Il diavolo alla porta

All to familiar storyline... love all the actors and some of the best male actors today. Each actor played there role to the fullest. It should have been called brothers my only complaint is that one male actor had no tears when he attempted to be crying. But never thought the dinner table scene would go that way. Loved it.

I honestly went into this not expecting much but it was a pleasant surprise. Heart warming, tragic, emotional and realistic. A story about a man whose just trying to get his life together while battling serious family issues (I won't say anything specific to avoid spoiling it). The trials of humanity, right and wrong vs family.

This movie was very boring with hardly any action and basically a flat plot. The climax was not even a bit exciting. I expected more from this cast. It's definitely not box office quality and should've went straight to BET or Netflix. I do not recommend waste your money watching this at the movie theater.

I saw this offered on Starz and since I had heard zilch about it, I assumed it would be a B movie.. but wuth Omar Epps, I'd take the risk (despite HATING that Netflix movie with him & Nia Long).

As the movie begins and I continue to see names and faces of actors that I love, I relax a bit and ride the ride.

Beautiful family portrayed!! Real life situations. I did not find myself being mad at anyone for being "stupid" or behaving unrealistic. I disagreed, but it was very believable.

The acting was superb! I was also (pleasantly) surprised to see my girl Keisha from Total, Who is now Mrs Keisha Epps for the last 20 years or so. Seeing how they (she & Omar) didn't react to each other in relationships with other folks in the movie was great. She also, independently, did a good job in her supporting role. She was a good wife, friend, daughter (-in-law) and sister-in-law and I believed it.

I do understand why some reviews are low and others are high. I'm somewhere in the middle. I was definitely effected by the drama and ky emotions responded accordingly. However, there was "something" missing. I can't put my hand on it.

The movie is roughly 90 min so I would 100% say give it a go if you're interested. It will not feel like you wasted your time and you might even thoroughly enjoy it.

Premise: The Devil You Know, a crime drama revolving around a black family. Marcus, who has just come out of prison is trying to make his life again with a new job and his family's support. One day, when he hears about a recent crime in news, that could lead to his brother, he chooses to protect him. What he does and how that affects him and his family is the rest of the film's story.

Cinematic Analysis: Calling it a crime thriller might be misleading as there aren't any thrills involved here. The story is mostly focused on family dynamics, the ups and downs, and their daily lives. Heavy on conversations, the film tries to explore the impact a crime can have on people around us, especially our loved ones. It tries to bring us the inner conflicts and emotions they feel when something like this happens.

The film is around 2 hrs long and the screenplay is extremely elongated. Instead of spending so much time on family get-togethers, if the makers would have invested some time to explain the backstory of our lead character, it surely would have helped a lot to connect with him on an emotional level and for a better understanding of the choices he made. The film focuses on things that are less important and never touches on the impactful aspects.

The ending is surprising, never expected it to end this way. Performances are good but character development did have some scope to improve. On technical levels like cinematography, score etc., the film does a fine job.

Conclusion: In finality, The Devil You Know had a potential and impactful plot but the screenplay couldn't bring out our emotions or make us care for any of the characters. It lacks a tighter script and proper execution.

Rating: 5/10

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