If you say you did not know who the devil would be, you lie. And if you believed that maybe no true devil would exist in the movie, you also lie.
Having said that, Keanu Reeves is in the role of the defence lawyer and protagonist. He is in fact so good at what his job that he gets spotted from a big company and leaves his hometown to live in New York with his wife. The money are very good and their life better. Or is it? The escalation of the difficulty in Keanu’s work goes together with the issues his wife face. From a neutral point of view, each law incident and each social event is on point.
It is a long movie. However the rhythm feels solid and the repeatable breaks are enjoyable while being followed by intense progress in the plot. Almost nothing happens for no reason. And every character has a reason to exist. From the religious mother to the evil goat-slayer and from the wife to the neighbours, everyone is important and with the screen-time each one deserves.
Speaking of screen-time, when decisions are made or when shiet is about to happen, actions are made sharply and without boring dialogues. That is the beauty of an interesting movie. When a question is asked, noone acts like an emo doubting a choice a million times before acting. But when the movie decides to show a climax in silence be ready to wait a looong time.
Either if you are a religious person or not, you have to admire how Al Pacino sells his character. Each quote that is said has a philosophical background which also triggers religious thoughts and conversations.
It is really needed to dedicate some time to Al Pacino. He fits to the role perfectly. Every sentence is a memorable quote. Each facial expression is a special addition and each laughter increasing focus without stealing the show 100. Giving life to a well balanced character in the movie and in the correct moment making everything fall apart or depending how you see it, lifting everything up.
Not much to add at this point, the acting from nearly everyone is very good. The plot is exceptional and I really do not want to make a spoiler in this movie. Having to warn each parent viewer that there is nudity and just a tiny drop of blood, making it a borderline-adult film. I can not hold myself from commenting that we experience similar views in commercials nowadays. Anyway,even these scenes are well placed and spice up the movie, making The Devil’s Advocate a truly great movie.
Favourite quotes:
“Milton: Freedom, baby… is never having to say you’re sorry.”
“Milton: Guilt is like a bag of fackin’ bricks. All ya gotta do is set it down.”
“Lomax: What about love? Milton: Overrated. Biochemically no different than eating large quantities of chocolate.”
“Milton: In spite of all his imperfections, I’m a fan of man! I’m a humanist.”
“Milton: That’s our secret. Kill you with kindness.”
“Lomax: What are you? Milton: Oh, I have so many names. Lomax: Satan. Milton: Call me Dad.”