Midweek Mention... The Ninth Gate

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Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! This week, we’re paging through the murky corridors of mystery, rare books, and Satanic secrets with Roman Polanski’s atmospheric thriller The Ninth Gate (1999). Adapted from Arturo Pérez-Reverte’s novel The Club Dumas, the film stars Johnny Depp as Dean Corso, a rare book dealer whose latest assignment drags him deep into a web of occult intrigue.

Setting the Scene: Leather Bindings and Hidden Symbols

Dean Corso is a sleazy but skilled rare book expert hired by the wealthy and enigmatic Boris Balkan (Frank Langella) to authenticate one of the few remaining copies of The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows, a 17th-century tome said to summon the Devil himself. Balkan believes only one of the copies is genuine, and he tasks Corso with traveling across Europe to examine all three. As Corso delves deeper, people connected to the books start turning up dead, and he finds himself pursued by cultists, a mysterious woman with supernatural abilities (Emmanuelle Seigner), and his own growing paranoia.

Part noir detective story, part supernatural thriller, The Ninth Gate moves at a deliberately slow pace, building dread and unease through long shadows, whispered dialogue, and a creeping sense of danger. The mystery surrounding the book’s origin and the authenticity of its illustrations becomes Corso’s obsession. Each encounter along his journey offers new clues—or misdirections—about the book’s true purpose, and whether the devil himself is guiding Corso’s path.

The film culminates in a quiet but unsettling resolution that subverts expectations. It’s less about explosive revelations and more about slow, unnerving transformation, with Corso’s character gradually shifting from skeptic to something far more… initiated.

At its core, The Ninth Gate explores the timeless Faustian dilemma—how far one will go in pursuit of forbidden knowledge. Corso is less driven by belief than by greed and curiosity, but his journey reveals how seductive and consuming power can be. The book becomes a mirror reflecting the soul of each seeker, with deadly results for those who aren't worthy—or perhaps not wicked enough.

Not one for younger viewers, this is a slow-burn adult thriller with a strong sense of place and purpose. The Ninth Gate rewards patience and attention, especially for fans of mysteries, the occult, or anyone who’s ever gotten lost in a bookshop and wondered what might be lurking in the rarest of volumes.

So light a candle, pour a brandy, and dust off your first edition—because The Ninth Gate invites you into a world where stories hold secrets and books just might bite back. 📚🔥🕯️

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