The Devil's Advocate (1997)

Director:

Taylor Hackford

Writers (WGA):

Andrew Neiderman (novel)
Jonathan Lemkin (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

17 October 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

The newest attorney at the world's most powerful law firm has never lost a case. But he's about to lose his soul.

Plot:

A hotshot lawyer gets more than he bargained for when he learns his new boss is Lucifer himself.

Plot Keywords:

Lawyer | New York | Florida | Law | Law Firm

Awards:

1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Keanu Reeves	...	Kevin Lomax
Al Pacino	...	John Milton
Charlize Theron	...	Mary Ann Lomax
Jeffrey Jones	...	Eddie Barzoon
Judith Ivey	...	Mrs. Alice Lomax
Connie Nielsen	...	Christabella Andreoli
Craig T. Nelson	...	Alexander Cullen
Tamara Tunie	...	Mrs. Jackie Heath
Ruben Santiago-Hudson	...	Leamon Heath
Debra Monk	...	Pam Garrety
Vyto Ruginis	...	Mitch Weaver - Justice Department
Laura Harrington	...	Mrs. Melissa Black
Pamela Gray	...	Mrs. Diana Barzoon
George Wyner	...	Meisel
Chris Bauer	...	Lloyd Gettys (as Christopher Bauer)

Also Known As:

Devil's Advocate (USA) (DVD box title)
Im Auftrag des Teufels (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality, nudity, violence and language.

Runtime:

144 min | Turkey:136 min (TV version)

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English | German | Italian | Mandarin | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #35596) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:R (Manitoba) | Iceland:16 | Canada:14A | Singapore:R21 (re-rating) | Philippines:R-18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Belgium:KT | Brazil:16 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIB | Malaysia:(Banned) | Mexico:C | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:R(A) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

50th Floor, Continental Tower, Continental Plaza, Wall Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The character Kevin Lomax's name may be a reference to being a "Low MACH." This is a term used to describe those people scoring below 60/100 on the MACH-IV test used by personality and social psychologists to measure "Machiavellianism" which is a measure of a person's tendency to manipulate and deceive others for personal gain. E.g. "Low MACHs" tend to agree with the following statements (taken from the test): No. 7.) "There is no excuse for lying to someone else." No. 11.) "Most people who get ahead in the world lead clean, moral lives." These are precisely some of the personal moral issues faced by the character in the film.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: During the closing credits, when the fireballs are forming, at one point you can see the flamethrower creating them.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Florida Prosecutor: Go on, Barbara.
Barbara: We go back to our homeroom for dismissal. Unless you have a pass for sports or somethin'.
Florida Prosecutor: And is that what you did on the day in question?
Barbara: No. Mr. Gettys asked me to stay after class.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Dogma (1999)

Soundtrack:

Romans 16:19

Very Good

When I first saw The Devils advocate I was in amazement of how good it was. I was thinking about it for a long time after and when I got to catch it recently on TV it made me think about it all over again and it this time raises some questions and.

I didn't find it as good the second time round. I have watched it many times since I first saw but the recent viewing I was paying more attention than ever. I still think Keanu Reeves was maybe not right as Kevin Lomax. He has great moments but I think he has to many moments where he is trying to act is ass off and making it look obvious. Is it me or in some scenes where Keanu is talking he sounds like Elvis with his accent. Just a thought. Al Pacino was perfect as John Milton but again he was a bit over the top but makes up for it in his charm and charisma which he tackles head on easily through the movie. The best acting we get here is from Charlize Theron which is no surprise to me considering how well she has done since in films like Monster. The story doesn't really kick off till the very end where everything unfolds very fast to a massive climax which without this film would have failed badly. I don't know much about Taylor Hackford's previous work but I am impressed with how he handled The Devils Advocate and if he directs an y others films of this caliber then he might be poised to win an huge award of sort. The film is just not about paranormal goings on with Satan, it is also a law film which actually makes being a lawyer look like a lot of fun with a lot of tension thrown in. If any adrenaline junkie wanted to go for a mainstream job then a lawyer would be his cup of tea as Kevin Lomax will show you.

The direction, music, cinematography and nearly everything about this film is perfect. The story is quite close but towards the end there is just to many revelations that happen all to quick and it gives you this feeling that the film is getting a bit silly and that's how I feel about it now. If you haven't seen it before and you are wanting to see it for yourself then you should see it without a doubt. Don't let any review including mine put you off as this as the movie is one hell of a ride but it may raise questions of how much they tried to cram inside the movie in the time it had. It does run for nearly two and a half hours but they run quicker than you can imagine and as soon as the film finishes you will be wanting to watch it all over again so you can see where everything makes sense.

Al Pacino does pack a punching performance to the very end and is as crazy as ever if a little over the top at times but without him we wouldn't be talking about this film as much.