Rating: 
Summary: Fails to meet its Promise
Review: I first saw this movie expecting a horror / thriller and impressed by the cast (Johnny Depp is excellent) was steadily absorbed by it's moody and suspenseful storyline. Unfortunately that's where you leave it - after being on the edge of your seat for nearly two hours, and playing guess and double guess what's about to happen - the end titles appear. A very brilliant idea for a story, is wasted and as good as the performances of Depp, and Langella and as impressive as the artful direction of Polanski is they cannot save this movie. Do yourself a favour - Rent before you Buy
Rating: 
Summary: Great Show
Review: This movie, though subtle, and centering around the investigation of a rare book reputed to conjure the devil, is full of suspense. More importantly the movie is open to interpretation.This movie will keep you on the edge of your seat through the movie and also keep you thinking about it for another week at least!
Rating: 
Summary: Oh, what could have been...
Review: The Ninth Gate has a simple and intriguing premise. A rare book dealer (Johnny Depp) has been hired by a wealthy collector of occult books to authenticate a book lore has it that was co-authored by Satan himself. Director Roman Polanski is obviously aware of the usual histrionics that go into films having anything whatsoever to do with matters of the occult, and instead goes for the opposite effect. He focuses on the detective work that Depp does in finding out more information on the book, and on other copies of the book whose owners Depp visits in the course of his research. Unfortunately, little else happens for about 2 hours. Oh, hardcore bibliophiles will love it; I can't recall another film that dwelt with such focus on the subject of rare books. But considering the weight of the subject -- the book may have been co-written by SATAN -- it seems to plod along to the point of driving the viewer to distraction. The final 30 minutes gets a little livelier, but the film has about 4 endings piled atop one another, with a confusing, weirdly open-ended final image that doesn't explain anything. This might be worth renting, but be warned that it's a fairly frustrating viewing experience all around.
Rating: 
Summary: Thank goodness I only rented it...
Review: or I would be stuck with this. 'The 9th Gate', also known as 'Hooked on Satan', is an intriguing-yet-frustratingly-obscure work. Johnny Depp, as usual, is fabulous, which is why I continued to watch this film to the bitter [did I say bitter?] end. With tons of symbolism that doesn't lead to any sort of enlightenment about a) the characters, b) the plot, c) the Point of this film, the movie seems to be a really long version of the message: 'The Dark Lord is bad'. A fine judeo-christian message, in itself, but did you have to take 133 minutes of my life to say it? If you are a hardcore Depp fan, you've probably already seen it [or made plans to]. If not, well....
Rating:
Summary: Another Depp triumph
Review: I found this film to be riveting and thought provoking. Depp was as usual outstanding. I loved the fact that this film requires one to use their mind and imagination. Far from being dissapointed in the ending, I thought it was perfect and fitting.
Rating:
Summary: I like gates
Review: Ah, the beauty of a well-formed thought! For I, my friends, a gate do open, and beyond lies the grassy knoll of Our Souls. Nothing can compare to the wonderful nature of pureness, for even the wretched cannot abide something pure. To see this movie is to wake up to the fresh scent of newly ground coffee, only to find out that your cat has chewed every last bite. To hear the lovely soundtrack is to experience a thousand angels shouting in your ears all in one harmonious bleat, like the goat you owned in your youth which used to sit on a barstool and play harmonica while you danced with youthful abandon. May you see and experience only the finest in homespun quilted lovelies.
Rating: 
Summary: Understanding endings
Review: This is without a doubt a complex and dreamlike film which refuses to make things simple for the viewer. Johnny Depp almost sleepwalks through this film and thats precisly the way this role needed to be played, ever so slightly detached from reality and leaving you wondering how real everything really is. Roman Polanski's wife Emmanuelle is suitably ambiguous and Lena Olin seductivly evil while Frank Langella is probably at his weakest and seriously overplays some of his scenes. It seems that a lot of people are having real trouble understanding the end of this film. I think its probably a case of it being one of those films which doesn't necessarily set out everything on a silver platter for you and also is deliberatly ambigous. What I'm going to say now is my take on it so obviously its full of spoilers but I will try to hold something back so people can watch it and make up there own minds. The ending -SPOILER- The riddle refered to in the pages of the book is supposed to conjour up the Devil in the flesh. The faked picture depicts the Whore of Babylon which is traditionally depicted as a woman riding on a Seven headed beast. Depending on which interpretation of the Whore you read it could be a person, place, country or even a religion but in this case it appears the Whore is a person and a common reading of the passages is that the Whore is the precursor to the anti-christ. This person was introduced with references to Witches and pacts with the Devil. The true picture shown at the end shows the whore triumphant in front of a castle (the castle) with light streaming from the castle. A scene a couple of minutes previously showed the castle in flames (light) and given the actions in the foreground it doesn't take a genius to figure out the way the Devil has found to make himself flesh. I may be wrong with my reading of the ending of the film but it actually made perfect sense to me the first time I watched it but to tell the truth I think its one of those films that deliberatly wants you to question just what its ending really means. I'd recommend this film to any Polanski fans, fans of occult films like the Omen, as well as fans of films without easy endings like Se7en. I'd definitly warn off people who prefer their endings cut and dried or full of action.
Rating:
Summary: Ninth gate must require reading the book
Review: I just watched this movie and I am wondering what I just saw. I guess the intent of the movie is to lead you to beleive that their is some magical way to become immortal (albeit via the devil) which is possible from putting clues together from several issues of the same ancient book. The ending is terrible, the plot is easily guessed, and the special effects make you wonder if something is wrong with your television. My recommendation is that if you desire to own this movie, rent it before buying it to verify it is worth the investment.
Rating:
Summary: Good right up to the end
Review: I watched this film twice during two days because I thought that I had missed something the first time, I hadnt. When I finished watching it the second time I realised that either A)Polanski had left tons of stuff out or B)The ending was bad to begin with. You are presented with numerous clues that you try to solve along the way which is fun, But by the time you get to the end you have more questions than answers. If only the ending matched the rest of the movie. I think I will read the book.....
Rating:
Summary: The Ninth Gate
Review: Firstly I should explain that this movie contains lots of details in it.It takes the viewers inside.Besides This movie is the the most interesting and confused movie I have ever watched.Strictly Recommended.
| 
