The Ninth Gate

The Ninth Gate

Roman Polanski's film "The Ninth Gate" is one of those films that is a bit tough to review. One can't really argue of it being a bad film. Is the direction bad? Well, we all know that Polanski is a world class director. He has made many films to go down in history as great films. One if which is "Rosemary's Baby", one of his other films to deal with the occult. So we all know that the direction will be fine.

The plot is simple: a book hunter is hired to track down all of the existing books called "The Nine Gates". Only a few of these exist and some of them might be fake. So the book hunter, played by Johnny Depp, is hired to find them all and find the fakes. The books you see, were co-authored by the number one nasty guy himself, Satan! Twists and turns abound and what is really going on you get to find out as the plot un-folds.

How is the acting? Well, once again, it is Polanski and we know he will get even the most mediocre performer to give a good performance. This time that person is Johnny Depp. I personally love Johnny Depp. He bounces between characters like a superball and he has no problem with not being the star. He is more interested in a solid role and a tasty role. Much like Kevin Bacon. Plus, Johnny has a GREAT taste in music. For those who didn't know, Johnny used to play guitar in the old Glam band Rock City Angels. Back when Glam was Glam and not radio friendly Metal such as Poison and Warrant.

The FX? Well, they work.

The story? A simple mystery that is just a step up from Scooby-Doo. But it all flows and never leaves you too confused. It all wraps up in the end and the dialogue is quite natural.

So, is this a good movie? It is just O.K. This is a movie that could not fail, but it just doesn't soar like one would expect. And that is where the film feels a bit like a failure. When the commercials came out, I think we can all say we were excited about this. But what we got was a mediocre mystery with a feel of an old Hammer film.

The presentation is flawless on the DVD. Great clarity in the picture and deep colors. If you are a fan of the film to begin with, you will need this DVD. If you have yet to see it, rent it. Great chance you might enjoy it. For me, if I found it used or in the area of used prices, I would pick it up. It is not a "must own", but rather a nice addition if you should find it. It is at least pretty to look at.


 
Directed by Roman Polanski
Released by Artisan
Rated R
Ratio - Widescreen 2.35:1 (Anamorphic)
Audio - Dolby Digital 5.1
Running time - approx 133 mins
Extras :
Commentary with Director Roman Polanski
Featurette
Isolated Music Score
Still Gallery/Storyboards
Theatrical Trailers/TV Spots
Review by Carl R Isonhart
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