Dean Corso
Background
Dean Corso is a rare book finder in New York City. He smokes Lucky Strike cigarettes. Dean lives in apartment 127.
During the events of The Ninth Gate (1999) played by Johnny Depp
Dean goes to the home of Old Man to value his library. He tells Old Man's Son and his Daughter-In-Law the collection of books is worth $600,000 and then offers to buy Old Man's four volume Ibarra edition of Don Quixote for $4000 to $4200. He then leaves and brags to Witkin about his purchase. He is hired by Boris Balkan to authenticate his recently purchased copy of The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows by the author Aristide Torchia. Dean takes the book and then leaves. He goes to speak with Liana Telfer whose husband Andrew Telfer had owned the copy of the book before selling it to Balkan. She is surprised to find out the book was sold and as Dean is leaving her home, he sees Liana's Bodyguard staring at him. He goes to the library to look up information on the book and sees The Girl, who he had seen earlier. He returns home and finds the door to his apartment open and his items thrown on the ground. Dean then goes to his friend Bernie's book store and asks him to hide the book for him. He returns home to pack and hears his doorbell ring. He answers the door and Liana comes inside. She makes him an offer to purchase the book and then they have sex. Afterwards she asks where the book is and when he acts like he doesn't know what she is talking about she attacks him. He goes to Bernie's to pick up The Nine Gates and finds Bernie dead. He takes a flight to Spain and goes to the shop of Pablo and Pedro Ceniza. They tell him the book is genuine and then give him a clue that the engravings are signed by two different people, some by Torchia and some by LCF or Lucifer. Dean then travels to Portugal and meets with Victor Fargas, who allows him to study his copy of The Nine Gates. He notices that the engravings that are signed by Lucifer differ between the copies. As he is leaving Fargas' home, he is almost hit by a car being driven by Liana's Bodyguard who then walks towards him until he sees The Girl and then he drives off. Dean returns to his hotel room where he sees The Girl sitting in the lobby. He is speaking to her when the Hotel Porter tells him he has a phone call. Dean answers the phone and gives Balkan an update of what he has found out. In the early morning he is woken up by The Girl who tells him he needs to return to Fargas' mansion. They use her motorcycle and find Fargas dead and his copy of The Nine Gates burning in the fire place. They fly into Paris and Dean books a room with Gruber. Dean goes to the building housing the office of Baroness Kessler. He gets direction from the Concierge and tells her Secretary that he has an appointment. He speaks with Baroness Kessler who kicks him out her office when she figures out he is working for Balkan. As Dean is leaving the building he is followed and then confronted by Liana's Bodyguard again until he is saved by The Girl. He returns to the hotel and receives a call from Balkan who tells him to try speaking with the Baroness again. Dean then asks the Desk Clerk to use the copier and makes copies of the engravings from Balkan's copy before hiding it. The next day he returns to the Baroness' office and shows her the differences between the engravings of the different copies and she allows him to study her copy. As he does he is knocked unconscious and wakes up to find the Baroness dead and her library in flames. He returns to his room to find Balkan's copy of The Nine Gates stolen. Gruber tells him Liana is staying nearby and Dean leaves a message with Balkan telling him Liana stole the copy of his book. Dean and The Girl follow Liana and her Bodyguard to her chateau after getting directions from a Baker. They break in and attempt to steal the book back, but are walked by gunpoint into the basement. Dean trips Liana's Bodyguard and beats him to death with his shoe. He and The Girl then watch as Balkan chokes Liana to death in front of a group of rich people and then takes back his book. Dean tries to follow Balkan but gets his vehicle stuck in a creek. He goes to a cafe and gets directions from the Cafe Owners to a castle he recognized in a post card from Balkan to the Baroness. Dean confronts Balkan at the castle, and Balkan knocks Dean into a crack in the wooden floor and conducts the ritual of The Ninth Gate. Balkan fails and starts to burn alive until Dean shoots him and takes the engravings back. The Girl appears and they have sex and she gives him a clue to visit the Ceniza brothers once more after telling him Balkan's ritual failed because one of the engravings was a forgery. He goes to their shop to find no one there except for 1st & 2nd Workmen, who as they are working cause the real engraving to slowly fall to the floor. Dean takes the engraving and goes back to the castle.
