What starts out as a promising thriller from veteran director/writer Roman Polanski ("Rosemary's Baby", 1968), ends up getting tangled in a spider's web of technical miffs, poor editing, and weak score.
Starting off strong, we learn about Dean Corso (Johnny Depp), an unscrupulous book dealer who is willing to deceive in order to get a deal on a rare copy of "Don Quixote". One of his regular customers, Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), calls on him to verify the authenticity of his rare book "The Nine Gates" by comparing it to the only other two copies in existence. But Balkan is too insistent and suspiciously generous in his offers, already promising to double the money before Corso even starts. But Corso (apparently not being as smart as us viewers) doesn't really question this. Additionally, Balkan offhandedly entrusts the $1,000,000 book to Corso without hesitation or contract, despite its enormous value.
As Corso tracks down the other two books (he gets on an airplane - Balkan has already told him of their European locations) and people around him start to die, he learns that the book (derived from a book by Lucifer) somehow holds the key to opening a portal called the ninth gate.
Corso, examining the differences in the nine illustrations between his and Victor Fargas' copy, finds some of the illustrations signed by LCF (for 'Lucifer'), and some by AT. Here the plot takes a major 'wrong turn', as the viewers can clearly see what Corso doesn't: that the nine LCF illustrations, distributed among the three copies of the book, must be brought together to solve the riddle and unleash the book's powers.
As we wait for Corso to catch on to this mind-numbingly obvious fact, he continues on his quest, which instead of gaining intrigue, becomes plodding and familiar. The same goes for 'The Girl' (Emmanuelle Seigner), who mysteriously appears and disappears, occasionally gliding through the air, but we never learn much more about her (except she has a thick accent, never answers questions, and likes to have sex near burning buildings).
Aside from Depp, who finally succumbs to sleep-walking through his part, most of the acting is B-rate. Seigner blurts our her lines at times, much to the dismay of viewers wanting something more substantial. Langella, for the most part, does well until the climax of the film.
Effects, even minor ones, could be troublesome. A wire to tip over a podium during a fight scene was glaring. The CG in the opening titles was poorly done, though mostly forgivable. Driving and flying scenes were obviously rear projections, if only they hadn't been so thoroughly abused.
Then there are things that defy explanation. Corso, in hot pursuit of Balkan, stops in the middle of a stream (where he supposedly got stuck). A car, trying to hit Corso, manages to miss by swerving in the opposite direction. In an attempt to surreptitiously follow an unsuspecting target, Corso and The Girl choose a loud, high-revving red Dodge Viper. And the film must get at least a mention for having one of the most distracting mustaches (Pedro Ceniza) ever to be projected on a silver screen.
The weak score from Wojciech Kilar was often more fitting for a comedy than a thriller. As Corso walks down an alley on his way to a book dealer, we hear a kind of 'adventure' music, similar to what you'd hear in a comedy during the setup of a physical joke (I was half-expecting to see Depp pushing a circus elephant into the back of a convertible). Occasional mismatches between the action and the musical peaks don't help. During the same alley walk scene, the 'adventure' music starts in the previous scene, before we even get to see Corso walking, and it is jarring when the visuals finally catch up.
At 133 minutes, this film was nearly an hour too long, plodding its way through details that should have been thought better of. Why do we care if scaffolding suddenly comes tumbling down on Corso? It wasn't scary or mysterious, just out of place.
I so much wanted this movie to take me to new and exciting places, and fulfill the promise of the opening minutes. But that was not to be. It is clear that a moderately bigger budget, a few better actors/actresses, and some retakes, could have put a completely new face on what ended up being, for the most part, substandard fare. In fact, just re-scoring the movie, along with some minor editing, would move the film up a few notches.
I gave this film a 6 out of 10 as an indication of 'what could have been' and for Depp's characterization of Corso.
Starting off strong, we learn about Dean Corso (Johnny Depp), an unscrupulous book dealer who is willing to deceive in order to get a deal on a rare copy of "Don Quixote". One of his regular customers, Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), calls on him to verify the authenticity of his rare book "The Nine Gates" by comparing it to the only other two copies in existence. But Balkan is too insistent and suspiciously generous in his offers, already promising to double the money before Corso even starts. But Corso (apparently not being as smart as us viewers) doesn't really question this. Additionally, Balkan offhandedly entrusts the $1,000,000 book to Corso without hesitation or contract, despite its enormous value.
As Corso tracks down the other two books (he gets on an airplane - Balkan has already told him of their European locations) and people around him start to die, he learns that the book (derived from a book by Lucifer) somehow holds the key to opening a portal called the ninth gate.
Corso, examining the differences in the nine illustrations between his and Victor Fargas' copy, finds some of the illustrations signed by LCF (for 'Lucifer'), and some by AT. Here the plot takes a major 'wrong turn', as the viewers can clearly see what Corso doesn't: that the nine LCF illustrations, distributed among the three copies of the book, must be brought together to solve the riddle and unleash the book's powers.
As we wait for Corso to catch on to this mind-numbingly obvious fact, he continues on his quest, which instead of gaining intrigue, becomes plodding and familiar. The same goes for 'The Girl' (Emmanuelle Seigner), who mysteriously appears and disappears, occasionally gliding through the air, but we never learn much more about her (except she has a thick accent, never answers questions, and likes to have sex near burning buildings).
Aside from Depp, who finally succumbs to sleep-walking through his part, most of the acting is B-rate. Seigner blurts our her lines at times, much to the dismay of viewers wanting something more substantial. Langella, for the most part, does well until the climax of the film.
Effects, even minor ones, could be troublesome. A wire to tip over a podium during a fight scene was glaring. The CG in the opening titles was poorly done, though mostly forgivable. Driving and flying scenes were obviously rear projections, if only they hadn't been so thoroughly abused.
Then there are things that defy explanation. Corso, in hot pursuit of Balkan, stops in the middle of a stream (where he supposedly got stuck). A car, trying to hit Corso, manages to miss by swerving in the opposite direction. In an attempt to surreptitiously follow an unsuspecting target, Corso and The Girl choose a loud, high-revving red Dodge Viper. And the film must get at least a mention for having one of the most distracting mustaches (Pedro Ceniza) ever to be projected on a silver screen.
The weak score from Wojciech Kilar was often more fitting for a comedy than a thriller. As Corso walks down an alley on his way to a book dealer, we hear a kind of 'adventure' music, similar to what you'd hear in a comedy during the setup of a physical joke (I was half-expecting to see Depp pushing a circus elephant into the back of a convertible). Occasional mismatches between the action and the musical peaks don't help. During the same alley walk scene, the 'adventure' music starts in the previous scene, before we even get to see Corso walking, and it is jarring when the visuals finally catch up.
At 133 minutes, this film was nearly an hour too long, plodding its way through details that should have been thought better of. Why do we care if scaffolding suddenly comes tumbling down on Corso? It wasn't scary or mysterious, just out of place.
I so much wanted this movie to take me to new and exciting places, and fulfill the promise of the opening minutes. But that was not to be. It is clear that a moderately bigger budget, a few better actors/actresses, and some retakes, could have put a completely new face on what ended up being, for the most part, substandard fare. In fact, just re-scoring the movie, along with some minor editing, would move the film up a few notches.
I gave this film a 6 out of 10 as an indication of 'what could have been' and for Depp's characterization of Corso.