VINCE'S MOVIE REVIEWS |
 Supernatural Thriller "Evil personified appears at first sight repulsive. But the more we study the personality of the Devil, the more fascinating it becomes. The Devil is the rebel of the cosmos, the independent in the empire of a tyrant;…he is the individualising tendency, the craving for originality, which bodily upsets the ordinances of God that enforce a definite kind of conduct; he overturns the monotony that would permeate the cosmic spheres if every atom in unconscious righteousness and with pious obedience slavishly followed a generally prescribed course." - Paul Carus, The History of the Devil and the Idea of Evil (1900) |
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When you go see THE NINTH GATE sit back and absorb all the information coming your way. The film takes on ther air of a puzzle which is slowly unravelled as the movie progresses to it's slightly unsatisfying end. Alright let me give you a brief rundown of the story. Okay get ready, here goes. We are introduced to Dean Corso at someone's home evaluating a book collection. He is a cold and calculating character who has an amoral nature. We see this quickly as he takes advantage of these under-educated booker owners by tricking them into selling a set of a four volume edition of DON QUIXOTE for next to nothing. Corso's mercenary style makes him a valuable book detective for many book collector's. One such collector who hires him is Boris Balkan (Frank Langella) who has a library totally devoted to books on the Devil. Balkan has finally aquired a book he has lusted after, from a recent collector who later committed suicide. Corso is hired to invetigste this book which is a 17th century satanic text called The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of the Shadows. The book, published in 1666, is illustrated with nine engravings which when properly interpreted will summon the devil and open the entrance to the underworld. The book was supposedly written by Satan himself and adapted by its Venetian author, Aristide Torchia, whom also illustrated the nine engravings. This book led to his being burnt at the stake by the Holy Inquisition. Supposedly there are only three editions and each owner insists their's is the original. Balkan wants to know the truth so he hires Corso to find out for sure and since he believes only in cash and not demons he accepts the job. The trail will lead to Portugal and France but not before he is threatened; has a friend killed and finds he is being followed by a mysterious blond played by Emmanuelle Seigner. On his trail is the actual owner of Balkan's copy, the beautiful Mrs. Liana Telfer (Lena Olin). The first and most important stop is in Spain where the Telfer edition was purchased from the bookbinders/dealers the Ceniza brothers. These brothers are pure Polanski characters that seem to come straight out of his move Vampire Killers. They are a fountain of information about the Nine Gates. They confirm that Liana Telfer badgered her husband into buying the book for her. They also point out to him that an engraving is not signed by Aristide Torchia (AT) but by LCF which they insist stands for Lucifer. On leaving, Corso is almost killed in a scene similiar to the engraving. In Sintra, Portugal, Corso examines the copy owned by Victor Fargas where he discovers further discrepancies in the engravings and as he leaves once again the beautiful blonde saves his life which is threatened byTelfer's henchman. He eventually examines the third copy of the book where he makes the important discover about the engravings at the cost of someone's life. More attempts are made on his life with the blonde guardian protecting him. As he discovers more he becomes as obsessed as Balkan over it's possiblities and soon finds himself in the an enormous chateau where the rich and idle play at the Satanism game. Balkan appears and his murderous insanity comes to the forefront as he denounces this ridiculous coven and ecapes with the last book he needs. Corso follows him to Balkan's ancient stone castle for he is not about to lose his chance at immortality. All hell breaks loose where things do not end up as expected. An impressive scene happens between the blonde agent of the devil and Corso with a hellish fire in the background. Corso's journey is not over because he has made a final important discovery..that will unlock the secrets of The Nine Gates but who will unlock them. The ending is pure Polanski and that unfortunately will have people exiting wondering what happened. You may have to think about it or you can just accept the truth of the ending. Okay I have to say this..."The devil made him do it." He made him make a beautifully photographed film with an excellent cast and some wonderful eerie music by Wojciech Kilar. If you like Polanski, you will enjoy the journey he takes you on. |
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RATING CANADA... Rated Adult Accompaniment for nudity, and content |
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