Rating: 
Summary: Is it just me?
Review: The plain and simple truth is that Keanu Reeves can't act. Never could, but somehow this inability was disguised until "Devil's advocate". But Reeves' characterization of a southerner lawyer turn into a hotshot in one of the most preeminent firms in New York (was it NY? Don't remember) is, to say the least, pitiable. There's one scene in special that embarrassed me, and I kept thinking that this guy is in fact being paid millions to do that. Well, the blame should be divided with the director, the person responsible for the casting and with millions of spectators that still think he's an actor.Aside from that, "Devil's advocate has many other flaws. Al Pacino as John Milton/The Evil One is laughable. And I like Pacino. If Satan was half as idiotic as Pacino portraits it, the world would be an eternal rainbow-sunshine scene. The plot of this movie is so thin I already forgot it. All other characters (with the exception of the two women) are just ridiculous sidekicks in the unfinishable story of the battle of Good against evil. I can't remember one single actor in this movie other than Reeves, Pacino, Theron and Nielsen. The final confrontation scene and the whole situation it involves is so grotesquely scripted that the movie looses even the aura of "fable", something that could save parts of the story. I give "Devil's advocate" two stars because of Charlize Theron and Connie Nielsen. The south african is extremely beautiful, and a competent actress that draws attention whenever she's on screen. The dane , though barely opening her mouth, has an unforgettable facial expression, and is also very beautiful. Watch this only if it runs on TV on Wednesday night and you have absolutely nothing else to do.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, not quite excellent
Review: This movie is well directed, decently written, innovative, and a little different than any other lawyer movie you may have seen. It tackles some very deep themes, giving it a lot of potential. I really liked this movie, and even though certain parts are grotestque and possbily disturbing, it is not completely tasteless. Al Pacino delivers as always, and Charlize Theron showcased some of her acting talent (and her body). Keanu Reeves was horrible, horrible, horrible, but isn't he always? Overall, this is a good movie about good versus evil and points out certain mysteries/paradoxes of the Christian mythical tradition. The story is a simple allegory, and there are some unexplained holes that will require some significant suspension of disbelief. It is not incredibly deep - that is, it won't change your world view - and one of Pacino's monologues is sort of vapid and choppy, but overall it is a good movie. The ending after Satan's last monologue is disappointing and contrived, so beware the final 5 minutes. If you're like me, you may find yourself rooting for the bad guy. Maybe it has something to do with Reeves's acting. The DVD is very straightforward and standard - crisp video and sound quality, lousy special features. Its a good movie to watch, despite its shortcomings. Buy this movie used and watch it once or twice, it should be a good value. Hey, Pacino's in it, why not?
Rating:
Summary: Could have been MUCH better
Review: Devil's Advocate could have been a great film. The storyline had potential. Temptation by the devil is a classic theme and lawyers are easy to portray as evil. Charlize Theron does fine as the good ol' southern girl wife, lost in NYC. Al Pacino is a fine actor, and delivered a good performance, as usual. Unfortunately, Keanu Reeves delivered his usual type of performance as well. Reeves is fine in roles where he can act naturally, like in the 'Bill and Ted' movies. But when the character he portrays is not a dimwit, he is simply not up to the task. It is almost painful to see Reeves attempt to sound like a top-notch lawyer. Surely they could have found someone else for this role. Overlooking Reeves' performance, it is a good movie. There is some good dialogue. Pacino's big pitch towards the end was fun. The effects were not overdone. But is hard to overlook a bad performance by the leading actor. Perhaps they will do a remake of this film someday.
Rating: 
Summary: really really bad
Review: There is absolutely nothing about this movie to recommend itself. The plot is so utterly pedestrian, the acting is poor to fair, and there is not an iota of subtlty or any interesting twist to it. Yes, Pacino makes a pretty good devil, but that is about it. Keanu Reeves is totally unbelivable as a superduper hot-shot lawyer - he is so bad that it is simply embarassing and almost painful to watch him; he is best suited to comic book roles, like that in Matrix, and this film required someone better to make it come alive. As such, this is a total dud. TOTAL.
Rating: 
Summary: "Free will, huh?"
Review:
Pacino plays a very, very bad dude in a totally awesome way. Keanu's southern accent was like, pretty bogus. Connie Nielson naked - woah!
This is a good flick. I thought it would suck so I avoided it for years, but was convinced by a good film critic that it rocked. I'm glad I checked it out. Keanu puts out his usual acting job, which I think is good but lots of people hate. His southern accent slipped into bodhisatva surfdom a few times, and wasn't very convincing, but shined through a few times. I can't give away too much of the movie, but trust me, this one is worth a couple hours.
Overall, a great film that does a good job of showing the devil's temptations and how he finds his niche in the universe.
-- JJ Timmins
Rating:
Summary: Cops out at the end
Review: After all of the accolades are done for Al Pacino playing Satan and Keanu Reeves muddling thru in comparison to such a virtuoso as Pacino, we're left with a meanderingly dark plot. In the end the whole movie is invalidated with the posed question of whether or not this could happen. Keanu gets to see his characters future if he chooses to allow a child molester to get off in court and return to the moment of when he made his pact with the Devil, in a sense.
The concept of the pact being made when he turned his back on what was truly right had bite but it undermined the whole movie. Can no one's character ever be irredeemable unless one is the destined to die villain? Can't American audiences handle the fact that not every story has a happy ending? Charlize Theron plays a housewife slowly crumbling under the onslaught of evil but the fact that she does so also undermines her character as anything but a victim.
There is possibility to the film but it is lost to a contrived Hollywood ending.
Rating:
Summary: Almost there
Review: Al Pacino and Charlize Theron were amazing in this movie. Pacino is always great, and I find this to be Theron's finest work. Keanu Reeves is lousy though. That's not the only thing. This movie did a pretty good job on most things, but was just a tad off in a couple of parts, like the way that it portrayed Satan to be omnipresent, which he isn't. (Job 1) This is not a kid movie, and probably something that you wouldn't want to watch with your mother. The R rating reflects a hefty amount of nudity (some sexual, some non-sexual), some sexuality, profanity and violence. Being that all of that stuff is unnecessary for a great movie, the t.v. version is better to watch, especially when watching it with other people. It's a lot less uncomfortable. Take away Keanu and you have a great movie.
Rating: 
Summary: strong film
Review: Devil's Advocate is a well-written and well made film. Director Taylor Hackford (An Officer and a Gentleman) controls his cast and camera well. The performances from Al Pacino and Charlize Theron are so strong, that they even bring Keanu Reeves up--yes, Keanu's acting is bad, and that accent is one of the worst I've heard--but with Pacino and Theron (and Connie Nielsen) surrounding him, it's easy to overlook. And the Devil's Advocate is a morality play. This isn't some effects monster, it's a story about right and wrong and the choices we make. It's a great film. The dvd contains a commentary track from the director, and it is one that is informative and entertaining. And there are something like over 30 minutes of extended scenes, but most of what is there is in the film. You see where he has cut snippets from scenes, and in reality, there are only a few deleted scenes here. Unfortunately the only way you can watch them is with a director's commentary. You just want the director to shut up, so that we can hear what is cut (most of what is cut is dialog, and you can't see how effective or not it is without the volume). And since the director feels that some of these are very important scenes, you'd think we would have an option to watch them without commentary. In addition to trailers, there are also notes on: cast & crew, special effects, the devil, John Milton (the poet, not the character), sin, and location.
Rating:
Summary: Keanu disappoints
Review: The weak link in this movie is Keanu Reeves, disappointingly. I loved him in My Own Private Idaho. Speed was fun. But here, he looks like he's acting. Keanu is stiff and unnatural, and never becomes the role he plays. For the entire movie, I am never able to suspend disbelief and be absorbed in the story when Keanu is onscreen, he is that distracting. And what about that phoney accent? See this movie for Al Pacino and a few special effects - when it comes on television, as it does often.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, Disturbing, and Thought-Provoking
Review: It is very difficult to explain what happened during the 20th century with reference to the divine. This fact is brilliantly exploited in Al Pacino's monologue when he tries to convert Keanu Reeves (and the viewers?) to Satanism. "The Devil's Advocate" is a movie about a hyper-successful defense attorney who is being seduced by the promise of an even more complete and total professional success (not to mention physical and emotional ecstasy) by--who else?--the Devil. Al Pacino is very convincing playing the Devil. I have to admit that even if one does not literally believe in either God or Devil, Pacino can make one think in this one. For example, the Devil made some persuasive points regarding the importance of vanity (his favorite sin)which, without giving away the ending, seems to be decisive and so damning in our lives; the nature of our (God-given) nature--our senses give us the ability to get physical satisfaction, but never completely (what we can experience through touch we often cannot taste, what we can smell we often cannot touch, etc; and the seeming futility of moral anguish and drama that we create in our lives. The movie only gets four stars from me, because Keanu Reeves failed to convince me that his character had much of a soul to lose. He seemed to be soul-less before the Devil recruited him into his law firm. Reeves moves like a life-size doll at Disneyland. There is this rigidity and mechanical-like feel about him, and I was fearful that his character's mechanism would wind down and stop functioning before the Devil finished talking to him, leaving the picture incomplete and the viewers in suspense. Perhaps that is the effect the director and producers were going for? This is a very good picture. I found it entertaining, disturbing, and thought-provoking. I am sure you will, too. For if you have gotten this far reading this review, you must be a bright, persevering, thoughtful person. You will find that this picture has a lot to offer: special effects, great acting, and an interesting story. (Vanity... definitely my favorite...) You see, Orwell was wrong: it's not oppression, it is seduction that is the Devil's most powerful tool.
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