The Ninth Gate

12/24/19992h 13m

Theatrical Release (US)

~ Every book has a life of its own. ~

Overview:

A rare book dealer finds himself at the heart of a string of paranormal events when he is hired to find the last two copies of a text, The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows, capable of summoning the Devil.

Director:

Roman Polanski

Status:

Released

Language:

English

Buget:

$38,000,000.00

Revenue:

$58,401,898.00

Key words:

hotel
new york city
suicide
library
portugal
obsession
southern france
investigation
antiquary
picture puzzle
castle
satanism
collector
lucifer
devil
demon
millionaire
book store
occult
macabre
rare book
devil worship
mysterious
gnosticism
bibliophilia
suspenseful
tense
sinister
bewildered
ghoulish
gloomy
ominous
occult detective

Cast

Johnny Depp

~ as ~

Dean Corso

Frank Langella

~ as ~

Boris Balkan

Lena Olin

~ as ~

Liana Telfer

Emmanuelle Seigner

~ as ~

The Girl

Barbara Jefford

~ as ~

Baroness Kessler

Jack Taylor

~ as ~

Victor Fargas

José López Rodero

~ as ~

Pablo & Pedro Ceniza/1st & 2nd Workmen

Tony Amoni

~ as ~

Liana's Bodyguard

James Russo

~ as ~

Bernie

Willy Holt

~ as ~

Andrew Telfer

View full cast & crew

Reviews (2)

Dean
Written 2 year(s) ago
10
This is a beautiful masterpiece. Mysterious, dark and occult. Everything is great about this movie - the soundtracks, the story, the atmosphere... The sets are Gothic and gloomy, the music is aptly fitting, the acting and scripts even more so; nothing breaks the persistent, unshakable scene and tone that is set by Polanski, who has obviously taken into careful consideration every possible factor to create a deeply immersive, memorable experience for the viewer. There's not a single part in the movie which would bore you. I can't think of a single thing wrong with this movie. I can't find any plot mistakes. Actors are delivering superb acting, especially Johnny Depp & movie is very well directed. This movie is a good example that proves that you don't need a ton of action to make a good thriller. I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end. This movie has so many hidden gems that you need to re-watch over and over to fully grasp the craftsmanship of Polanski's epic movie! And I have seen it more than ten times. That's how great is this movie.
CinemaSerf
Written 1 year(s) ago
7
Johnny Depp is near his best in this devilishly demonic detective story. He is an unscrupulous, but knowledgable, New York rare book dealer who is charged by the millionaire Frank Langella to authenticate a text. "The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows" may or may not be able to summon the devil - or, at least, bestow the owner with some semblance of Satanic power. His search for the truth involves deceit, lust, many murders and a cat and mouse game with deadly consequences. Emmanuelle Seigner is suitably enigmatic as "the girl" - a sort of angelic person with ninja skills and Lena Olin hams it all up nicely as the sex-kitten (with claws) baddie. I enjoyed this; it is a complex supernatural thriller that doesn't try to impress with cheap special effects (though the music can be a little annoying at times); it's well written with a strong cast. At 2½ hours, however, it is too long; there are plenty of establishing shots that could have been trimmed/dumped to up the pace a bit more.