Wall

analeorne

28Feb13

absolutely fantastic. made me read the book afterwards and although very different, wasn't a bit disappointed.

Jake Cole

21Oct12

Highly underrated, though its ending holds it back from placement among Polanski's best. Love how much suspense he wrings out of close-ups on pages.

It's a somewhat silly film, but I find that I quite enjoy it for its gothic subject matter, its rareness as a "book detective" story, and Polanski's seasoned mise-en-scene mastery. I just love watching him work.

J. Nyhuis and Susana G. like this

Cruth A Bháis

23May12

Non ricordo davvero molto di questo film, a parte la noia.

Lights in the Dusk

22Oct11

Like Eyes Wide Shut; conspiracies leading nowhere. The machinations of the genre used to suggest a character's state of mind; his fears, anxieties. A character on the edge in a world of fiction, in a film obsessed with the nature of fiction. Polanski would remake the conventions of this film with a straight face in The Ghost Writer. Here it's played for laughs, but the result is closer to the alchemy of cinema.

J. Nyhuis and XA Coronel like this

Greg S.

1Oct11

There's a lot to like in bits and pieces and its pretty serviceable thriller, with some pure Polanksi moments. But overall I didn't get the impression the Polanski's heart was really in this one with the exception of some impressive set pieces and the offbeat use of his wife's casting as a demon(?) who knows karate. Other than that I'd have to confirm this a minor film from Polanski. Has redeeming qualities.

Maria Poenaru

2Aug11

the ending was crap

Zoe Diorama likes this

AdamantCocoon

6Jun11

Feels like the work of a different (deterrent?) director, which isn't to say it is at all bad.

Ellis Potter

27May11

Beautifully shot and a great visual tour of Paris and the dark side of Europe. Slow and melodic, Polanski has filled the mystery genre with the devil and let it play out accordingly. Johnny Depp gives his best work here. Superb all around, and the ending isn't abrupt; read deeper. You are given all the tools you need to see the truth.

Reginald Healer Marcellin

29Apr11

Very Enjoyable although the ending made little sense

RusticMachine

28Apr11

▲▲▲ A decent film with a weak ending. I can't say I understand some of the negativity in the posts below.

Meds

27Apr11

Something is missing, just can't put my finger on it...

Kurt Öhrström

23Nov10

This is Polanskis worst film after Pirates.

Cormac Aristide

5Aug10

Unfairly hated on (although I do agree the ending was a letdown). What isn't fun about watching Depp play a sleazy bookworm in a Satanic Polanski thriller?

Alan Funkle

30Jul10

Johnny Depp and Frank Langella make this worth watching along with polanski's direction and a decent score to add to the creepiness of the peice.

Daniel S.

27Jun10

**1/2. What's Polanski's and what's Arturo Pérez-Reverte's in THE NINTH GATE, that's the question. The mood of the film, yes, the mood of the film ! It's Polanski's all right. Descriptions of frightening or disconcerting characters like the Ceniza brothers maybe ? Maybe, maybe not but enough of that, THE NINTH GATE is not one of the most personal movies of the lecherous dwarf, that's all. So what did I like in this film ? I confess that I always had a weak spot for movies dealing with old books, bookshops or libraries so films like Jean-Jacques Annaud's THE NAME OF THE ROSE or THE NINTH GATE will always meet my leniency. A DVD zone completists only.

Steve

5Jun10

This movie is such a guilty pleasure for me. I've watched it about a dozen times and i'm still not bored with it

Joshua Dysart

21Apr10

Fantastically campy, hilariously fun. This film gets a bum wrap. Like The Ghost Writer you've just got to bring your sly sense of humor into it with you to appreciate it fully. Polanski is a funny, funny filmmaker, but the humor is deep inside the choices he makes and not always very obvious. It's one of the things I love most about his work.