This supernatural tale of intrigue set amongst the shady world of arcane book dealing is highly promising for the first two thirds or so and really has you puzzling over identities and motives. Unfortunately it seriously loses it's way at the end and leaves you with a frustrated sense of disappointment that you were cheated out of seeing a really good movie.
The dependably spooky Johnny Depp is the book expert hired to investigate the rumour that of the three remaining copies of the much sought after 'The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows', only one is genuine and reputed to have been scribbled down by Lucifer himself. Several groups want this book and soon Depp is surrounded by shady millionaires who would stop at nothing to complete their collection or perhaps have more sinister designs for the book.
For the most part Roman Polanski's globe trotting jaunt is great. It has a pleasantly old school feel to it, mixed with cosmopolitan European stylings. It's not as serious as you might think and has many wickedly amusing moments, along with a frequently mischievous score. It's great fun following the various scrapes and characters encountered, with a delighfully convoluted plot. Unfortunately the ending is awful, despite being adopted from a novel I'm sure it would have been a good idea to rework it into something entirely more satisfying. What a waste. |
