The Ninth Gate
Artisan Entertainment | Release Date: March 10, 2000 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
44
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 30 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
14
Negative:
9
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Polanski's directing is marvelously assured and Depp is always fun to watch. Read full review
80
SalonCharles Taylor
Amusing, ultra-deadpan entertainment. The director was lucky enough to have a cast who were in on the joke and tuned in to his wavelength. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Elegant, scary fun. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
The movie falls apart toward the end as it enters "Eyes Wide Shut" territory, but until then, it's fun to see bookworms cast in the James Bond mode. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerGary Thompson
Begins to take on a striking resemblance to the infamously bad "Eyes Wide Shut." Read full review
65
TNT RoughCutDon Kaye
Fairly enjoyable as an old-fashioned horror yarn -- or, if that doesn't work for you, as a black comedy about an obsessive collector. Read full review
63
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
A devilish little comedy whose urbane, satirical humor will probably sail right over the heads of audiences weaned on Scream. Read full review
60
Film.comPeter Brunette
Compulsively watchable and its occasional lapses into that familiar Polanskian overkill are almost charming. Read full review
60
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
So visually striking, so compulsively watchable as storytelling, and so personal even in its enigmas that I found it much more pleasurable than any of the Hollywood genre films I've seen lately. Read full review
58
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
Exotic Ninth Gate breaks down into clichés. Read full review
50
NewsweekAndrea C. Basora
As long as Polanski keeps his focus on character and ambiance, the film is an eerie pleasure. But he doesn't, and it degenerates into a second-rate chase movie which takes its supernatural overtones either too seriously or too lightly to be convincing. Read full review
50
San Francisco ExaminerWesley Morris
Right up to its deliberate thud of a closer, Polanski had me. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleBob Graham
Summoning silliness Roman Polanski salutes and spoofs satanic thrillers . Read full review
50
USA TodayMike Clark
The script is so bereft of real surprises that it's best to keep the lid on what few there are. Read full review
42
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
After a cheeky, campy start, The Ninth Gate leaves you with a bitter and dull aftertaste. Read full review
40
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
About as scary as a sock-puppet re-enactment of "The Blair Witch Project," and not nearly as funny. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
This tale may well weave a more compelling spell on the page; onscreen it's simply ponderous. Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyManohla Dargis
Euro-kitsch of the highest order, which doesn't mean it's necessarily bad, just unnecessary. Read full review
40
Dallas ObserverRobert Wilonsky
The whole thing seems to meander aimlessly, rarely creating a chill. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Lacking noticeable energy or drive, its almost visceral distaste for dramatic momentum is puzzling, especially in a film about the black arts. Read full review
40
VarietyLisa Nesselson
This is really a shaggy devil story whose giddy, ironic tone may throw viewers expecting a scary movie. Read full review
38
New York PostJonathan Foreman
A non-thrilling occult thrillersolame and unoriginal that it would be an embarrassment for any director, much less a talent like Roman Polanski. Read full review
38
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
A film that really has no idea what it wants to be, so it tries a little of everything, and does nothing very well. Read full review
34
Mr. ShowbizRichard T. Jameson
The once-talented Mr. Polanski is hard to spot. Read full review
33
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
A film not even a star as foxed and foxy as Johnny Depp himself could save. Read full review
30
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
Never quite becomes unwatchable. Read full review
30
Film.comGemma Files
A nonsensical mishmash. Read full review
30
Austin ChronicleRussell Smith
Most of the actors seem to have been issued one facial expression at the beginning of the film, along with pain-of-death instructions not to change it under any circumstance. Read full review
25
Boston GlobeJay Carr
A supernatural thriller that is neither super, natural, nor thrilling. Read full review
20
Washington PostStephen Hunter
Polanski, generally, has fallen farther than Lucifer, and into a more profoundly depressing hell, the hell of utter banality. Read full review
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