color symbolism is indicative of her role as the link between the natural and the supernatural, the mundane and the ethereal, IMO. She fits as a familiar.

This film is clearly flawed, but, I feel it does far more right than wrong. The Atmosphere is fantastic, the cinematography is rich and textured, and the characters are all incredibly cinematic.

I thought the film was merely okay, until the ending which I thought was a big let down.

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"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews

Cool site about the film I just found at lunch. A lot of it might just be a big stack of codswallop, but some of it is fun, and they do go into detail about thew engravings, and possible hypothesis about the meanings.

Here

And on a chess site, of all place, there was a lil corner of the site dedicated to the Seventh Gate, which is the engraving of the chess game. A King and a Beggar play chess, with the king playing white and the beggar playing black. The people on the site went as far as to recreate the board position with chess programs. No matter who moves next, the game always ends up a draw. The black and white dogs fighting in this engraving, as well as the black and white chessboard, depending on which book you are looking at, clearly states a theme of duality.

Just doing a little research, it seems there is a tremendous amount of depth to the myths and legends behind this fictional work, even if the film failed to flesh it out properly.

Although... Balkan DOES mention becoming God's equal right at the end while talking about the meanings of the engravings as he reads through them. Perhaps the beggar sitting in stalemate with The King denotes man becoming equal with God?

I should just watch The Smurfs.