THE ONLY THING MORE TERRIFYING THAN SEARCHING FOR THE DEVIL… IS FINDING HIM.
Rare-book detective Dean Corso (Johnny Depp) is hired by Boris Balkan (Frank Langella) to find two copies of a famous book he owns, an occult text allegedly written by the Devil; however, the search becomes dangerous. Director Roman Polanski returns to one of his most successful genres, the devil-themed thriller, but even though it is easy to get drawn into the plot (which has intriguing ideas) the filmmakers never make the most out of it. Emmanuelle Seigner is thoroughly wooden in a part that’s key to the story, but the music score and the performances by Depp and Langella are bonuses.
1999-France-Spain-U.S. 133 min. Color. Widescreen. Produced and directed byĀ Roman Polanski. Novel: Arturo Perez-Reverte (“El Club Dumas”). Music: Wojciech Kilar. Cast: Johnny Depp (Dean Corso), Frank Langella (Boris Balkan), Lena Olin (Liana Telfer), Emmanuelle Seigner, Barbara Jefford, Jack Taylor.