The Ninth Gate (1999)

Johnny Depp is a rare books dealer who finds himself embroiled in a conspiracy involving a book that was allegedly written in collaboration with the devil. I enjoy a good story with old books and this one has a decent mystery regarding the provenance of copies of the specific book. Unfortunately it quickly verges on the silly as soon as it beings to involve satanic cults. Satan worship is a tough theme to present without getting absurd and this one doesn’t manage, particularly with its cheesy special effects. Frank Langella does his best to try to sell the occult theme as the collector who initially hires Depp to investigate his copy. It’s also ridiculous how Depp roughly handles the supposedly rare books with complete disregard.