Johnny Depp is perhaps within the midst of a comeback of types following his authorized battle with ex-wife Amber Heard, however again when he was nonetheless a Hollywood darling, he appeared in a slew of flicks that confirmed simply how a lot vary he has as an actor. No style was off limits for the star, as he appeared in every thing from sci-fi thrillers (The Astronaut’s Spouse) to romance classics (Chocolat), and even took on the problem of being directed by the controversial Roman Polanski in a 1999 horror thriller that is now taken over free streaming.
We’re, in fact, speaking about The Ninth Gate, which hit theaters in Europe in 1999, however did not make its option to North America till March 2000. Starring Depp as Dean Corso, a ruthless uncommon guide vendor, the movie follows his character after he is tasked by an eccentric billionaire (Frank Langella) to authenticate a Seventeenth-century guide that is reportedly in a position to summon the satan himself. As he will get drawn deeper into issues, Corso finds himself caught up in a thriller that is full of occult rituals, Satanic symbolism, and an enigmatic lady who might or might not possess supernatural talents.
Produced on a finances of $38 million, The Ninth Gate went on to earn $58 million on the field workplace throughout its theatrical run, which did not precisely make it a runaway hit. Factoring into the equation issues like advertising and marketing and distribution, the movie did not generate lots of revenue, however within the years since, it is gone on to be considered a cult basic amongst followers who loved it for what it was: a hip occult thriller that featured a robust efficiency by Depp even when the fabric he needed to work with wasn’t precisely what some would name nice cinema.
Critics Have Not Been Sort to ‘The Ninth Gate’
Whereas many may think about The Ninth Gate to be a cult favourite, it is confirmed to be certainly one of Depp’s most divisive movies over time. Holding only a 43% ranking on Rotten Tomatoes, a 6.7/10 on IMDb, and a 3.1 on Letterboxd, David Forsmark known as the film “ludicrous” in his evaluate, whereas Mike Clark from USA As we speak wrote that “the script is so bereft of actual surprises that it is best to maintain the lid on what few there are.” Kat Halstead from Widespread Sense Media is one other who was crucial of The Ninth Gate, writing:
“Depp’s Dean Corso appears directly generic and elusive, stumbling from set piece to set piece as The Ninth Gate’s plot takes predictable twists and turns till it wanders into oblivion.”
In fact, The Ninth Gate does have its followers, in any other case we would not be speaking about it. One Rotten Tomatoes consumer known as it “a gem of a film” that “deserved to be extra well-liked than it’s,” whereas one other echoed those self same sentiments, including that it “by no means bought the credit score it deserved for being a real thriller with simply the proper quantity of supernatural components.” Others known as it “a profitable marriage of drama, suspense and the supernatural,” whereas some even went as far as to call it one of many “extraordinarily uncommon” motion pictures that they watch at the least every year.
You possibly can see for your self if The Ninth Gate is a worthy entry in Depp’s filmography, because it’s now streaming totally free on Tubi, the place it at present sits within the #7 spot on their record of Prime 10 motion pictures.
Supply: Tubi