The Devil's Advocate (1997)

An exceptionally adept Florida lawyer is offered a job at a high-end New York City law firm with a high-end boss - the biggest opportunity of his career to date.

Director:

Taylor Hackford

Writers:

Andrew Neiderman (novel), Jonathan Lemkin (screenplay)

Stars:

Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino, Charlize Theron

1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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	...	Melissa Black
Pamela Gray	...	Mrs. Diana Barzoon
George Wyner	...	Meisel
Chris Bauer	...	Lloyd Gettys (as Christopher Bauer)

Storyline

Kevin Lomax, a ruthless young Florida attorney that never lost a case, is recruited by the most powerful law firm in the world. In spite of his mother's disagreement, which compares New York City to Babylon, he accepts the offer and the money that comes along. But soon, his wife starts feeling homesick as she witnesses devilish apparitions. However, Kevin is sinking in his new cases and pays less and less attention to his wife. His boss and mentor, John Milton, seems to always know how to overcome every problem and that just freaks Kevin right off.

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Plot Keywords:

deal with the devil | female full frontal nudity | supernatural power | lawyer | female pubic hair | 

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Taglines:

Don't trust the devil

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality, nudity, violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

Warner

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English German Italian Mandarin Spanish

Release Date:

17 October 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Devil's Advocate

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$57,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$12,170,536, 19 October 1997

Gross USA:

$60,984,028

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$152,944,660

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Regency Enterprises, Kopelson Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

144 min 136 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The line Milton says to Kevin about how "there are more people in law school than there are lawyers on the whole planet" was also spoken in the movie St. Elmo's Fire (1985) by Andrew McCarthy's character, Kevin.

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Goofs

The ring that Lomax places on a shelf appears and disappears.

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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.

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Alternate Versions

The German TV version is cut for violence. The sex scene is shorter, Eddie Barzoon's death isn't very violent anymore and Kevin Lomax's suicide is cut.

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Connections

Spoofed in The Devil Is in the Details (2016)

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Soundtracks

Romans 16:19
(1991)
Written by Dale Garratt, John Childers, Ramon Pink and Graham Burt

User Reviews

Keanu gets a devil of a job.

Hot-shot Floridian defense attorney Kevin Lomax (Keanu Reeves) is head-hunted by New York's most powerful law firm, unaware that his new boss (Al Pacino) is The Devil.

For The Devil's Advocate, director Taylor Hackford breathes fresh life into several well-worn satanic horror themes, skillfully weaving them into a slick, big-budget horror/thriller that delivers on many levels: it's smartly written, sexy, intelligent, and well-acted, with a particularly fine, lip-smacking performance from Pacino, who owns every scene he is in. Above all else, though, The Devil's Advocate is thoroughly entertaining throughout.

The film is perhaps a little light on scares and gore for some horror fans, but there is a genuinely creepy atmosphere to compensate, the script is gripping and imaginative enough that one soon forgets about the lack of stuff like bowel-loosening jumps and exploding heads, and to top it all, Charlize Theron and Connie Nielsen both get completely starkers. Great stuff!