Beat the Devil (2002)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Tony Scott

Writers:

David Fincher (original concept)
David Carter (written by) ...

Release Date:

21 November 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Short | Adventure | Comedy

Plot:

Decades ago, the legendary James Brown sold his soul to the devil for fame and fortune. Now he wishes to renegotiate...

Plot Keywords:

Trans Am | The Hire | Firebird | Pontiac

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Clive Owen	...	Driver
Gary Oldman	...	Devil
James Brown	...	Himself (as Mr. James Brown)
Marilyn Manson	...	Himself
Danny Trejo	...	Bob
Tony Wilson	...	Young James Brown
Tommy Rae Brown	...	Vegas Girl
Judge Bradley	...	Crossroads Doorman

Also Known As:

The Hire: Beat the Devil (USA) (series title)

Runtime:

9 min | USA:11 min (DVD edition)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Company:

RSA Films

Goofs:

Continuity: When the Trans Am is beginning the race, it has a customized exhaust system with nitrous activated, shooting flames out of the back of the car. When it flips in the air, it has a regular exhaust and no nitrous activated.

Quotes:

[doorbell buzzes]
Devil: Who's that?
Bob: It's Marilyn.
Devil: Who?
Bob: Creep from down the hall, complaining about the noise.
Devil: [suddenly nervous] Oh, tell him I'm not here. He spooks me out. He's weird.
Marilyn Manson: Can you keep it down in there? I'm trying to read, okay?
[holds up copy of Bible]
Devil: Complaining about the noise? Have you heard the racket he makes?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Bounty Hunting on Acid: Tony Scott's Visual Style (2006) (V)

Soundtrack:

Super Bad Super Slick

Weird, bizarre, stylish, funny and intense

When you've got Gary Oldman wearing a red spandex and red lipstick in the role of the devil and James Brown, godfather of soul himself, complaining that the deal he got with the prince of darkness needs to be renegotiated because he's gotten too old to do splits, you know you've divided everyone who hears about it into two clearly marked, separated groups; those who reject it and those who are intrigued. Those that belong in the latter category probably wind up watching this commercial, are once again divided into two groups; those who love it and those who hate it. This is a clear-cut short film; either you love it or you hate it. But that doesn't mean that it's bad... just that it's limited. I don't know exactly why, but I'm thankful it is. Maybe it's because that allowed it to be what it wanted to be, what it had to be. What is that, you ask? Well, bizarre as hell, first of all. But also funny and stylish, not to mention quite intense. The race in the commercial is cool and exciting. The humor is very good... again, limited, but very good if you're into exactly that sort of thing... and I am. To an extent, at least. I laughed out loud at the 'twist' in the end. The editing and cinematography is very stylish, very typically Tony Scott. I liked all of the puns and jokes, both those concerning the devil himself and those concerning James Brown. The acting is good. Clive Owen once again delivers a perfect performance. All in all, just a very weird and bizarre yet entertaining little commercial. I recommend it to any fan of the commercials or any of the actors... and possibly fans of Tony Scott. 8/10