THE NINTH GATE

Year Released: 2000 MPAA Rating: R Running Time: 127 minutes Click to Expand Credits: Starring Johnny Depp, Frank Langella, Lena Olin, Emmanuelle Seigner and Barbara Jefford Directed by Roman Polanski Produced by Roman Polanski Written by Roman Polanski, Enrique Urbizu and John Brownjohn

Roman’s back in “Rosemary” territory. The notorious director again conjures up a devil worshiping sect and eerier European haunts with visual aplomb in this adaptation of a Arturo Perez-Reverte novel. Johnny “21 Jump Street” Depp is a lightening rod for bad karma as a rare book dealer on the hunt for an authentic satanic verse written by Lucifer himself. His journey takes him from New York to Spain and France, and at each juncture, Polanski’s real life wife, the ethereal Emmanuelle Seigner, keeps popping up. Is she a minion in the service of the devil or a guardian angel? Bodies pile up, there’s a near “Eyes Wide Shut” orgy, but through it all Depp keeps on trekking and keeps the film grounded. Lena Olin flashes her backside and Frank Langella looks regal as a devil wanna-be. Silly as it sounds, “The Ninth Gate” is somehow possessing.

Posted on February 28, 2000 in Reviews by Tom Meek

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