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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]

Reviews for The Ninth Gate

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1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Empire Magazine
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Empire Magazine
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
07/03/01
Empire Magazine
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
12/10/01
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
N/R

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Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | comment Comment
12/02/02
Philip Strick
Philip Strick
Sight and Sound
N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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Full Review Source: UK Critic | comment Comment
01/01/00
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
UK Critic

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Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
01/01/00
Brian Webster
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide

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

Watching The Ninth Gate is like being force-marched through dank rooms piled high with musty books, led by drab tour guides who mutter the same pedantic points over and over.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
01/01/00
Steve Murray
Steve Murray
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Russell Smith
Russell Smith
Austin Chronicle

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Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
07/14/07
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

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
N/R

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Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
06/05/02
Tim Cogshell
Tim Cogshell
Boxoffice Magazine

Elegant, scary fun.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Michael Wilmington
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune
N/R

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Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer | comment Comment
10/15/02
Margaret A. McGurk
Margaret A. McGurk
Cincinnati Enquirer

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

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Full Review Source: Cinemaphile.org | comment Comment
01/01/00
David Keyes
David Keyes
Cinemaphile.org

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Full Review Source: CinemaSense.Com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Cornell & Petricelli
Cornell & Petricelli
CinemaSense.Com

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Full Review Source: Cinematter | comment Comment
01/01/00
Madeleine Williams
Madeleine Williams
Cinematter
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
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