Imagine if a person discovers that the devil is his biological father, what do you think his reaction would be? This was Keanu Reeves' dilemma in The Devil's Advocate, an American supernatural horror film released in the Halloween season of 1997.
The trio star cast of Al Pacino, Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron are the major attraction to this captivating but creepy film which runs for two hours and twenty minutes. It is an adaptation of a 1990 novel of same name written by Andrew Neiderman, a best selling American novelist.
What's more, experience counts a lot when it's filmmaking so you can be certain Taylor Hackford, the director and former president of the Directors Guild Of America, did an excellent job. The screenplay was written by Jonathan Lemkin and Tony Gilroy.
Though this film received mixed reviews after its release, it garnered positive and high ratings to finish second in the US box office grossing over $153 million and also won the Saturn Award for Best Horror film.
Plot
In this horror film that swayed more towards the supernatural side, Keanu Reeves starred as a struggling, hotshot attorney in the state of Florida. His impressive record of wins in trial courts drew the attention of a powerful law firm in the busy city of New York. He was invited over to take up a job as one of their attorneys.
Charlize Theron who starred as Reeves' wife was in support and they both moved to New York. Everyone in the law firm including Al Pacino was 'too nice' to this young couple. As they settled into their daily lives in New York, things began to change around them. Charlize began to experience strange hallucinations and supernatural phenomena and Reeves was powerless to help her.
As the film unfolds into startling and thrilling puzzles, Reeves discovers that Al Pacino is the senior partner of this powerful law firm and there was more to him than meets the natural eye. Did Reeves and his wife survive in New York? Now, this is a question you can answer after watching this film.
Review
The first thing I liked about this film is that it focused not only on the supernatural vis-a-vis the natural world, it also explored the concepts of morality, faith, vanity and greed. That is, the price a person would be willing to pay to climb higher on the ladder of success and move with the 'big guns' in a society.
There's usually this belief that highly successful lawyers sell their souls to the devil to rise in status. Well, I do not know how true that is but it's reflected in this film. The legal drama scenes were not bad.
When it comes to the acting, I'll say Al Pacino did an outstanding job of playing the devil in this film. In fact, most reviews credited him for his performance. It's obvious he enjoyed the role from the words he spoke, his demeanor and gestures. He captured the attention of viewers with his entertaining dialogues and almost steals the show from the other actors.
Charlize and Keanu Reeves held their own in this film. The day I watched this film was when I was introduced to Charlize Theron as a budding star actress and I liked that she was paired with Keanu Reeves as his wife in the film. The two were a great match and the chemistry between them was sizzling.
As for Keanu Reeves, his acting was average. It seemed like he did not fit the bill of a top-notch, brilliant attorney from his speech and mannerism. I feel the producers and director could have casted some other actor who would really portray that 'smart' look and posture for which most lawyers are known for.
Overall, this film is thrilling and worth watching again and again. Though it's not so horrific, most scenes gave the creepy vibe and atmosphere. There was the use of profanity and some nude scenes but it's not bad. I'll give this film a B+ rating.
This is my entry to the CineTV Contest: The Best Of Horror | CHALLENGE #02 hosted by @wiseagent. You are invited to participate.
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Thanks for your participation in the contest, @kemmyb.
An excellent movie with drama and disturbing scenes, very good review. Beyond the good or bad of the film is a criticism of the morality of the 90s. Al Pacino as always unbeatable.
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I don’t think Al Pacino’s character ever admits to being the devil in the movie. He is, however, certainly a devil’s advocate.
It has a certain effect to see Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves so young, especially the former. Not to mention Charlize Theron.
The plot leads to a certain literary symmetry with Dante Alighieri's Inferno and Goethe's Faust.
A very fine, very literary horror with superb actors.
Excellent review, best regards @kemmyb.