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The Ninth Gate (1999) R
A rare book dealer is hired to authenticate an expensive and old occult tome. He travels to Europe to compare it with two other known copies and gets tangled up in events out of his control.
The Ninth Gate is not the best Polanski but it's still pretty decent. I love the story (I have a soft spot for these occult mysteries) and characters are quite interesting too. All the main ingredients are done right and despite of its length the film doesn't feel that long.
My issues with The Ninth Gate are in the details. It feels like its hastily done and there hasn't been enough time to polish things. It's visually bland, there's humor that doesn't seem to fit, there's quite a bit of fluff and acting isn't always very good. It feels like an early draft of a great story.
The Ninth Gate gets the big picture right but messes the details quite a bit. Still mostly enjoyable watch.
A rare book dealer is hired to authenticate an expensive and old occult tome. He travels to Europe to compare it with two other known copies and gets tangled up in events out of his control.
The Ninth Gate is not the best Polanski but it's still pretty decent. I love the story (I have a soft spot for these occult mysteries) and characters are quite interesting too. All the main ingredients are done right and despite of its length the film doesn't feel that long.
My issues with The Ninth Gate are in the details. It feels like its hastily done and there hasn't been enough time to polish things. It's visually bland, there's humor that doesn't seem to fit, there's quite a bit of fluff and acting isn't always very good. It feels like an early draft of a great story.
The Ninth Gate gets the big picture right but messes the details quite a bit. Still mostly enjoyable watch.