The Devil's Advocate (1997)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

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 | Law Firm | Law | Florida

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:

Sculptor Frederick Hart and the Episcopal National Cathedral in Washington, DC, sued Warner Brothers over a sculpture that appears in the film and closely resembles Hart's "Ex Nihilo", which is situated above the entrance to the cathedral. A last-minute deal was negotiated to allow the sculpture to remain in the film.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: In the nightmare scene, we see Mary's eyes open, she gets up from the couch, then we see her back on the couch and open her eyes again (identical footage). But since this is a nightmare, strange things are possible.

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 End of Days (1999)

Soundtrack:

A mi tio El Niño Miguel

A beguiling experience

This is one of the most intensely dark and beguiling movies I have seen. The purpose behind it is to create a moral drama about the fight between good and evil in a man, or the devil's everlasting quest to conquer man's soul. In retrospective, there are few movies I've seen that bring out such strong feelings in me. Specially the first hour. We follow a young couple, played by Reeves and Theron in her first big picture, who move to New York from the south when he is given a job as attorney in one of the biggest firms in the country. We see the change come in Kevin as he is introduced to a world of luxury and pleasure by his boss, THE DEVIL, played by old master Al Pacino.

The ending brings a new, unpredictable and great twist to the story. I will not give it away. The supporting cast is pretty strong, specially Jeffrey Jones who plays a senior partner in Lucifer Pacino's firm and who first arises the suspicion in Kevin/Keanu with his mysterious behaviour, and Connie Nielsen as Cristabella, an extremely hot Italian colleague who is the very symbol of temptation. Nielsen looked even better here than in "Gladiator" and her performance is also more interesting. Charlize Theron displayed her range here for the first time, showing she had a great potential to become a star with her mix of ethereal beauty and acting talent. Reeves was also very good as the hotshot attorney and his looks elevated his macho hero potential. Al Pacino didn't disappoint, but his performance here counts as one of his least spectacular.

This is a dark movie with elements of horror and some gore and sex thrown in for good measure. I think Taylor Hackford never did it better. He gave us something to ponder on while entertaining and scaring us at the same time. It is a film one can't forget.9/10