The Ninth Gate

The Ninth Gate, 1999

I am basically a total wuss when it comes to anything even remotely scarey in movies. I still get freaked out in the Wizard of Oz when the Wicked Witch shows up for the first time. And don't even get me started on those flying monkeys. The Ninth Gate is one of those films that has some spooky moments that while aren't necessarily scarey they do tend to make me queasy. There is a scene where Johnny Depp wakes up in the Baroness's board room after being knocked out and sees her sitting in her wheel chair and the chair is repeatedly running into a wall. When he goes over to stop her the chair turns around and we are stunned with this image;

before the chair takes off through a pair of closed doors into a fire in the next room. That freaked me out the first time I saw it, and I still have to cover my eyes every time I watch it when I get to this part.

Overall this movie isn't all that great. Its an interesting story, but like with many of Roman Polanski's films, the story isn't developed to a satisfying level. The movie has a good look to it being very modern and European. I also enjoyed the musical score. Lots of unaccompanied piano being played in a subdued manner during the tense moments was classic Polanski. I remember similar music in Chinatown, another Polanski film that I will watch tomorrow. It would be a fun movie to watch on a lonely Saturday night, especially if you're a Johnny Depp fan, like me.

And by the way. You may have heard that recently Johnny Depp used Wichita's citizens as an example of the type of people who lack the culture necessary to enjoy his new film The Rum Diary. I understand that Wichita isn't exactly the Mecca of artistic appreciation, but I don't think he should have used The Rum Diary to make his point. Critics and audiences both agree that it isn't a very good film. (46% positive reviews on RT; Top Critics and Audiences)