The Ninth Gate (1999)

I don't remember much about it at this point except for the fact that I loved it. I should watch it again.

And did a better job, in my opinion. I was disappointed by the book.

This one took me several views to fully appreciate. Hated it at first but every time I watched it after that I grew more and more fond.

I'll just copy & paste my IMDB review for the movie in here, as it pretty much covers how I felt about it (though I haven't watched it in a while, so if I watched it again, I could probably find new things to mention about the movie. Also, IMDB had a word limit for its reviews, so I probably wanted to say more, but couldn’t. Also, I could’ve probably worded things a bit better/more succinctly. I submitted this review on 26 December 2008):

Regrettably, I never saw this film at the theatre. I wish I had, though, as it’s just my type of movie. I first saw it on TV, and after taping it and watching it numerous times, I realised this was a film that I simply HAD to buy on DVD. And so I did. I've watched it a few times since then, and it's still as good as the first time I watched it (if not better), which is why I regret not getting to see it at the cinema.

So...what makes this film so great? Well, to put it bluntly...EVERYTHING. The story, the way it's told, the way the film looks, the characters and the actors, the music - it all combines to make what I think is a superb (yet sadly underrated) film. Okay, so it may not be for everyone. It's not mindless action, for one thing. It actually requires some thought and some may perceive it as "slow and boring", but for those who like a good psychological thriller filled with mystery, intrigue and supernatural elements, then this is the film for you.

Johnny Depp adds yet another fine performance to his already extensive resumé. Dean Corso is a character who, in the hands of a lesser actor, may have come across as someone quite unlikeable. In fact, at the start of the film, Corso isn't a particularly likable guy. But Depp wastes no time in making you grow to like him, and pretty soon you're on his side, as he goes on this rather bizarre assignment of his. And what a journey it is, filled with an assortment of weird and wonderful characters - all brought to life by actors with varying degrees of experience (but all of whom give equally solid performances).

Frank Langella as Boris Balkan is an ever-looming presence in the film. Although he doesn't share that many scenes with Depp (and is mostly just heard over the phone), Balkan's voice is more than enough to remind Corso of what he's gotten himself into. He's a scary guy, and Langella does scary more than adequately. Then there's Lena Olin. What can you say about her? She's - quite simply - awesome. She's sultry, sexy and deliciously evil. As Liana Telfer, Lena Olin gets to play low-key menacing, only to switch to over-the-top chest-biting/face-scratching psycho woman on a dime.

Then there are other characters that Corso encounters, like the twin Ceniza brothers, Victor Fargas and Baroness Kessler (and her scary secretary), not to mention Telfer's ridiculously-haired bodyguard. All these characters have their quirks and every one of them makes for an interesting encounter with Corso. However, the best - hands down - has got to be The Girl (nicknamed "Green Eyes" by Corso), played to perfection by the mesmerising Emmanuelle Seigner. I had never seen her, nor heard of her prior to this film. I can safely say that I have been missing out in the BIGGEST way. What a find she is. Emmanuelle is everything this quite essential character needs to be: she's alluring, she's mysterious, she's wicked and most importantly, you can understand why Corso would be drawn to her. In her mismatching socks, dirty sneakers and baggy anorak, she is the most unassuming person Corso could meet...but there's this underlying sense of malice. With her otherworldly features (most notably, her brilliant green eyes - which cannot be anything but supernatural in nature, given the way they flare up occasionally), not to mention the way she seems to - on occasion - float, you can tell that she's bewitching Corso (in a sense) and aiding him on his journey towards what he seeks.

All of their scenes together are great (and yet, she's not overused in the film. She only appears at key moments and her interaction with Corso is all the more effective because of the rather limited amount of scenes they share). It all culminates in a rather steamy scene outside an appropriately flaming castle. This scene is most memorable, due to the excellent use of effects. They're so subtle, and yet incredibly effective. Just watch her face (and yes, I realise that's probably not the thing your eyes would be immediately drawn to in the scene), keep an eye out for the blink-and-you'll-miss-it changes and how eerily effective they are. It's one of the creepier moments in the film (and quite possibly my favourite moment of all). The music also helps make the scene unforgettable.

This movie is filled with great moments, though. It's all exquisitely shot, the music is perfect throughout, and it's evident how much precision and care has been put into the film (even the beginning and end credits are memorable/unsettling). And the moral of the story? Beware the blonde with the excessively hairy eyebrows. Don't have sex with the devil in disguise in front of a burning castle.

Sorry for not responding earlier, but I hadn't checked back here/hadn't seen your reply until just now.

What a year it was to be for Depp, starring in two of my favorites late 90s horror/thriller, with The Ninth Gate and Sleepy Hollow and in such different types of roles also. I really enjoyed that Corso was not portrayed as yet another "heroic" figure, but instead he often seems a bit clumsy, way out of his league and the more deeper into the adventure he gets, the more vulnaruble and likeable he becomes.

Yes. It was what I enjoyed about his Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow too – that he was not the ‘traditional’ type of lead/hero (though in that movie, he was still quite a bit different to Corso). I too liked that Corso wasn’t some ‘action hero’ type. I mean, his ‘fight’ with Liana Telfer’s henchman didn’t really show Corso to be much of a ‘fighter’. I think he pulls off a shoe, maybe, and that's about it? Oh, he also accidentally clocks his saviour in the nose with his elbow too. It’s ‘The Girl’/’Green Eyes’ who saves Corso and kicks butt. Then towards the end with Balkan, Corso winds up stuck in the floor with his legs flailing underneath – not the most heroic situation ever).

Considering how he starts the movie – swindling people out of books that are worth a pretty penny – it’s good that he becomes more likeable as the film goes on. I think part of what makes him become more likeable/sympathetic is the situations he finds himself in. Someone who gets stuck in such a world of weirdness and, as you said, ‘way out of his league’, kind of demands sympathy eventually (as I’m sure most people would be freaking out if finding themselves in his situation).

Langella was a riot to see as Boris Balkan and he was always somewhere between being scary/intimidating yet he was allowed to include some very funny black comedy to his memorable performance.

Yes, and that’s a large part of why I enjoyed the ‘humour’ (what there was of it) in the film. It wasn’t ‘in your face’. It came unexpectedly and was pretty ‘low-key’ most of the time (and quite ‘dark’ too).

Lena Olin was a nasty piece of work in this film, stunningly beautiful (as always) but surely not the kind of woman you want to get too deeply involved with, and again I loved the comedy in certain parts of the film

I remember first noticing her in the TV series Alias, and then catching her in various things, but this film is the one I most remember her being in. It was weird hearing her yell that line in the funny exchange you mentioned between her and Corso, as prior to that she’d been pretty ‘calm’ and softly-spoken (albeit sultry). So the lashing out moment from her character was all the more effective because of that, I thought.

Those are some well put and very important warning signs, however I think that very few men could resist not becoming somehow bewitched by Seigner in the part as "The Girl". Those eyes and her stunning appearance as the guardian "angel" is fantastic played out and as you said, still not so much that it becomes overused.

Oh, I totally agree that it’d be near impossible to resist her. She was just so ‘mysterious’, yet at the same time drew you in (probably because of the ‘mysterious’ factor). As much as I loved her character, it’s good that the film only used her sparingly – it left you wanting to see more of her.

And don’t take my ‘excessively hairy eyebrows’ remark the wrong way – she totally made them work for her. After Corso’s run-in with Telfer’s henchman, when he takes her back to his room to recover, they have that scene where she smears blood on him and her eyes fade in and out from an unnatural bright green – I thought that was so very effective, yet simplistic. Quite unnerving too.

But your screen shot you included is indeed part of one of my favourite scenes in the movie. When I first watched it, I was probably thinking something along the lines of, “What’s going on with her? That doesn’t look quite right..ahh! AHH!” as her grinning got more and more freaky. Then there was that instance where she leans back, sweeps her hair from her face and takes on a more ‘angelic’ appearance for a split second (I actually paused and moved forward frame by frame during this sequence when I first saw it, and you notice her eyebrows 'thin out' briefly too). It’s just so fascinating to watch her go from scary to scarily beautiful and back again.




That look she was giving just prior to this^ scene, as everyone cleared out after Balkan had killed Telfer, was downright scary.



I remember on first-watch I wasn’t quite sure who she was supposed to be. I wouldn’t have been at all surprised if she was Satan himself, given some of those looks she gave. However, I think it was established she was meant to be ‘The Whore of Babylon’, correct? Especially given that picture of her on the page Corso got a hold of at the end.

Anyway, it’s using CGI in this^ way which I find most effective. I haven’t seen an effect that’s unnerved me like that in quite some time. I just love this film so much from start to finish (including both opening and closing credits), and I’ve watched it multiple times. I just never get sick of it.

Struck me as rather passionless.  

I cant tell anybody how much I love this movie. Its just so not what fits a horror movie in 2000. But I got it. And check the opening credits......9 gates opening. Great touch.

I found this film really compelling and it's prime Johnny Depp. It's an intelligent horror-thriller. It's on my list to add to my collection.