A Review
by
The Editor: UK Atheist & Science E-Zine

I have to admit to not being much of a horror buff unless it involves vampires so it was quite a surprise to me that I found this movie so engaging. A review on the Amazon UK web site sums it up rather well when it says the film stays on the verge of being exciting right up to the very end and despite not quite getting there you end up feeling vaguely satisfied at the end of it.

The Ninth Gate is a Roman Polanski film featuring Johnny Depp in the lead a s a somewhat unscrupulous book buyer seeking rare & weird book around the world and doing whatever is necessary to get them at a dropdown price. It also features Frank Langella (who I remember from a comedy vampire film) and Emanuelle Seigner who assists him on several occasions on his journey.

The story revolves around a book (said to be co-written by the Devil himself) that is said to give its possessor all the power of Satan but of which there are three copies only one of which is genuine. Frank Langella, playing a multi-millionaire, sets Depp the task of establishing whether his book is the genuine article and, if not, of acquiring "by any means necessary" the one which is.

From very early on a battle of will develops between the two male leads and the plot twists and turns in unexpected ways leading to the final non-explosive though nevertheless intriguing ending. The film is replete with dubious, slightly unsettling characters & roles that, whilst they are not actually evil, give the impression of being potentially so. It also, by means of unsettling images, carries a feeling of menace (helped superbly along by the somewhat less than inhibited Lena Olin) and Polanski keeps it vague right up to the final scene.

Depp starts of as an unlikable character and, as he goes on to uncover the true significance of the book, becomes even less so ... nevertheless you find yourself on his side and want to see him "win" through to the films end.

The Ninth Gate is adapted from the novel "The Club Dumas" by Arturo Pérez-Reverte and whilst it is no masterpiece it is certainly enjoyable.