The Ninth Gate(1999).In New York, the money-driven dealer Dean Corso is a rare-books expert and partner of Bernie, who owns a bookstore. He is contacted by the renowned collector of books about the devil Boris Balkan, who has just acquired the rare The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows from the collector Andrew Telfer, to verify whether his book is authentic or a forgery. Balkan explains that the book was written by the writer Aristide Torchia, in 1666, with Lucifer and he was burned at the stake with his entire work. There are only three exemplars of The Nine Gates and in accordance with the legend, its nine engravings form a riddle to conjure the devil. The skeptical Corso accepts the assignment and has to flight to Sintra, Portugal, and Paris, France, to contact the owners Victor Fargas and Baroness Kessler and find the genuine exemplar for Balkan. Meanwhile, he asks Bernie to hide the rare book. Before traveling to Europe, the widow Liana Telfer wants to retrieve the book and has sex with Corso, ... Written byClaudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil... Synopsis The Ninth Gate(1999)
Movie Title: The Ninth Gate(1999)
Run Time: 133 min
Rating: 6.6 / 10
Genres: Mystery |Thriller
Release Date: 10 March 2000 (USA)
Director: Roman Polanski
Writer: Arturo Pérez-Reverte (novel),John Brownjohn , ... and other credits
Actor: Johnny Depp,Frank Langella,Lena Olin
As with many of Polanski's films, "The Ninth Gate" includes beautiful settings, great orchestration, and intriguing characters. He was able to put together a talented cast, including several from the largely untapped European community. These include Jose Lopez Rodero, giving a short but humorous and witty performance, and the striking Emmanuelle Seigner, who plays her part with the perfect subtlety (no doubt due in part to Polanski's influence). Johnny Depp (playing the bibliophile anti-hero) gives another adept performance and the musical score is expertly composed. The only negatives I noticed were that the movie was at times too slow paced and that the ending left something to the imagination. But all-in-all Polanski has left us with an enduring thriller propelled by a (refreshingly) character-driven tale.
