The Ninth Gate (1999)

★★★★☆

Johnny Depp plays rare book dealer Dean Corso, who, after being employed by rare book collector Boris Balkan, sets off to confirm the legitimacy of a book known as The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows. Only three copies supposedly exist and Corso was handed one of them. However, during his investigation two suspicious people begin to follow Corso, rare book collectors begin to die, a strange young woman with supernatural powers fights for his cause, and soon Corso is flung into a conspiracy surrounding the gates of Hell and ultimately the Devil himself. This could have been one of Polanski’s finest works; it has beautiful lighting, a suspenseful story and a great but long build up to very disappointing end. I might need to see it again.