The Ninth Gate is a 1999 neo-noir mystery horror thriller film directed, produced, and co-written by Roman Polanski. An international co-production between the United States, Portugal, France, and Spain, it is loosely based on the 1993 novel The Club Dumas by Arturo Pérez-Reverte. The film stars Johnny Depp as Dean Corso, a rare book dealer who is hired to authenticate a controversial book said to summon the Devil.
In the film, Dean Corso is a New York City rare book dealer hired by wealthy collector Boris Balkan to authenticate his recently acquired copy of The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows (De Umbrarum Regni Novem Portis), a book written in 1666 by Aristide Torchia. According to legend, Torchia supposedly based the book on texts co-written with the Devil himself. All copies of the book were burned after Torchia was convicted of heresy and executed, leaving only three surviving copies. Balkan believes that only one of these three is genuine and tasks Corso with inspecting the other two copies to determine their authenticity.
Corso's investigation takes him to Toledo, Spain, and Paris. Along the way, he encounters a mysterious woman known as "The Girl," who seems to follow and protect him. He interviews Liana Telfer, the widow of Andrew Telfer, who sold the book to Balkan but was later murdered. Corso also discovers a bookseller murdered and posed like an engraving from The Nine Gates. He learns that only six of the book's nine engravings are signed "AT" (for Aristide Torchia), while the other three are signed "LCF" (presumed to stand for Lucifer).
As Corso investigates the other two copies of the book, he finds that each contains different "LCF" engravings. He deduces that each copy has three "LCF" engravings, and that a complete set of nine "LCF" engravings would be required to perform the ritual described in the book. The plot thickens when Balkan interrupts a Satanic cult ritual led by Liana Telfer, kills her, and reclaims his copy of the book. Corso pursues Balkan to a remote castle where Balkan intends to use the nine "LCF" engravings to summon the Devil. However, Balkan's ritual seems to fail dramatically as he is engulfed in flames. Corso retrieves the engravings, shoots Balkan, and escapes from the burning castle. The Girl later explains that Balkan's ritual failed because he used a forged ninth engraving. In the end, Corso obtains the authentic ninth engraving and returns to the castle.
The Ninth Gate grossed $58.4 million worldwide against a budget of $38 million and received mixed reviews from critics and audiences alike.