Johnny Depp - The Ninth Gate (2000)

Starring: Johnny Depp, Lena Olin, Frank Langella, Jose Lopez Rodero, James Russo

Directed by: Roman Polanski

Produced by: Roman Polanski

Release Date: March 31, 2000 Nationwide

MPAA Rating: R for some violence and sexuality

Distributor: Artisan Entertainment

Based on a novel by Arturo Pérez-Reverte (The Club Dumas) and coscripted by director Roman Polanski, The Ninth Gate was Polanski’s first feature after a long break following the release of 1995’s Death and the Maiden--in between, there was an aborted project that faltered when designated star John Travolta opted out.

Dean Corso (Johnny Depp) is a cynical rare books dealer hired by Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), a scholar specializing in books on Satanism, to recover the only two remaining copies (in addition to the one owned by Balkan) of The Nine Gates of Kingdom of Shadows, a 17th-century text with cryptic illustrations supposedly contributed by Lucifer himself.

Corso’s investigation takes him to Europe, where he is pursued by a strange girl (Emmanuelle Seigner) who seemes to assume the role of his guardian angel: Bizarre deaths inspired by the book’s morbid illustrations befall all those who come into contact with the book--except himself. This occult mystery should satisfy fans of subtly creepy, stylish tales of the supernatural along the lines of Polanski’s own Rosemary's Baby.