The Ninth Configuration (1980)

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Highly Overrated But Still Good

A Masterpiece!

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

An isolated castle in the Pacific northwest serves as the last secret experimental insane asylum for the US military. Billy Cutshaw (Scott Wilson) broke down after getting dragged out of a moon-bound rocket after an aborted launch. Psychiatrist Colonel Kane (Stacy Keach) is the new commanding officer. Colonel Richard Fell (Ed Flanders) is the world-weary medic. Kane indulges the patients in their delusions.This is not quite at the level of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Stacy Keach is deliberately stiff which dampens the humor. He's almost robotic. There are some wacky characters in weird craziness but it's mostly dark seriousness. It's a real oddity and an original creation. While the rest of Hollywood zigs, this one zags.

I was born in 1984 and never got to see this until this year, never heard of it nor did pass by as a faint declaration through media or people I know. One person I know has a track record of films he saw like you couldn't believe and he did not know what this was and he was born in the late 50's. Either way, I finally saw the trailer for it a year ago, it seemed dark and I thinking wtf is this dumbfounded, perplexed and confused thinking this some some obscure s**t.I decided to skip it and watched some other ones and sort of forgot about it, I remembered the trailer yet not the title. When I came across it again I decided it was time to give this a look.One of the greatest comedies ever created, especially not expecting comedy. there were people sleeping at the house and I was watching it late and I couldn't hold in the laughter. This story has a lot of elements going on at the same time which make both the serious aspects and the comedy equally enjoyable. it was very well made by William Peter Blatty(writer, director, producer) and actors performances were well done. I have no cons for the film and am disappointed that I didn't get to see this sooner.

After all these years I still enjoy watching this movie. Some movies are timeless and this is one of them. In the intro, the stage is set. And the players defined. You don't need to know your history to watch the movie. I am sure this can be translated to modern times, replacing the Vietnam war with any of the several going on in 2011. A sensational cast of actors were assembled for this movie. They all were astounding. They movie is not action, comedy, thriller, but yet it is all of them. Mostly it is an exploration of faith. It explores the loss of one mans faith and another mans attempt to restore. Though the man attempting to restore it, has become arguably unstable himself. The intrigue of the characters and their development is key in the movie. Because the twists in the plot reveal the final end play. I love movies with twists that work. Those are rare. 9th does not let down. Promises are kept!

Written and directed by Wialliam Peter Blatty, the man who wrote The Exorcist, this is at first glance a story about a military mental hospital for war veterans suffering from stress. I say on the surface, because this is in fact something else altogether. The true nature of the movie only comes out very slowly, although you get hints early on, in the eerie symbolism inside the hospital. Stacey Keach stars in what is, I believe, his best ever performance as Colonel "Killer" Kane, a military psychiatrist sent to sort out the motley collection of oddballs in the hospital - and in particular, one very unbalanced former astronaut. To say any more would be to spoil the wonderful surprises in store. But the incredible barroom scene will no doubt stick long in the memory of anyone who watches it. A classic that deserves far more merit.