The Ninth Gate is a movie that I like, but I want to love. I do have to start by saying that I think Roman Polanski is a piece of garbage as a human being and that does make watching his movies hard for some people. Anyway, released in 1999, The Ninth Gate is a movie that I actually did not like the first time I saw it, but over the years, I have grown to like it more.
How to Download The Ninth Gate
The Ninth Gate was released on 25 August 1999. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. If you like Johnny Depp, check also his other movies such as Sleepy Hollow, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, and Murder on the Orient Express.
Delving Deeper: An In-Depth Look at The Ninth Gate – the Movie Review
It stars Johnny Depp and as always, he delivers a fantastic performance. Johnny Depp plays the role of Dean Corso. Dean is a man who deals in the rarest of the rare when it comes to antique books. If you want something rare or long-thought lost, Dean Corso is the man who can get it for you if it is possible.
Dean is hired by a very wealthy collector called Boris Balkan. In his possession, Boris has a very rare book, The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows, a book said to be written by the devil himself! There are three copies of this book supposedly that have survived since the 17th century and Boris wants Dean to take his book and authenticate it with the others.
This job will have Dean traveling to Europe, but even before he gets there, suicide and seduction await him in New York as he realizes there is more to this job than he thought. I think that The Ninth Gate has some great ideas, but the movie can be hard to follow and watch.
The Mysterious Allure of The Ninth Gate
There is a lot going on here and there are so many moving pieces and characters linked to these books that you never really know what the heck is going on. The only thing for sure that I knew was that I did not trust Boris and he had to be bad! No spoilers, but the direction the story went was pretty awesome and I do love how it had a supernatural twist.
The Artistic Dilemma: Separating the Creator from Creation
I hate to praise Polinski and I know some people can separate the man from the art, but I have a hard time doing that. The Ninth Gate looks fantastic, the different parts of Europe that Dean has to go to and the way the whole thing is shot is just so well done. However, as soon as I think that, I remind myself what a horrible human being Polinski is! The way people have defended him over the years defies belief, to be honest with you!
Revisiting The Ninth Gate: A Second Look
Anyway, back to The Ninth Gate. I rented this when it came out and it just did not click with me at all and that was before I hated Roman Polanski! However, despite the movie not clicking with me, I felt that there was something there and I liked the premise and that is why I have watched it a few more times over the years.
I watched it again recently and I have come to the realization that I do “like” the movie, but I do not think that it is great. However, I can see why some people love the movie and see it as a real work of art. Give this one a try, but be warned, it may take more than one viewing to really get an opinion on it and it is not the kind of movie where you can be messing on your phone as you watch it!
