Watch The Ninth Configuration For Free

Wow! Such a good movie.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

The Ninth Configuration — also known as Twinkle, Twinkle, "Killer" Kane — is one of the most mind-warping movies I've seen in a long time. Written and directed by the brilliant William Peter Blatty (and based on his 1978 novel), who you likely know from The Exorcist fame, it vacillates brilliantly between laugh-out-loud comedy and deep existential and religious examination.It takes place in the Pacific Northwest (though was actually shot in Hungary) in a castle-turned-asylum used by the US government for military personnel. Colonel Kane (Stacy Keach) is the new psychiatrist assigned to treat the patients and, ultimately, figure out how many of them are truly mentally ill and how many are faking. Colonel Fell (Ed Flanders) is the doctor who helps him get acclimated, Billy Cutshaw (the incredible Scott Wilson) is the former astronaut who botched a moon launch due to his own nervous breakdown, and Lt. Frankie Reno (Jason Miller) is trying to stage a Shakespearean play cast by dogs. Blatty himself even makes an appearance as Lt. Fromme, who steals the medic's clothes.It's almost too smart even for its own good. After the truly confusing opening scene set to Denny Brooks' "San Antone", we settle in for some genuine madness. You see shots of the castle set in the fog, in the waning daylight or pure darkness, and while it's obvious we aren't in the Pacific Northwest (or in the US at all), it lends an appropriately spooky, crazy setting for what's going on inside.Right away you feel disoriented, to a degree, not knowing for sure who is sane and who is insane. It feels as though everyone there is just free to say and do whatever their mind comes up with, and is that really, truly insane or is it just some kind of freedom most of us never enjoy? You have a feeling — or at least I did — about Colonel Kane as soon as he comes on board, wondering if he's truly mentally fit for the duty he's been handed. He's quiet and patient with the men, but in an eerily detached and almost zombie-like way — as Cutshaw says to him at one point, "you're too human to be human". He decides to indulge the men — to let them take over the castle, in a way — and what was already madness descends into pure comedic chaos.I found myself just scanning the screen, waiting for the next bit of hilarity, soaking in the dialogue… it's quick, witty, and smart in the most cutting way. I feel like you could watch this movie 10 times and notice something new at every viewing. It's amazing, really, that SO MUCH could be packed into a mere two hours. It's worth giving this movie a shot JUST for the scene where Colonel Kane and Cutshaw debate the existence of God. The entire movie is highly centered around religion and the questioning of it, but this scene in particular is just in a league of its own.When the twists arrive, they hit hard, and the story completely shifts gears. We soon find ourselves in a nearby bar with Cutshaw trying to drown his sorrows and the most ridiculous but awesome scene unfolds as Cutshaw is repeatedly prodded and taunted, and it only gets more tense when Kane arrives and they switch their attention to him, specifically Steve Sandor as the most absurd villain ever (just truly spiteful and mean, but then does a pretty impressive split at one point and just… I may have been clapping). You're watching the scene thinking (or saying out loud, as I was), "He's going to freak out on you guys. You DON'T EVEN KNOW the madness you're about to unleash"… and then it's unleashed and it is wild. One of the most intense bar fights I've ever seen. But I think an awesome one because it isn't there solely for guts and glory, or for gore, or for us to see someone get their lights punched out. It's another layer in an already complex relationship between Kane and Cutshaw.And the ending… well, I won't spoil it for you, but I think it summed things up quite nicely.But really, for every bit of laughter this movie provides, it delivers tenfold in deeply relatable and thought-provoking dialogue. It's sharply intelligent, well thought out, and crafted lovingly. The characters are intense and likable despite their obvious struggles. A vastly underrated and under-recognized film, truly!

Considered by writer, producer, and director William Peter Blatty to be the true sequel to his story "The Exorcist", "The Ninth Configuration" has ended up with a cult-movie type reputation, but actually deserves even better. It's equal parts comic and tragic. It's never less than interesting, which is always a good thing. It's emotionally satisfying and ultimately uplifting, while providing a good deal of food for thought. One could look at it as a cult movie for the "thinking person". It's extremely atmospheric - it gets a lot out of its main setting - and an incredible ensemble brings a rich assortment of oddball characters to life.Stacy Keach plays Colonel Kane (the original title of the story, for those who don't know, was "Twinkle, Twinkle, Killer Kane"), the new head shrink in a castle in the Pacific Northwest that has been converted into an insane asylum by the government. The inmates are military men whose insanity may or may not be genuine. One of the latest arrivals is a former astronaut named Billy Cutshaw (Scott Wilson), who aborted his mission to the moon, afraid of what might be out there. He desperately appeals to Colonel Kane to come up with some sort of proof that God exists, but Kane has his own problems, which is apparent right from the outset.Blatty's dialogue is highly quotable and his theme of "the mystery of good" makes this stimulating from beginning to end. The pace is quite sedate, but some viewers might not mind at all. Although it's largely about story and characters, it *can* boast a very intense and rousing barroom confrontation, where Kane and Cutshaw come face to face with bikers played by the likes of Richard Lynch and Steve Sandor. Filmed on location in Hungary and Germany, it looks especially good in Panavision. Barry De Vorzons' music is good but its use is sparing. The men in this story are a colourful bunch, to boot: one fancies himself a superhero, and another is determined to mount productions of Shakespeare with canine casts. (Of course, he's loathe to cast a Great Dane as Hamlet; that would be too obvious.)The cast is just wonderful. Keach offers a remarkably controlled performance; only once does he lose his cool. Wilson, whom the modern audience will know from 'The Walking Dead', is a delight as the despairing astronaut. Buffs will admire the roster of top character actors in supporting parts: other than Lynch and Sandor, there's Jason Miller, Ed Flanders, Neville Brand, George DiCenzo, Moses Gunn, Robert Loggia, Joe Spinell, Alejandro Rey, Tom Atkins, and William Lucking. Blatty himself appears uncredited as Lt. Fromme.This is one film to see and admire, film lovers. It might not be to all tastes, but it does come highly recommended.Nine out of 10.

Two thirds of a terrific film, let down by a final act that gets a little too didactic and simplistic in it's ideas, and too obvious in its twists. At an isolated asylum soldiers are either faking madness to avoid war, or are really crazy, or some of both. There's also an astronaut who's mission had to be scrubbed when he had a last minute breakdown in the capsule, (wonderfully played by the brilliant and sadly underused Scott Wilson). A top military psychiatrist, played by Stacy Keach, is brought in to try to figure out who is who, madman or faker. But very quickly it's clear that Keach's own character, Kane, has more than his own share of demons. The film is an unique and often successful mix of tones, from high comedy (one of the inmates is trying to stage Shakespeare with an all dog cast), to deep philosophical talk, to action, to mystery. And in the end it is a very religious film, most of all. The cast is great from top to bottom, and the cinematography is very strong as well. Some critics see this as an overlooked masterpiece, one of the best films of it's time. Although others are far more tempered, and some downright scornful.But for me the almost sophomorically simplistic nature of its final central themes and arguments damages the wonderful, often loony and bewildering complexity of what has preceded it.Still this is well worth seeing. A film that strives for greatness and comes up a little short will always win my heart before the mass of films that don't strive at all.

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!