The Nines (DVD)

Since I started writing for Rope of Silicon last October, I've seen a lot of frustrating movies. None, however, have been quite as frustrating as The Nines, a mostly fascinating, ultimately idiotic metaphysical house of horrors that almost reaches brilliance, but falls flat on its ass instead.

The Nines is made up of three stories focusing on an actor, a writer and a video game designer, all played by Ryan Reynolds. The three parts feature the same group of actors in different roles, and, of course, everything is "connected". The concept works surprisingly well for the first two thirds of the movie, but just as part two ends, it all falls apart, and The Nines instantly changes from fascinating mood piece to utter mess. As we start to realize just what's going on, the movie completely derails. Director John August seems to feel the need to wrap things up as tidily as he can, and for this type of movie over-explanation is the kiss of death.

He does such an amazing job drawing us into his dark, elaborate world that getting an absolute concrete answer is just about the worst thing we as an audience can experience. The answers that we begin to formulate in our minds are much more intriguing than anything August can offer us, so much so that the final reveals could never possibly live up to our expectations. His talent as a writer/director actually harms in this respect, as if he wouldn't have done such an excellent job with the majority of the movie. By giving the audience a great environment and an ample amount of time to foster its imagination and then haphazardly cutting it off just as it seems to be reaching new heights, August has managed to turn a fascinating mind-bender into an utter disappointment.

For a movie that was seemingly buried by its studio, The Nines comes fairly loaded with special features. The commentary with August and Reynolds is surprisingly listenable, and while it may not change your opinion of the film, it is certainly worth your time. They are two clearly intelligent men who are passionate about the material, and it is very easy to respect their opinions. Despite my problems with the film, the commentary did not make me regret watching it a second time. the rest of the features, however, are not as worthwhile. The deleted scenes add nothing, and the rest of the featurettes are a waste. God, an old short by August is surprisingly entertaining, and is actually relevant to the film. There's more than enough here to satisfy fans (if there are any).

As much as I have come to dislike The Nines, it is a movie I would still cautiously recommend. It is quite admirable of August and Reynolds, who are both already established in the industry to take a risk like this, and it makes one wish this kind of movie would get made more often. The first two segments do happen to be very good shorts on their merits, and I'm sure it has the potential to find a very rabid fan base. Be warned though, The Nines may be fascinating, but to most it will still be a failure.