The Ninth Gate (1999)

Directed by: Roman Polanski | 133 minutes | thriller | Actors: Johnny Depp, Frank Langella, Lena Olin, Emmanuelle Seigner, Barbara Jefford, Jack Taylor, José López Rodero, Tony Amoni, James Russo, Willy Holt, Allen Garfield, Jacques Dacqmine, Joe Sheridan

Johnny Depp became famous by playing all kinds of crazy characters. His big break came with his portrayal of the drunken Captain Jack Sparrow in the already far too long ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ franchise. This ever-expanding saga is Mr Depp’s livelihood whose magic is slowly fading away. A shame, because the best man once had so much more to offer than playing caricature characters on an assembly line. Before annoying characters like The Mad Hatter, Tonto, Mortdecai, and Willy Wonka, there were character studies and full-fledged characters. His touching and emotional portrayal of pulp director Ed Wood in the 1994 film of the same name, for example, is one of Depp’s best roles. His playing in ‘The Ninth Gate’ also shows an actor – and not a self-parodying copy machine.

In ‘The Ninth Gate’ Depp plays Dean Corso. This somewhat scruffy man searches for rare books on behalf of rich people that he ‘takes over’ in not the neatest ways. When the enigmatic Boris Balkan (Frank Langella) approaches him, Corso’s life changes instantly. His client asks him to find an extremely rare satanic book. Before he knows it, Corso is in deep trouble, dealing with murder and devilish practices.

‘The Ninth Gate’ is an occult thriller that already felt a bit corny at the time of its release. You would rather expect this movie to be from the 1970s. That is due to the slow pace, inexplicable plot twists (which are not neatly announced and explained in detail later) and the mysterious atmosphere. Nothing wrong with that, because the hand of Roman Polanski is unmistakably present. This film continuously plays with the expectations of the audience and is not afraid to fail to meet them. This is not a crowd pleaser, but a film with balls that chooses its own path. However, the strong playing of Langella and Depp – who puts down a pretty nasty anti-hero – always keep you on your toes. The tempo is at times quite slow, but it never gets boring.

The sultry ambiance and the increasingly mysterious situations remain fascinating until the end. At times this film can be called exciting and you get a feeling of unease. Something isn’t right, but what exactly is something you can’t put your finger on. ‘The Ninth Gate’ is a acquired taste as it is so beautifully called. Not suitable for everyone, but the connoisseur will probably find this a good film. Deppadepts who have only followed this American since ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ should check this film out anyway – if they haven’t already – because their hero shows himself to be a capable actor here. Time for a second part?