This is topic The Ninth Gate in forum Film Handlers' Movie Reviews at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.
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Posted by Scott Magie (Member # 368) on 03-20-2000, 02:50 PM:
For some reason, I liked this film much more than the majority of the critics I've read. Let me concede upfront, though, that the ending is extremely cheesy, contrived, and almost comical in its lack of conclusion. As much as I hated the ending, it did NOT ruin the movie for me. Maybe it was my love of detective stories... maybe it was my amazement at the cinematography (more specifically, the lighting)... or maybe I was just in the right mood for a somewhat slow-moving, tension-building story of one man caught in something bigger than himself, with only a few small clues to save himself. Almost Hitchcockian in parts (did I just invent a new swear-word?), The Ninth Gate proved to be, for me, an enjoyable experience, despite the less than lackluster ending. I know how hard it is to end a film perfectly (see Shawshank Redemption, Dead Man Walking, Good Will Hunting, October Sky, Raiders of the Lost Ark... okay, I'll stop). Most of my student-films have worse endings than the Ninth Gate, so I understand all too well, how much skill it takes... so I commend this film for what it is and what it tried to be, even though it missed at the end.------------------
Scott A. Magie
scoooot@bigsky.net
"Anybody wanna peanut?"
Posted by Greg Mueller (Member # 17) on 03-27-2000, 08:09 AM:
Lumbering, predictable, nondynamic, disapointing. The ending was not satisfying, and the movie as a whole, was to long. Nice title effects. Better than Saturday night TV but not by a lot.
Posted by Darren Crimmins (Member # 1116) on 06-19-2002, 07:33 PM:
Another Jonny Depp masterpiece! (if Brad is reading this I am sure he is laughing or nodding his head) Is based on a book called "The Club Dumas", and while I agree that the ending was kinda weird, the book goes more into it. I like how Depp is doing stranger and some dark movies (Blow, From Hell), he does a really good job. Another movie that he did a great job in was "Ed Wood". What a classic.