Good concept, poorly executed.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Interesting film written and directed by William Peter Blatty, the author of "The Exorcist." Stacey Keach plays the new commanding officer in charge of a castle that serves as a military insane asylum. The film is a bit uneven in tone, at times surreal, at other moments comedic, and deadly serious at others. I suppose that is the nature of insanity, which is a focus of the film, but it did make the film less a cohesive whole. Part "Catch 22," part "Slaughterhouse Five," part "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," and with heavy religious overtones, it's a well crafted film that's filled with striking imagery and strong performances, particularly Keach and Scott Wilson (now better known now as Hershel on "The Walking Dead"). Wilson and Keach share one of the film's strongest sequences in a bar where Keach prostrates himself in order to save Wilson from a beating by a biker gang (one of whom is the menacing Richard Lynch). The strong cast also includes Jason Miller, Neville Brand, Moses Gunn, Robert Loggia, Joe Spinell, and Tom Atkins. Overall, this film is a mixed bag, but there are enough strong points to the film to make it well worth watching and likely revisiting.

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.

"The Ninth Configuration" is a movie I've heard about over the years. Mostly, I've heard of it in the context of William Peter Blatty's other, far more well-known work. In interviews and on internet trivia pages, Blatty has said that "The Ninth Configuration" is the "real" sequel to the "The Exorcist," supplanting the widely reviled "Exorcist II: The Heretic" as the middle chapter of the trilogy. The only narrative connection between the two films is vague. The astronaut at the center of this film is Billy Cutshaw. He is the same astronaut present at Chris McNeil's party in "The Exorcist." Otherwise, the movies are unrelated. "The Ninth Configuration" isn't even a horror film. Instead, it's half absurdest comedy, half existential thriller.A castle in the Pacific Northwest has been transformed into a mental hospital for Vietnam veterans that may or may not be faking psychological illnesses. Among them is Billy Cutshaw, an astronaut who had a mental breakdown right before boarding his space shuttle. A new doctor, Vincent Kane, is brought in to study Cutshaw's condition. There's very little plot in the first half of the movie, as Kane and Cutshaw argue about the existence of God and the nature of humanity while the other inmates act erratically. In the second half, Kane's own disturbing history is revealed, the truth is revealed, and the situation soon explodes into violence.Blatty adapted this film from his own novel, originally published under the title "Twinkle Twinkle, "Killer" Kane!" Blatty has described the source material as "a comic novel." Thus, "The Ninth Configuration" was at least partially intended as a comedy. Many absurd things happen over the film's run time. Much of the dialogue is intentionally comedic. One of the inmates, played by Jason Miller, is putting on a production of "Hamlet" cast entirely with dogs. This leads to many scenes of the inmates interacting with the weirdly humanized dogs. Later, the patients dress up as Nazis and prisoners of war, reenacting "The Great Escape." One of the inmates is obsessed with Superman and is usually dressed up as the character. The most baffling comic moment comes when a guy randomly flies by on a jet pack. Despite these elements, "The Ninth Configuration" is never actually funny. There's a strong vein of foreboding darkness flowing underneath the entire production, one that makes it hard to laugh at anything that happens. The film is ultimately too off-putting to be humorous.Instead, the film is much more effective as a thriller, if no less strange. Kane has a reoccurring dream, one he shares with Cutshaw, of an astronaut finding a crucified Christ on the moon. That sequence is effectively eerie. When the truth of Kane's condition is revealed, the ramshackle absurdity of the first half snap into place, the film smoothing itself out. This leads into another disturbing flashback to Kane's day in Vietnam. A long portion of the film is devoted to something that happens in the last third. Cutshaw leaves the hospital and travels to a bar. There, a cartoonish motorcycle gang begins to antagonize Cutshaw. Kane is sent to break up the fight. Instead, the bikers torture Kane as well. Eventually, he snaps, brutally executing each of the bikers. This sequence is extremely well shot, the audience feeling each bone-breaking blow. The scene pays off on the slowly building tension felt throughout the whole film.Aside from Cutshaw, what also connects "The Ninth Configuration" to "The Exorcist" is that both films deal with faith, the loss of it, and the existence of good and evil. (Both also prominently feature a St. Christopher medal.) Cutshaw is an atheist. Kane, meanwhile, finds it far more likely that God exists and created the universe. Furthermore, Kane considers the ability of humans to selflessly sacrifice themselves proof of the good nature of man. Cutshaw demands examples of such behavior. While attending church, Cutshaw begins screaming at the attending priest. The two spend many scenes discussing these issue, neither side presented as wrong or right. Over the course of the story, Cutshaw is given his evidence of selfless sacrifice and his crisis of faith is resolved. The film effectively addresses these ideas in a natural, relaxed way, building towards a major statement.Helping the film along is its able bodied cast. Stacy Keach as Kane begins the film rather dryly. However, as the story goes on, we realize his restrained personality is hiding a rage and an inner darkness. Scott Wilson matches him as Cutshaw, at first appearing totally deranged but slowly developing a deeper characterization. Jason Miller's part is very memorable even if he doesn't' contribute much to the story. Ed Flanders' gets maybe the juiciest moments of acting, especially when the truth about his relationship with Kane is revealed. The same could be said of Neville Brand, Robert Loggia, Tom Atkins, and Joe Spinall, all familiar character actors that are always welcomed.I didn't entirely like "The Ninth Configuration" though it develops in a satisfying direction. It's a tonally uneven film and frequently very odd and off-putting. However, you can't say Blatty wasn't getting at something. It doesn't really compare to his two "Exorcist" movies. The three make for a very strange triple feature, which I wouldn't recommend. It's one of those movies I admire more then I like, if only because it's so genuinely odd.

If you just love sit-com's , especially the ones that like to make sure you know where the jokes are, via canned laughter (I've always thought that if you have to tell me where the joke is, then it's not very funny in the first place) but I digress... back to the point, sitcoms, don't you just love em? If you answered yes,, maybe Ninth Config may not be for you.. If you've evolved slightly beyond the trees, and you can at least work up a chuckle at some of Monty Python,, then watch this movie. It's brilliant.. Funny, serious, metaphorical, theological, bar-fighting, rich philosophical questions, and Shakespeare re-written for dogs, what more can you ask for?