The Devil’s Advocate (1997, Dir. Taylor Hackford) ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

"All of it." Graham Adams, 2022, Acrylic on Canvas.

Stop watching film trailers. It needs to be said. You’ll likely find, almost without fail, more enjoyment in watching movies when their plots have not been spoiled for you, in full or in part, by the questionable editing decisions that plague conventional film trailers. If you truly, fully, deeply cannot resist clicking that YouTube link featuring the trailer for the 34th installment in the Fast & Furious series—I can all but promise you Vin Diesel will say “we’re family” at some point in the film, if that’s all you’re curious about—at least ask someone else, ideally someone far less excited about the movie than you, to watch it for you first. Then ask them whether they can tell you anything about the film’s plot—if they say that they can, walk away and avoid watching the trailer. Please.

The amount of information we have about a film before we view it—gathered from trailers, posters, gossip, and even reviews such as this—can drastically affect our viewing experiences. This was thankfully not the case on a recent Sunday morning when I, feeling too lazy to scroll any further on Netflix, opted to watch the 1997 film The Devil’s Advocate directed by Taylor Hackford. I knew absolutely nothing about the film going into it save for my rapidly established assumption that it appeared to be the kind of courtroom drama that might help me fall back asleep. To the contrary, however, by the film’s end I had gone so far as to put down my phone, discarding my normal tendency to consume multiple forms of media simultaneously—anything to prevent a rare moment of sentience—and instead opting to devote my full attention to the film. Using my eyes. Insanity.

It would be hypocritical following my trailer rant if, at this point, I failed to urge you to go watch the film upon reaching the end of this paragraph. The less you know about it the better, but—avoiding spoilers—get ready for a wild and, I should warn you, deeply unsettling journey that far transcends the realm of legal drama; though, the film does retain some good courtroom scenes as well. Prepare for Al Pacino’s characteristic overacting, an emotionally gripping performance by Charlize Theron, and Keanu Reeves’ personal brand of brooding protagonism; a solid score, somewhat impressive cinematography, and shockingly advanced CGI for a film from 1997; and, if you heeded my warning, several unexpected narrative turns that will immediately be spoiled for you if you even look up a poster for the film. Scroll no further, begin the movie.

You probably didn’t watch it, but that’s okay—I’m here to spoil the whole thing for you. The Devil’s Advocate is about a young and extremely successful lawyer from Florida, Kevin Lomax (Keanu Reeves), who, having never lost a case, is recruited by a prestigious law firm in New York City headed by the eccentric John Milton (Al Pacino). As the film progresses, of course, we quickly realize that there is much more at stake in this new environment for Kevin and his wife Mary Ann (Charlize Theron) than we may have initially thought. I began watching the film expecting some morally questionable lawyering, debates, and conflicts regarding contentious cases, and perhaps some back-alley dealings. You might make the assumption, as I did, that the film’s title is a play on the same classic phrase, presupposing that Kevin’s new boss might be the “devil” in a proverbial, metaphorical sense, while Kevin might function as his “advocate” while making legal arguments in criminal defense cases that stand in contrast to what he truly believes. What we are presented with instead, by the film’s end, is the literal devil of Abrahamic monotheism—Milton, played expertly by Pacino—all but sprouting horns as he attempts to convince two of his children, revealed to be Kevin and Christabella (Connie Nielson), to sleep together so that Christabella can eventually give birth to the antichrist. Yikes.

While disturbing is far too light of a word to describe this turn in the film’s narrative, audiences will find themselves unable to look away as they attempt to guess what ridiculous or horrifying plot development will occur next. And yes, I’ll admit that I am likely one of a select few that has viewed this film without knowing that it was a supernatural horror; had I expected possible Armageddon from the movie, I might have turned on The Lincoln Lawyer instead. I thought I was craving some simple, grounded courtroom drama. Yet I stress the value of going into the film completely blind in the beginning of this review because it is this exact brand of ignorance that led to my enthrallment as I watched; I had no idea what the hell was going on, and I loved it. I’ll take the absurdity of Al Pacino bulging his eyes out of his skull and declaring God “an absentee landlord”—just prior to taking a brief rant-break to dance to some Frank Sinatra—over a dry monologue delivered to a jury any day.

We should briefly turn our attention to some technical elements of The Devil’s Advocate. The film’s cinematography is impressive. Like many qualities of the film—such as its narrative, caliber of acting, and (de)evolution into complete insanity—however, it truly evolves beyond its infancy in the final third of the movie, at which point we are shown some beautifully realized shots, featured below, that perfectly capture the mental state of the film’s characters: Milton’s malevolence (first image below), Kevin’s conflicted sense of morality (second image below), and the grandiosity of the plan they are considering (third image below). The score of the film is fitting, though not truly exceptional. Why the film’s creators opted to reserve The Rolling Stones’ “Paint it Black” for the end credits, when it would have had plenty of room to breathe if inserted nondiegetically at any number of points throughout the film, will remain a mystery to me. Other elements of the soundtrack, however, such as recurring and brief violin wails and ominous hissing noises, successfully punctuate important beats in the film and instill a sense of unease and dread in the viewer even prior to their full understanding of the narrative events unfolding before them. The CGI in the film is, at points, laughably terrible, yet is at others, particularly in the movie’s final acts—noticing a trend?—particularly impressive. The CGI applied to the sculpture in Milton’s office, visible near the end of the film, which enables it to become alive with moving, swaying figures after Milton reveals his true identity, is captivating and beautiful; the “invisible” demons that chase Eddie Barzoon (Jeffrey Jones), an employee at the firm that Milton orders the death of, not so much.

Given that this movie is almost 26 years old, it’s further worth a viewing if only to dive into the pre-millennium era of its inception. This unique period is made evident by the set design, wardrobe, and dialogue within the film, to be sure, but is perhaps most evidently displayed by the hairstyles worn by various characters. It’s like everyone was going a little bit crazy at the time, unsure whether we’d be wearing spacesuits or emulating the spice girls in the year 2000. Background actors might be seen sporting curtain hairstyles, crewcuts, or anything in between, and at one point in the narrative Milton even convinces Mary Ann to chop off her perm and opt for something more akin to a pixie cut. Modernity incarnate. The film’s era of production is pivotal to its distinct style, and so we naturally witness a battle between the last vestiges of the '90s and the stirrings of the 2000s throughout it; in Milton’s words, “Millennium's coming, son. Title fight, round 20.”

The true shine of The Devil’s Advocate emanates from the acting it features, though there still exist issues therein. Let’s begin with our protagonist. Admittedly, Reeves’ Portrayal of Kevin Lomax is not perfect. While Reeves has always been loved as an actor and has further become a sort of memetic mascot in various internet communities in recent years given his likable public image, his performance is predictably wooden in many of his films including, you guessed it, The Devil’s Advocate. Put a shaved John Wick, The Matrix’s Neo, and The Devil’s Advocate’s Kevin Lomax in a room together and we would all, I believe, struggle to differentiate their similar auras of brooding male protagonism. Sorry. To his credit, however, Reeves’ portrayal of Kevin is somewhat charming, and he displays the moral struggles experienced by the character fairly well in a manner that enables us to establish some small degree of sympathy for Kevin despite his descent into immorality throughout the film. Moreover, Reeves’ particular brand of blandness guarantees that he never steps on the toes of the film's other featured actors.

Charlize Theron shines in her heartbreaking role as Mary Ann Lomax, her stellar performance going so far as to bleed some much needed life into Reeves' later acting. Aside from Kevin’s mother Alice Lomax (Judith Ivey), Mary Ann is perhaps the only character in the film that we can and should sympathize with. Mary Ann’s story is best compared to that of Rosemary’s from Rosemary’s Baby, complete with a massive apartment that the character eventually considers more akin to a prison and the incessant, infuriating, and tragic gaslighting they are forced to suffer from those around them such as their neighbors. And the presence of the devil, obviously.

Despite the similarities between these two stories, Theron’s performance is incredible, captivating, and rivals even that of Mia Farrow’s in Rosemary’s Baby; she carries every scene she is in, and the tragedy and horror of Mary Ann’s experiences throughout the film are expressed powerfully by Theron. Mary Ann is one of the smartest characters in the movie, realizing far before Kevin that they have entered a hostile environment upon moving to New York City and quickly noting the dangerous and supernatural qualities of the members of their newfound social circle. Yet Kevin, in his hubris and sexism, simply assumes that Mary Ann is suffering from a nervous breakdown and discredits her; the pain this causes Mary Ann is expertly presented by Theron. She outshines Reeves in every respect.

Finally, the film would lack its heart were Reeves not able to function as the blank canvas upon which the spit from Pacino’s screaming and scenery-chewing paints such a horrifying and entertaining picture. If you find that analogy gross, fair—but I don’t recommend watching the film if that’s your limit. Pacino is, of course, not the first to assume the role of the devil on film. Indeed, dozens of stars have thrown their hat in that fiery ring over the years; Tom Ellis’ charming portrayal of an emotionally stunted yet shockingly and abnormally moral devil in Lucifer, as a recent example, or Viggo Mortensen’s distinct portrayal of Satan in The Prophecy. Even Pacino’s co-star in Heat, Robert De Niro, donned the role in Angel Heart (1987). Each actor that has attempted this role plays it in a, at the very least, semi-distinct way; but no one does it quite like Pacino. John Milton oozes charm at points, disturbingly so, and malevolence in other moments. Pacino’s character’s charisma is to charm what a tiramisu that has been deep fried, re-frosted, sprinkled with Oreos, and served on a bed of candy is to cake: disgusting and overwhelming, immediately unsettling upon first sight—yet undeniably striking if only for its grotesqueness. Milton is further erratic and capable of alternating between rants of insanity that will alienate even the most morally troubled of audiences, and surprisingly cogent, though nonetheless alarming, condemnations of religion and ethics that border on theses of religious and moral philosophy. We are thus likely to become somewhat captivated by Milton throughout the film, despite recognizing and being shown that he is purely and unadulteratedly evil, and establish a tentative but nonetheless existent curiosity about what he has to say. Does Pacino overact in his usual fashion throughout this film? Yes, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Pacino’s special brand of over-the-top acting melds perfectly with the insane, cunning, and intensely dramatic interpretation of the devil that the film seeks to present; the scene below illustrates this best. It's hard to imagine another actor nailing the shift from subtle persuasion to calculated, though just barely controlled, rage that Pacino presents halfway through this scene—they had to fade out the music and introduce wider, longer shots just to accomodate his presence.

You’ll note that I’ve given this film four stars, and understand, I hope, that this rating is somewhat conditional. If you’ve yet to see the film and have read this far, take half a star off; I doubt you’ll find your viewing experience as compelling as it might have been given that you now know what to expect from its narrative turns. Further, if you don’t like Al Pacino’s acting, remove another star—or just skip the movie altogether, as Pacino’s performance is, without question, the strongest component of the film. Barring those two exceptions, however, The Devil’s Advocate remains an excellent supernatural drama that, for all the reasons I have discussed throughout this review, warrants a watch.