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The Ninth Gate

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The Ninth Gate

R

Released Mar 10, 2000

2h 13m

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

43%

Tomatometer

95 Reviews

58%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Dean Corso (Johnny Depp) specializes in tracking down rare and exotic volumes for collectors. Boris Balkan (Frank Langella) has recently acquired a seventeenth-century satanic text called The Nine Gates- a legendary book written by Satan himself. With The Nine Gates in his possession, Corso soon finds himself at the center of strange and violent goings-on. Not only is his apartment ransacked, it appears that he is being shadowed ferociously by others determined to regain the book.

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Critics Consensus

Even though the film is stylish and atmospheric, critics say The Ninth Gate meanders aimlessly and is often ludicrous. And despite the advertising, there's hardly any chills.

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Brandon Judell

IndieWire

Polanski revisits Satan with less than devilish fun.

Sep 14, 2012

Full Review

Globe and Mail

Rated: 2/4

Apr 25, 2003

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Susan Stark

Detroit News

Rated: 2/4

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

There are a number of promising themes being explored here that feel entirely fresh for the horror genre, yet none of these nuggets of promise are paid off in fulfilling ways, making for a messy experience with glimmers of hope.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 20, 2023

Full Review

Kat Halstead

Common Sense Media

Depp's Dean Corso seems at once generic and elusive, stumbling from set piece to set piece as The Ninth Gate's plot takes predictable twists and turns until it wanders into oblivion.

Rated: 2/5

Nov 16, 2022

Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

The movie begins with Polanski’s usual mood of voluptuous menace, promising an elegant headgame for people who still read; the mood remains — Polanski’s craft is impeccable — but the story lets him down.

Rated: C-

Sep 2, 2022

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Markus L

Entertaining enough, worth a watch

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/27/25

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Audience Member

Underrated occult movie- a great watch. This will probably never be anyone’s favorite film, but it’s entertaining enough from start to finish.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/20/25

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Scott P

Great and awesome occult movie. It’s close to being one of the very best Occult films ever made. After watching the movie several times I got the book that it was based on, Club Dumas, and this is one of the very rare moments that the film is better than the book. The book is still very, very good, but only the parts that deal with the satanic book are really interesting and deep and profound, the other parts that go off into this Three Musketeers world and just get you bored basically. If you didn’t like this movie then unfortunately you just do not have a high intellect and cannot appreciate it. I don’t mean to insult but it’s just true. It should have a 90+ percentage rating on rotten tomatoes but this is why Marvel movies are completely dominating the theaters now. That’s what people want, sadly.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/14/25

Full Review

Weston L

This movie went over my head the first time watching. But after viewing it again and again I find it to be more clever than most films. You might hear it doesn't have payoffs but that's because the payoffs are subtle, making them more impactful not less. Very likely most the plot and meanings went over most the reviewers heads. It's actually a very cool, smart and engaging film in many ways. One of my favorite elements of it is its mysterious nature. It treats the audience as smart puzzle solvers not as simple minded viewers that need everything spelled out. The more you pay attention the more string there are to pull at. Even now after multiple viewings I still find new elements I missed. Sorta the gift that keeps on giving. The film carries style and substance in unique ways. There's even a nice touch of humor and levity in it making it a very enjoyable watch. The performances are cool yet understated, and the music is too. I strongly recommend this film to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/11/25

Full Review

Billy B

Excellent plot build up to nothing. Great acting but a horrible ending with no defined resolvement of the story. Simply left hanging with no clue as to what was going on and no explanation as to what the events in the movie meant.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/09/25

Full Review

Ron R

A simply delightful movie with great production values, excellent script, plot and acting. A successful marriage of Drama, Suspense and the Supernatural. This is one of the extremely rare movies that I watch at least once a year. You should at least consider watching this movie at least once. You will not be disappointed.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/22/24

Full Review

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Roman Polanski

Director

Johnny Depp

Dean Corso

Frank Langella

Boris Balkan

Lena Olin

Liana Telfer

Emmanuelle Seigner

The Girl

Barbara Jefford

Baroness Kessler

The Ninth Gate: Official Clip - Blood Baptism

2:09

The Ninth Gate: Official Clip - You Should Be More Careful

2:16

The Ninth Gate: Official Clip - The Enigma Is Solved

2:06

The Ninth Gate: Official Clip - Even Hell Has Its Heroes

2:03

The Ninth Gate: Official Clip - A Man Whose Loyalty Can Be Bought

2:15

The Ninth Gate: Official Clip - Raise the Devil

1:55

The Ninth Gate: Official Clip - Why the Devil?

2:13

The Ninth Gate: Official Clip - The Last Engraving

2:12

The Ninth Gate: Official Clip - Some Books Are Dangerous

2:04

The Ninth Gate: Official Clip - Boris Enters the Ninth Gate

2:15

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Synopsis

Dean Corso (Johnny Depp) specializes in tracking down rare and exotic volumes for collectors. Boris Balkan (Frank Langella) has recently acquired a seventeenth-century satanic text called The Nine Gates- a legendary book written by Satan himself. With The Nine Gates in his possession, Corso soon finds himself at the center of strange and violent goings-on. Not only is his apartment ransacked, it appears that he is being shadowed ferociously by others determined to regain the book.

Director: Roman Polanski
Producer: Roman Polanski
Screenwriter: Arturo Pérez-Reverte, John Brownjohn, Enrique Urbizu, Roman Polanski
Distributor: Artisan Entertainment
Production Co: R.P. Productions, Araba Films, Le Studio Canal +, Orly Films, Live Entertainment, Bac Films, Kino Vision, Via Digital
Rating: R (Violence|Sexuality)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 10, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 26, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $18.7M
Runtime: 2h 13m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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