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The Devil's Advocate

The Devil's Advocate

List Price: $14.97
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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: excelent in every point
Review: This is an intelligent film, with a great story, great actors, great special effects. This is a film that you can talk about to others; it's really psychologique; it makes you think!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Devil's Advocate wins the Cause!
Review: It is only natural that people tend to see this movie with a stupid attempt to laugh at it, or even to see it as only just another God Vs. Devil thing. However, the movie goes much more beyond those things, and further more, people tend to be frightened by it, for the movie touches more deeper feelings than we would expect. It isn't about a poor soul that blows his head off to save mankind: is just about all the things we are presented with in our lives, and the way we react to them. It is only natural that everyone (including the movie critics, poor fellas...) go on in endless discussions about the actors, and so forth, just to get away from the real picture, the psychology which is present. Again, ideas like these are what we need (as in Event Horizon, a movie considered to be junk), and those who view them, should have the guts to read between the lines, and not just run away from them. Simply Great! END

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Guilty Pleasure
Review: The story a lawyer who works for the devil, not as dumb as it sounds, in fact a surprisingly great movie. Both Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino in great roles.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Will You Play The Expression?
Review: Kevin Lomax (Keanu Reeves) is a success in the courtroom and out of it. He's a young Florida defense attorney who has never lost a case. No matter how repugnant the crime, no matter how guilty the defendant, Kevin Lomax has the power to mesmerize the jury into accepting his arguments, buying into his logic, being convinced by his charisma; and freeing his clients. Soon after he has successfully won the case, where he defended an obviously guilty child molester, Lomax is invited to New York, where a powerful law firm has become aware of the Florida hotshot's acquittal record. Here he meets John Milton (Al Pacino), the founder and head of "Milton, Chadewick, Waters", a mysterious and powerful law firm with contacts and clients all over the world. It is this charismatic and charming man that opens the door to a completely different world; a world of luxury and pleasure, wealth and power; a world of endless possibilities. This is heaven on earth. But as Lomax tastes the power of being a wealthy New York attorney, something in him changes. Winning is no longer just a goal; it becomes an obsession. Soon he starts to realize that things are not what they seem to be; and all the things he once had and cared about -a happy marriage with Mary Ann (Charlize Theron), his relationship with his mother, all his happiness - everything disappear amidst the sparkling illusion of paradise. He suddenly realizes that Heaven and Hell can co-exist at the same place and at the same time.

I do not intend to reveal anything else, since all of the interesting surprises will be presented in the intense and inspiring climax. This is probably Reeves' best performance. He manages to create a believable character - a kind of example, a role model for the American way of life. Kevin's wife, Mary Ann, is most likely the hardest character to play, since she goes through a complex and difficult emotional evolution. From being strong, devoted and ambitious (a female copy of her husband) to vulnerable, hurt and on the verge of madness. Charlize Theron gracefully floats into this character. The most interesting of performances and characters is John Milton - the essence of Kevin Lomax's temptation. Al Pacino is nothing less than astonishing, an award worthy performance that is as good as anything seen this year.

An inspiring thriller, visually stunning as well as thought provoking, 'The Devil's Advocate' should be viewed with an open mind.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: It makes your stomach churn in two different ways.
Review: "The Devil's Advocate" is one of those movies that you can't stop thinking about after it's finished. Scenes keep replaying through your head. It's a movie that makes you think, despite it's strange, fantasy-like plot-line. Al Pacino, without a doubt, delivers one of the best and most potent performances of his career. Keanu Reeves isn't up to his usual standard of acting, but he plays wooden characters very well. Once again, in "The Devil's Advocate", Keanu is wooden. That's alright though, it really doesn't take anything away from the story line. It doesn't matter who the director intended to be the movies main character; Pacino steals the show, but don't get me wrong. He has his competition.

Charlize Theron delivers a performance the caliber of which I didn't think she was capable. She portrays the stages of madness through which her character stumbles through very accurately, cryptically, and passionately. Her character (Keanu Reeves' wife) is slowly isolated and cut off from her husband through the doing Pacino, who uses the seven deadly sins to manipulate Keanu and keep him as far away from his wife as possible while at the same time manipulating her with a various assortment of devilish tricks.

The dialogue in this movie is incredible. The conversations in this movie alone are worth watching. Pacino generally has the most thought-provoking lines in the film, though Keanu's mother and Theron have their moments. I can't think of a single flaw in the character chemistry and interactions within this movie. It's perfect. Half the movie you feel your stomach writhing and twisting as you find yourself thinking and re-evaluating issues and aspects of your life you'd either forgotten about or taken for granted. These aren't the only time in which you'll feel your stomach doing helixes in your bowels, however.

For the other half of the movie, your insides will squirm with discomfort. This movie is one of the most R rated movies I've ever seen. Chalked full with graphic images including nudity, horror, blood/guts, violence and dialogue that includes some seriously disturbing topics, this movie becomes increasingly difficult to sit through as you go on. The director makes it very clear he's not sparing the viewer for anything. The camera rarely ever cuts or zooms in during the appropriate moments. Instead, he captures everything in startling detail. For instance, a suicide scene in which a character slits their throat is very, very graphic and terrifyingly realistic. Another scene of sequence of violence goes back and forth between Pacino talking about humans greed and a character in the movie being beaten to death by two demons (supposedly sent by Al Pacino). Other examples of disturbing images would be a series of scenes that feature Charlize Theron, one in which you see her completely nude with large gashes and slashes across her body, and another scene which could easily be classified as horror and is too difficult to really describe. It suffices to say that it involves Charlize Theron and a baby child within a conjured halucination of Pacino's; yet another way of driving Theron's character mad.

When these two elements combine, it makes for a compelling and thought provoking film pot-holed with graphic imagery and disturbing themes. Even the climax of the movie includes an impressive amount of nudity, sexual content and violence. Despite all of this though, "The Devil's Advocate" is a very worth-while and ultimately poweful film, if not completely comfortable to watch all the way through. I don't recommend this movie for family viewing or young children. It's a movie that you need to mentally prepare for, and perhaps have an "antidote" movie lined up, perhaps a good-hearted comedy. There is one more good thing I can say for this movie; it has a satisfying ending. It's a film where the ending could make or break the entire feel of the movie. If you're going to sit through a movie that feels twice as long as it is with the constant assaults on your senses and comfort with controversy, adult themes and disturbing images, you're holding out for a good ending. Well, without a doubt, "The Devil's Advocate" delivers. In short, this movie is worth seeing simply for it's thought-provoking dialogue and plot-line.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Lawyers without souls....
Review: There is an old saying that in a court-of-law it is irrelevant what the truth is. What DOES matter is the calibre of the lawyers that reside on both sides of the judiciary fence. This movie takes that dictum and pushes it to the edge of the envelope.

One of the most intriguing facets of the storyline is an implicit question that the film compels us to ask ourselves: Who is worse off? A prosecutor who is so good that he gets an innocent man executed or put away for life? Or a defense lawyer who is so good that he gets a guilty man off the hook, after which time he hurts or kills someone else? It is a question that must enter the minds of all who exercise the art of legalistic oratory at some point or other.

Al Pacino is without question the highlight of the flick. It is obvious that he takes great delight in playing the devil himself, and it shows in his performance. It is a role that is ideally suited to his demeanor. A nice touch was making his name John Milton, which is an allusion to the English poet who authored PARADISE LOST. This is the poem that detailed Satan's fall from heaven as well as Adam & Eve's fall from the Garden of Eden. As a sidenote, I would HIGHLY recommend PARADISE LOST; there are a couple of references to the work itself during the story.

It was rather painful to see Keanu Reeves occasionally try to fake a southern accent, but this was not his worst performance. There is a surprising amount of nudity in the film, and that's always a good thing. This is ESPECIALLY true in any film which features Charlize Theron!

All in all this is a fun film to pick up, especially if you're into the Faustian man-selling-his-soul-to-Satan genre. While the ending is a bit deus ex machina, the balance of the DVD makes up for the weak finale.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Al you did it again!
Review: Al Pichino gave this movie his all to transform an incredibly average screenplay into a very good movie. Reeves and the actress who plays his wife, Maryann, were not very good in their respective roles. Reeves was wooden and the actress that played Maryann used every opportunity to over act.

Without Al Pachino, this movie would have been unbearable. Pachino not only saved this movie, he made it a movie that I would like to see over again.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Devil's Advocate Review
Review: Al Pacino is my favorite actor, and thus I hold his movies as the strictest critic, however this movie has catapulted itself to my favorite movie based on two things, Pacino's performance, which I believe to be his best ever, and on the overall intricacies of the movie, whereas everything is related and all is subject to thought. I believe this movie to be truly exceptional, but I understand that all are not me, thus this movie may not be everyone's favorite, as it is mine, yet I have not found someone who was not taken aback by its stunning detail. I strongly recommend that this movie is at least watched once by all, and I believe that it would make a great addition to most people's collection. I do not want to spoil any part of the movie by going into detail, so I will keep it simple, this movie must be seen, it is unlike other movies, and due to this uniqueness, that you will notice, maybe not enjoy, but certainly notice, there are grounds for viewing Devil's Advocate. If you are worried about Keanu Reeves performance, even he does a good job for himself. A final compliment to close my review, I believe this movie unlike any other, truly exceptional, truly cinematic, truly one of Al Pacino's best performances, and truly worth seeing.

Benjamin Harwood Rose


Rating: 4 stars
Summary: TO HELL WITH THE LAWYERS
Review: This provocative thriller is based on a book by Andrew Neiderman, and while the movie does well, it's quite different from the novel----almost making it two different stories with the same theme.
Keanu Reeves plays Kevin Lomax, a hotshot Florida attorney who's unbeaten track attracts the attention of a high power New York law firm. He packs up his wife (Charlize Theron) and off he goes, not realizing that his new boss is not quite what he seems....he's the devil.
Reeves is wooden for most of the movie, but he manages to pull out a believable performance by the end, so he doesn't bring the film down. Al Pacino as Satan is wonderful, energizing his role with demonic glee and self assuredness. Theron is very good in one of her earlier roles, playing the neglected wife who descends into madness, helped along by Reeves' conniving boss. A red-headed Connie Nielsen is seductively effective as Christabella, a sexy siren who wants in Reeves' pants. Jeffrey Jones and Craig T. Nelson also star in unimpressive roles.
Director Hackford keeps the pace interesting, up to a rather surprising climax.
It's interesting that Satan has chosen the legal profession to promote his schemes, but since lawyers are often considered demons, one can see why.
Tasty little thriller.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great job by Keanu!
Review: Keanu Reeves' best performance yet -- and even better is the chemistry between him and his wife played by Charlize. They meet up again in "Sweet November".

Wow, if you ever doubted Keanu's acting abilities - this movie will make you think twice. Al Pacino does an excellent job of portraying the devil. I watched this movie again after watching it once 7 years ago. It's even better to see a second time around.

I still think that Jack Nicholson was more convincing as the devil in "Witches of Eastwick". Al Pacino is almost too charming to be the man downstairs.


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