Customer Reviews

Stir of Echoes / The Ninth Gate

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I think both films really pass on the climate they want and this contributes to their success and makes them much more interesting for the viewer.
In Stir Of Echoes, the mysticism and the unexpected always are on hold and in The Ninth Gate, fear for what will happen next, prevails.
In stir of echoes we have the technique of hypnotism which is very interesting and not usually used in a movie, and in the ninth gate we have the dark, ruthless book collector, who asks the also dark Depp, to find for him, a Satan's book...
Both films keep you anxious 'til the end with a slight difference that makes Stir of Echoes a better movie. The ending plays a big part in these movies and in stir of echoes it is better and very iteresting..Chills you to the bone...

This had a lot of potential but ended up being rather disappointing. The main problem is that the story is a very deep and complex work which is brilliantly written (by Arturo Perez-Reverte under the title The Dumas Club) and the film simply does not match it for credibility. Depp's acting is wooden and featureless and although Langalla is convincing, Seigner's role in the film is never properly explained. All in all, a rather directionless effort that could have been far better given the right approach.

The plot involves Depp as an unscrupulous rare book dealer who is employed to track down 2 remaining copies of a Satanic Text that explains how to summon the Devil. His employer is a rich business man with an obsession with the Devil who also owns a copy of the book called "The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows". He wants Depp to find out if one or any of them are fakes.

Depp then high tails it off to Europe to interview the reamaining owners and is soon encountering all sorts of sinister accidents. he is followed by "The girl" (Seigner) who appears to be his ally. It soon becomes apparent that there is a hidden agenda as people start dying. Eventually Langella, arrives on the scene to act out the ritual but its flawed and he dies. The girls identity is never revealed and this is a mistake( In the book, she is revealed as one of Satan's rebel angels). The film ends unsatisfactorily with Depp entering the Ninth Gate himself but we are led to believe that it's for love of the girl which is inaccurate. If Polanski had followed the book more accurately, it would have been more effective.

First off the movies are great. You can tell by the other reviews if you're interested in either of the movies themselves. My only problem is with the lack of features on both these DVDs. If you are a person that doesn't watch the bonus features or listen to the commentaries, then this double pack is the thing for you! Its a great deal in that case. I however like to listen to the commentaries and watch the "making of" features. Especially with good directors like Roman Polanski on Ninth Gate. I was pretty mad today when i went to wal mart and saw a new edition of Stir Of Echoes with added features (such as a commentary!!!!!).

Oh, well.

Johnny Depp in another superb performance. The Corso character carries the hokey premise, and the location footage in Europe is great. This film is a must see for anyone who wants a piece of Ned Flanders.

Stir of Echoes is a terrifically engrossing supernatural thriller that perfectly blends mystery, horror, and drama into one deft mix. It also boasts Kevin Bacon's best performance.

The Ninth Gate, on the other hand, is a lazy motion picture that undeniably boasts strong atmosphere and intrigue, but fails to deliver upon its potential. The movie ultimately leads nowhere, a destination so unfulfilling it makes the previous two hours ten minutes a total waste.

Roman Polanski's latest outing as director of the macabre is both amusing and disturbing, though never impressive. 'The Ninth Gate' was expected to be the director's comeback bid after the brilliant 'Death and the Maiden', and the top-notch star cast (save for Polanski's incredibly untalented wife) promised much. But what remains at the end of it is a confused, directionless film with no soul.

Johny Depp, who has been seen in better films such as 'Ed Wood', plays a heartless book dealer, who specializes in locating and trading valuable and rare books. The role seems interesting enough at the start of the film, and Depp's emotionless performance is intriguing, but after a while it just gets to be plain boring. He is hired by a mysterious satan-obsessed collector who wants him to trace two books that are supposedly written by Satan himself . If this isn't unbelievable enough, it gets even worse when Depp jumps at the idea (he does it for the money, people) and takes off for exotic foreign shores such as Lisbon and the French Riviera in search of the elusive works of the Devil. He also seems to have a Guardian Angel of sorts - a blonde puffy woman who follows him around everywhere. This role is played by Emanuelle Seigner, Polanski's real life wife, and its difficult to imagine a role more nonsensical. Its bad enough that Seigner is a depressingly poor actress, but to watch her drift in and out of the frames with no particular purpose, is quite enough. She fared far better in 'Bitter Moon' where she was cast aside Hugh Grant and Kristin Scott Thomas. She held her own in that film, but falters hugely in this one.

Depp's mission is this : armed with one of the books written by the Devil, he is to trace the other two and compare the contents, to decide which of the three is the original. This task seems hard to accomplish, as there are far too many people dying and too many weird incidents going on for Depp to feel comfortable. He is also followed around by Seigner and a dark-skinned motorbike-rider who seems to want him dead. Depp is repeatedly saved by Seigner, who reveals herself as non-human in one scene where she flies down the staircase rather than walk it (rather useful, don't you think?). The duo finally discover the secret behind this whole sorry tale, and the viewer is left wishing that they hadn't. This is not much of a story to begin with, but as the tale draws to a close, you begin to wonder if this really is a Polanski production. Everything is dismal, the lighting is bad, and the performances are third rate. Depp almost sleepwalks through the entire movie, even during the sex scenes (pity that they're as short as they are). Seigner, who has grown as an actress (and I mean this strictly in the physical sense of the term - she seems to have packed on at least 20 pounds since her last film) is eminently forgettable in her role as Angel, despite the secrets that are revealed about her toward the end of the movie (though you probably guessed it all along). .... Its also the time Depp expresses any emotion, but its far too late for any of us to begin caring.

One wonders what the message of 'The Ninth Gate' is, and what the purpose behind making such a film is. The problem with this film is that it starts off looking terribly good - the opening sequences are very interesting - but half way down the line, you realize that it lacks any kind of direction. And despite Depp's dark, brooding role as a man with no conscience, his potrayal of the character is so ill-acted that its a shame. He could have done better, and one would say the same of Polanski.

Ultimately, the problem with 'The Ninth Gate ' is that it doesn't know what its about. If you want to know how a film shouldn't be made, then, by all means, rent this title (but for heaven's sake, don't buy it!). Personally, I haven't seen a film this confusing and disappointing, in years. Heres hoping that Polanski's next is something more upbeat, and something far more sensible.