"Where Movie Critics Get A Taste Of Their Own Medicine!
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Gate slams in your face
by Herb Kane
March 14th, 2000
CRITIC DOCTOR EXAMINES: Roger
Ebert (Chicago Sun-Times), Jonathan Foreman (New York Post), Jay Boyar (Orlando Sentinel), John Hartl (Seattle Times), Tom Sander (Sun-Sentinel), Christopher Null (filmcritic.com), Lisa Schwarzbaum (Entertainment Weekly), Michael Elliott (Crosswalk.com), Mr Cranky (mrcranky.com) and Bruce Totten (WATJ Radio) .
out
of 4 (R)
When people came out of "The Ninth Gate" at the movie theater, the common topic of discussion was the surprise ending. I'm not talking about the same kind of brilliant ending as in the movie "Sixth Sense" and neither are the following critics:
Roger Ebert (Chicago Sun-Times): "After the last scene, I underlined on my notepad: 'What?'"
Jonathan Foreman (New York Post): "A startlingly inept and unsatisfying piece of story telling."
Jay Boyar (Orlando Sentinel): "I don't want to spoil the ending for you (not that I really could), but the filmmaker takes you on a journey that goes absolutely nowhere."
John Hartl (Seattle Times): "You end up feeling duped for taking a two-hour-plus ride that dumps you in the middle of nowhere."
Tom Sander (Sun-Sentinel): "Dopey non-ending will send viewers away feeling cheated."
I generally don't mind if a movie starts out slow and develops into something more interesting and meaningful. But if the ending doesn't work, that usually messes the whole story up - as it did with "The Ninth Gate." Christopher Null (filmcritic.com) said, "Still, despite a little snickering in the audience, Polanski still pulls enough tricks out of his sleeve to recommend this film." I think a snickering audience was a pretty good indication Polanski's magic was about as alive as Houdini is today.
Lisa Schwarzbaum (Entertainment Weekly) said, "Like pages falling out of an old tome, the plot of 'The Ninth Gate' comes unglued slowly."
Indeed we spend most of the movie watching book expert Dean Corso (Johnny Depp) search for two of three rare copies of a book called The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of the Shadows, published in 1666. This book supposedly has engravings drawn by Satan (also known as Lucifer) and has the power to evoke the devil himself. He's hired by Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), a rich collector, who owns the third book and wants to validate it's authenticity by comparing it to the other two. So he loans it to Corso to take on his mission. This is the best part of the film - a detective story that keeps you somewhat glued on this slow moving trip. The plot just doesn't hold, though.
Roger Ebert observes, "If some of the engravings were indeed drawn by Satan, and if assembling them can evoke the Prince of Darkness, then that would be a threat, right? Or would it be a promise? And what happens at the end--that would be an unspeakably evil outcome, right? But why does it look somehow like a victory?
Michael Elliott (Movie Parable) said Depp should have been searching for a different book: "There is real book from a spiritual power which contains the key to life itself. It's called the Bible. The gate it opens is a heavenly one." Regardless, what man would want to evoke Satan unless he himself is a Satanist? Corso was not.
I also found it amusing how Corso, who is deemed a true connoisseur, handles this expensive book he doesn't even own (loaned to him by the Balken). Mr. Cranky (mrcranky.com) declares, "Corso carries this million dollar book around the world like it's a handkerchief. He swirls Cognac above it and smokes around it constantly. As old as it is, you'd think if you let the sunlight hit it wrong, it would spontaneously combust. Corso does everything but wipe his _ss with the book"
Bruce Totten (WATJ Radio) said, "Though the promotional ads suggest otherwise, 'The Ninth Gate' is not a horror film at all. Instead, Polanski delivers a slick detective story." Oh, it's definitely slick The movie trailer made this movie look like another "Devil's Advocate" or "Stigmata" - two good films. I was shocked at its lack of special effects and overall inability to satisfy the legend behind the nine gates. The actors did their job well - considering the story at hand.
Emmanuelle Seiger (The Girl) played an interesting part as an elusive and mysterious woman following Corso around like a guardian angel - saving his life on occasion. The two kept the story from drowning in boredom. There is a hilarious scene with actor Jose Lopez Rodero who, with the help of special effects, plays twins - Pablo and Pedro. A needed part in the film.
Mr. Cranky summed the movie up best: "This film doesn't conclude; it just stops."
"The Ninth Gate" will probably keep your interest, but why should it? The gate will simply slam shut in your face. Let's hope it stays locked forever.
--THE CRITIC DOCTOR
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| CAST: Johnny Depp (Dean Corso), Frank Langella (Boris Balkan), Lena Olin (Liana Telfer), Emmanuelle Seiger (The Girl), Barbara Jefford (The Baroness). |
R - (Profanity, sex, violence and nudity) |
| DIRECTOR: Roman Polanski | SCREENPLAY: John Brownjohn, Enrique Urbizu, Roman Polanski, based on the novel El Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte. |
| CINEMATOGRAPHY: Darius Khondji | MUSIC: Wojciech Kilar |
| DISTRIBUTOR: Artisan Entertainment | RELEASE DATE: March 10, 2000 |
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