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The Devil's Advocate

The Devil's Advocate

List Price: $14.97
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Decent Movie and Good Acting by Pacino and Reeves!
Review: This movie is pretty good, not anything great but good! It has great acting by Pacino(what else is new), and Reeves, which is a surprise because many people have said that he couldn't act, but proves them wrong in this movie. Its a movie about the Devil which is one of my favorite topics, but it was pretty entertaining. I recommend this movie for any fan of Al Pacino.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Fantastic, thought provoking (Keanu doesn't hurt it)
Review: Mix of Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves sounds strange. But odly enough, they make a good match. Perhaps because Al Pacino can so well get into the character, and Keanu just has to act like a normal guy (what else can he do?).

Makes you question yourself when you keep cheering for Keanu to win, but then want him to give it all up, but then again want him to win.

Illicits strong emotions, perfectly timed climax and a well thought out ending. Who could ask for more?

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Greed has a positive aspect?
Review: I read one review on this film that said "... about the negative aspects of greed ...". My God! HAha! Man, you did not understand anything in this life, and obviously cannot understand this movie, as well. Nevermind... .

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "I am the fist humanist... I'm a FAN OF MAN!"
Review: Even when some people did not like Keanu Reeves for this role, I did, and Al Pacino is really thrilling in his role of John Milton.

This is a great story, in which we can learn what may happen if you become too greedy to care for your family, to be too busy developing your career to attend your mother or wife.

Dont miss the near-of-the-ending dialog, in which Milton says to Lomax, who he is, who is himself, and in which he says he has so many names, so many children, and the reasons of his mitical insurrection!

Definitely, this movie leaves you thinking a little about our human nature as "God's creatures". A must see, a must have!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Vanity's My Favorite Sin, Too....
Review: ...else, I probably would side step reviewing this flick.

Why not give it more stars? Pacino is perfect for the role of the immortal fallen angel and he gets the audience's attention with those diatribes and pronouncements of mankind like they should be written in cantos from Blake or Milton or somebody (You can tell he's having fun). The problem with the movie is, IMHO, that Keanu Reeves, while a good actor, was not exactly right for the role. Did you beleive that the devil had a son and it was Keanu Reeves? See? In spite of that, a good way to waste a Saturday afternoon.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Devilishly entertaining
Review: I must have been in deep hibernation when this film was in theatrical release, or perhaps the critics didn't like it and that kept me away. Whatever the case, I'm very glad to have seen it and it is one of those films that I'll want to watch again.

The pacing is perfect, with no lulls in the action. The acting ranges from very good to outstanding. It did take me a while to get used to Keanu Reeves' speaking with a Southern accent (which I think could have been avoided, since he was playing the role of a transplanted Floridian). He does not seem to be nearly as involved in the character as he does in films such as "The Matrix", which one would think would have been a greater challenge to an actor. His scenes with his wife became increasingly flat, but perhaps that was a deliberate decision in an effort to be consistent with the plot development.

Charlize Theron as Reeves' wife also seems to suffer a loss of involvement as the film progresses, but again, that may have been a calculated decision for reasons similar to Reeves' apparent detachment.

Al Pacino, on the other hand, gives a consistently excellent performance, and is one of the most convincing incarnations of Satan I've ever seen. He clearly is having the time of his life, and that's exactly the element so often missing in such portrayals.

The visuals in this movie are beautifully done, whether it's a rooftop scene with the entire city spread below, or a dingy tenement basement lair of a voodoo priest. There are also some excellent special effects, but they are not overdone.

Finally, a word about the ending (without giving it away). I totally disagree with those who claim that it ruins the movie or makes it impossible to understand what really happened. I found myself staring open-mouthed and then laughing out loud, not because it was a cheap joke, but because the director had managed to fool me not just once, but twice.

A highly entertaining film, and one I will be watching again.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: The devil made me do it...
Review: "The Devils Advocate" (1997)

I used to like The Devil's Advocate. I used to think it was everything a movie needed. Then I saw it again, and I can safely say I wasn't really that impressed. This movie is necessarily bad, but its not great either, its on the so-so level of filmmaking. But with a great cast, a neat idea and promising adverts, The Devil's Advocate should've been much more.

I'll start with the things that really got to me the second time round. One of those things was the acting in the film. Keanu Reeves is not my most favoured actor around today. Unfortunately with The Devil's Advocate, Keanu can just tick off another character he can't play - a lawyer. Reeves provided no suspense or fun with his performance, and he just really bugged me. Charlize Theron overacts horribly. At the start Theron is very good, but after she falls under the spell of the devil (Pacino), her character gets very mentally unstable and Theron goes over the top. Jeffrey Jones's character was just there to be another infamous cast member, but I thought his character was boring and I didn't find his performance as enjoyable or stylish as his other roles. Pacino is the only leading cast member who is able to find some juiciness to his character, and he is a greatly entertaining Satan. There is no comparison to his other performances, but he's pretty cool in this role.

The lead character is another problem with the film. You might be able to put this under the "Keanu-Reeves-can't-act-category", but Reeve's Lomax is a dumb leading man who always puts himself first and is a selfish and senseless idiot. I feel this problem may be more with the silly and recycled script than Reeve's acting, but the film suffered because of it.

The ending is probably the worst thing about the movie. Not only is it totally confusing and typical, but it takes the easy way out. The Devil's Advocate is not a movie that can challenge itself. It always has to finish sequences by taking the quick way instead of giving the audience something to think about.

All that said, there is always the stylish directing, some good visuals and special effect sequences, nicely done law scenes (which are strangled by Reeve's over-acting) and a few excellent and very modern editing. The movie looks and feels great. All this is unfortunately mustered and busted by the horrid character development, lots and lots of plot holes and the fact that the film actually has no message. Maybe its good to see how people react to temptation in some scenes, but I came out of the film still really confused about what the movie was actually about and why the hell all the stuff that happened in the film was really happening. So, my conclusion of The Devil's Advocate is this: a poor excuse to see lots of nudity and sex scenes. Miss this over-long bore, even if Connie Neilsen naked is a bonus.

MY GRADE: C

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Sensational!
Review: I loved this movie. Outstanding in practically every way. Al Pacino's portrayal of Lucifer is exactly how I have always perceived the dark angel to be. The devil does not have horns or a tail, he has the face of man himself. I am always amazed at how the religious zealots seem to conveniently forget that Lucifer was the highest angel, an archangel, thrown out of heaven because of his arrogance and rebelliousness, not because he was a mad demon.

Pacino plays this character beautifully - he is sly, charismatic, chilling, and seductive all at once. One of my favorite scenes was the elevator scene where Milton bates Kevin's mother by calling her "Mrs. Lomax" and asking her slyly that "surely this wasn't her first trip to New York". Absolutely wicked! Then, as Milton casually wisks Kevin off to a night on the town at the Flamingo club and the boxing match (naturally Don King would have an alliance with Satan), I was mezmerized watching Milton weave his spell and reel Kevin smoothly into his web. Pacino's climaxtic argument is brilliant as he exclaims that he's a fan of man and why. As I watched Kevin's descent from Maryann,(Charlize Theron and Keanu had wonderful chemistry as a married couple),I was reminded of how we all make certain decisions then try to justify our actions later, usually with the precursor that, "It wasn't MY fault, it was the work of Satan... then, like Kevin, we make the same decisions over and over.

I thought Keanu Reeves was perfect as the cool, arrogant, hotshot attorney who knows that he is so...good. I am completely baffled by all the haters panning Keanu's acting, he did a great job. I thought the casting of all the actors were on point in this movie, everyone connected with each other and with their characters.

My only complaint is that the deleted scenes cannot not be viewed without the director's commentary. The sub-titles can't even be displayed. While this DVD has one of the best director's commentary's, it would be nice to have the option of watching the deleted scenes on their own since these scenes contribute to the continuity of the story and clear up questions a viewer may have. Overall, this movie is just outstanding!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: An insightful look at evil and sin
Review: This movie is very open and honest in its view of sin and evil. Rather than being just a subtle exploration of corruption, dishonesty, and perversion it pulls back the cover from these sins and exposes the source. It does not simply stop at human vice, but it shows the results, the deep seated consequences, of sin and evil while at the same time exposing that this is not simply the "way people are" (though it is also not outside of who they are), but that there is a malevolent will, acting in such a way as to corrupt, pervert, and destroy humanity in a quest for its own promotion. In the movie this evil was given a name and face. John Milton, an ironic choice of name, lawyer, indeed head of an international firm, defender of the rich and corrupt, millionaire playboy, was in fact the Devil himself, not simply in hyperbolic terms, but actually the very one kicked out of heaven and now prince of hell, seducer of mankind. This is a tale of seduction, corruption, and destruction. Thus, we find in this movie an exploration of sin, from its most seemingly innocent expressions to its most diabolical. We also find a insightful exploration of the interaction between man and devil, free-will and determination, and our role in sin and how sin is imposed upon us.
In Devil?s Advocate we see the result of not only the first act of corruption but the results of perfecting the understanding of how best to bring corruption and destruction. In many movies, Satan is portrayed as an obviously malevolent force, fiercely wicked in appearance as well as action, openly wielding the tools of evil, in an all too obvious way. Yet here, the evil one is "small, a surprise, not seen coming", he is one who "stays in the trenches" and interacts with humanity on its own level. The evil and sin in this movie were shown to be real, active, and pressing. The temptations do not come in obvious ways, suddenly asking us to murder or commit atrocities. Rather, sin is a path, a journey down a road to death in which steps and choices are taken along the way.
Pacino is a fabulous "Evil One", and Keanu Reeves is well... his usual. This is not the best example of acting or movie craftmanship, but it is insightful. It is well made though, and has some fun twists and turns along the way. Towards the end some stuff gets a little gratuitous (it really didn't add to the story at all) so I can't recommend this as a family film, but anyone interested in the true nature of present evil, especially religious folk, should check this movie out. This is a much more insightful look than any "religious" offerings I've seen recently.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Top notch Reeves Film
Review: Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino star in this literal hell raising extravaganza. Reeves stars as an aspiring lawyer from Florida that has suddenly caught the attention of a big New York firm lead by the devil himself (Pacino) and eventually becomes a servant of the dark prince (hence advocate). Eventually noticing that something is seriously wrong at the firm he works at, Reeves slowly witness his wife become enslaved and eventually destroyed by the power of the devil. Asked to finally join sides with evil, Reeves is put in an amazing choice of his life. An excellent film with a highly beleivable Reeves portrayel as a brutal attorney. Pacino also does well in his role as Satan. A must see.


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