Movie of the Week: Devil's Advocate

Alexa: I watched “Devil’s Advocate” days ago and I’ve been struggling over what to write about it because I’m so conflicted on it. While watching it, my reaction was mostly negative. The imagery is so heavy-handed that it teeters toward melodrama, and the story arc so predictable that the surprises are few and far between. And yet, there is something thought provoking enough about it that I found the film stayed with me much longer than I anticipated. Though overt, the moral quandaries it presents almost beg to be explored in think pieces. Much of the movie’s message about temptation and vanity is pretty surface-level, but it invites viewers to take a deeper analytical dive beyond what’s explicitly happening on screen. And I 100 percent agree with Jason that the film belongs to Al Pacino and Charlize Theron. Keanu Reeves, bless him, is a charming guy, even with his uneven southern accent. But Pacino is a dynamic villain and Theron a superb tragic heroine. “Devil’s Advocate” makes expert use of their talents. Though the movie is certainly uneven, whether you like it or not, it will make you feel something. You will undoubtedly have an opinion, which, in my view, makes it worth a watch.

Chris: Honestly, I don’t know if I would classify Devil’s Advocate a good or bad movie. There’s so many things that I could point out that weren’t good about it but at the same time, I feel like I still enjoyed the movie. I can’t really fault them for the cgi not holding up because it was the 90s, they used what they had at the time. The story is so melodramatic that it teeters on being almost a parody of itself. And yes, Charlize Theron is an acting bright spot for Devil’s Advocate but there’s so much over-acting going on across the entire cast that you almost miss her good moments because your eyes are too busy rolling. I’ll give Al Pacino a pass because over-acting is kind of his calling card. Maybe I’m a jaded audience member or perhaps Devil’s Advocate was such an original movie at it’s time that movies that came after it use it as a template to the point where in 2018, Devil’s Advocate feels stereotypical. I will say that the big argument between Keanu and Pacino was a highlight for me in Devil’s Advocate, it really allowed Al to stretch his legs and show off his ability. Oh yeah, Keanu was there too.

Jason: Well that escalated quickly. To be quite honest, I was not looking forward to sitting through another two and a half hour Al Pacino movie. He’s a great actor but his mobster movies all feel the same to me. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by this one. This is a film where Pacino got to let loose a bit and NOT be Michael Corleone. And that’s a good thing.

The supernatural elements are understated near the beginning of the film but I fear that the ultimate plot is telegraphed by about the halfway mark. All of the stacking reveals at the end we’re all pretty obvious, except for maybe the whole sister thing. That doesn’t mean that these elements weren’t entertaining. We all know lawyers are evil (Hi, John *wink*) and it’s good to see that it’s all the Devil’s fault. Keanu did a decent job with his part but the real stars here are Pacino and Charlize Theron. As I said before, Pacino was not his usual character and that led to a great performance. Also, who makes a better Satan? He’s just got the look. Mary Ann’s descent into madness felt genuine. She really knocked it out of the park.

This one really came out of nowhere. I thought I was going into one thing but was surprised with a crazy, supernatural, courtroom mystery/attempted apocalypse story. Good job on this one.