THE NINTH GATE, the first film in many years by noted director Roman Polanski, makes it seem like he never left. Fifteen minutes into his new occult thriller about deception and the Devil, THE NINTH GATE has already shown itself to be a perfect primer on the strengths and weaknesses of Polanski. It shares many of Polanski's best qualities: a heightened theatricality, a cool emotiveness, and an increasingly suspenseful narrative. What makes it REALLY a Polanski film, however, are its weaknesses: a lengthy exposition, a meandering plot, and overattenuated dialogue. Warts and all, Polanski is back.

It's a mixed blessing, of course, because Polanski has always been an erratic director. His greatest film, CHINATOWN, is a masterpiece, but one with flaws that, strangely enough, only enhance its beauty. THE NINTH GATE will probably never gain masterpiece status, but it's a enjoyable, if uneven, experience.

Dean Corso (Johnny Depp) is a rare books expert who makes his money as a buyer and seller of collectable tomes. His questionable reputation makes him the perfect choice for millionaire Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), who wants him to verify the authenticity of one of his most treasured purchases: a rare 16th century book which, it is rumored, has a secret code that will conjure up Satan himself. As Corso travels from New York to Spain to Lisbon to Paris researching the book, strange events begin to follow him, including a mysterious guardian angel (Emmanuelle Seigner) and a string of grisly murders. Slowly (very slowly) Dean begins to realize what may be at stake, and the high price one pays for obsessions.

THE NINTH GATE stumbles when its delicate fragility is tested. There are far too many heavy handed touches; one of many examples is Polanski's obsession with the sneakers and mismatched socks of Seigner before we see the rest of her. (It works once, maybe twice...by the sixth time, however, it just seems like poor filmmaking.) The satanic cult that has built up around this book -- a secret society whispered about with fear and awe through the first half of the film -- appears about two hours into the movie as a jumble of hackneyed stereotypes, replete with black polyester robes, Latin intonations, and weird sexual allusions a la EYES WIDE SHUT. Furthermore, the case can be made that THE NINTH GATE isn't really about the Devil at all -- but more about eyewear. (Depp, Langella, and Jefford all wear incredibly odd and distracting glasses throughout the film.)

Perhaps most upsetting, however, is the thriller's inability to thrill. The pace is unbelievably slow, and the suspense is, as one would suspect, hard to maintain. THE NINTH GATE holds its secrets disastrously close to its chest, with many major events unexplained at the end. (Who is committing the murders? Who is the guardian angel? Why has Dean suddenly changed direction?) Indeed, the last scene is so textually unsupported that it seems that the movie can't be ending. Without giving away major story points, you'll know as much about Gate Number 9 at the end of the film as you did when you walked into the theatre.

Depp is more than adequate as Corso, a role that suffers from leaden dialogue and a shallow characterization. The more deliciously vampy roles go to Lean Olin, snarling and scratching as the vengeful socialite Liana Telfer, and Barbara Jefford, wringing every ounce of crusty fury out of Countess Kessler. Langella however, as the villain Balkan, never hits either the required malificence or the suavity that this devious mastermind requires.

In the end, THE NINTH GATE is a low-return pleasure, good-natured but often irritating in its delivery. Everyone who loves film should rejoice that Polanski is back in the ballgame, but only his most ardent devotees will adore this ground field double.

-- Gabriel Shanks

Read Jill's review of THE NINTH GATE

Review text copyright © 2000 Jill Cozzi and Cozzi fan Tutti, © 2003 Mixed Reviews. All rights reserved. Reproduction of text in whole or in part in any form or in any medium without express written permission of Mixed Reviews or the author is prohibited.

Back To Top | Home | Archive | E-Mail Harvest