The Quarantine Stream: ‘The Devil’s Advocate’ Has Al Pacino Chewing Scenery And Keanu Reeves Using A Questionable Accent
(Welcome toThe Quarantine Stream, a new series where the /Film team shares what they’ve been watching while social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.)The Movie:The Devil’s AdvocateWhere You Can Stream It:NetflixThe Pitch:Hot-shot Southern lawyer Keanu Reeves gets recruited to join a big New York City law firm, but there’s a catch: his new boss, Al Pacino, isthe devil!!!!!!!!!!Why It’s Essential Quarantine Viewing:It’s okay to have fun with dumb movies. AndThe Devil’s Advocateis pretty damn dumb. Keanu Reeves uses a questionable Southern accent, Al Pacino chews the scenery so hard he’s in danger of breaking some teeth, and a pre-fame Charlize Theron is stuck in a miniRosemary’s Babyremake, and all of this happens in thesame movie. Clocking-in at an overwhelming 144 minutes, and featuring scenes where Pacino dips his fingers in holy water and causes the water toboil,The Devil’s Advocateis a blend of legal drama and horror melodrama, and it’s a hoot.
BeforeKeanu ReevesdidThe Matrix, he starred inThe Devil’s Advocate,Taylor Hackford’s epic-length horror drama about a lawyer in danger of losing his soul. Reeves is a hot-shot young attorney from Gainesville, Florida (even though his accent suggests he’s from somewhere in Alabama), who is willing to emotionally destroy a sexual assault victim on the witness stand to win a case. Reeves' lapse of moral compass gets him noticed by a huge New York City law firm, and as we all know, law firms, in general, are evil, butNew York Citylaw firms are theevilest.
Soon, Reeves meets his new boss, John Milton, played byAl Pacino. Even though it’s abundantly clear that Milton is the devil incarnate, Reeves' character remains oblivious and is easily wooed by the prospect of money and power. The same can’t be said of Reeves' sweet-natured wife, played byCharlize Theron, who does much better with her accent. Theron’s character notices almost immediately that something is up with not just Milton but also everyone in Milton’s circle, including some of her new neighbors. She begins to have a complete breakdown, but Reeves is once again oblivious. Not only is he focused on his work, he’s also focused on one of his new coworkers, a sexy lawyer played byConnie Nielsen.
Full of sex, violence, and big special effects,The Devil’s Advocatefeels like the type of movie that would never get made today, at least not by a big Hollywood studio for $57 million. Yet in 1997, the movie was a hit, raking in $153 million. Imagine that happening today. You can’t.
As much as I love Reeves, it’s fair to say he’s not very good in this movie. I don’t mean to keep harping on his accent, but it’ssodistractingly bad (even worse than his infamousDraculaaccent) that it almost completely sinks his performance. That’s okay, though, because the real draw here is Pacino.The Devil’s Advocatearrived in the midst of Pacino’s shouty phase. After the actor scored an Oscar for his loud performance inScent of a Woman, Pacino seemed to believe that every performance going forward required him toYELL AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS. While some may take issue with that, it works perfectly here. Pacino’s Satanic lawyer is all about excess – he loves to talk aboutfucking, and he loves to laugh his ass off at stuff that really isn’t funny. And when someone dares challenge him, he sends demonic homeless people to beat that person to death.
It all culminates in a big, loud, special effects-heavy conclusion that feels like a huge cheat. But by then it’s okay, you’ve already had your fun withThe Devil’s Advocate. And it’s had its fun with you.
