The Devil Has a Name

When a production is promoted to be "inspired by true events", a viewer expects actual facts. I watched this Olmos "inspired by true events" production for an hour and could only find one true event. Yes, indeed, JFK was assassinated in Dallas. Other than that, I cannot find one actual fact.

It seems the screenwriter is portraying the contamination of ground water in the Imperial Valley is a result of oil production and lax oversight by California's oil production oversight boards and laws. That is not a fact but imagination.

The contamination is factually based in the overuse of surface water for irrigation and being transported hundreds of miles to the overcrowded and under educated California population centers. The transport away from source never allows aquifers to recharge. This fact is never addressed, as it intersect's with Olmos' political views of the source of California's overgrowth, illegal immigration.

Olmos' work here is not factual in any degree, and blazes a trail into a growing movie genre, Non-science Fiction.

This is set mostly (and filmed) in California where there is apparently some history of oil companies allowing their polluted water to reside in large ponds without pond liners. As a result some of the toxic chemicals infiltrate into the groundwater causing both health problems and agricultural problems.

In this fictional story a farmer's wife has died, now he has fruit trees starting to die, is approached to sell rights for a few thousand dollars as an attempt to cover up what is really happening. Eventually the farmer hires a top lawyer to fight for his rights. Meanwhile the big boss in Houston has his goon threaten the farmer and promises to take everything he has if he doesn't settle out of court.

All that could have the makings of an interesting movie, and much of it is interesting, but overall I was disappointed. The movie is too uneven and many things that happen just don't make sense within the arc of the story. My wife abandoned it after about 30 minutes. There are a couple of twists of sorts at the end but overall not a particularly good movie.

I see that the writer has no prior experience as a script writer and that seems to be part of the problem. It is relatively easy to come up with a good concept, however not so easy to write a superior script to support it.

On DVD from my public library.

Interesting but ultimately over the top; "The Devil Has A Name" has a decent approach but fails to deliver a film worthy of its talent in front and behind the camera.

In this drama inspired by true events, a psychotic oil matriarch leaves the whole industry exposed when she attempts to outfight a farmer whose water has been poisoned.

The exaggerated approach is what really kills "The Devil Has A Name". There is no fine line and honestly the story gets lost in its antics. The casting is good and Kate Bosworth is bad-ass but even she can't save this film. David Strathairn is also delivers a good performance, but then again when is he ever bad? Overall unfortunate that a film like this directed by the legendary Edward James Olmos, couldn't get better treated.

Follow @snobmedia for all reviews!

"The Devil Has A Name" (1029 release; 97 min.) brings the story of a Central California farmer's fight against big oil. As the movie opens, we are reminded this is "Inspired by True Events" and we get to know Fred, whose farmland has been in his family for decades. But Shore Oil & Gas realizes that the underground contains valuable resources and desperately wants to buy Fred's land, and it will not stop at anything... At this point we are 10 min. into the film, but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this movie not only stars Edward James Olmos (among many other big names), but he also directed and produced. Edward James Olmos has always been known for his eco and social activism, and this movie is no exception. You can easily feel the good intentions in this "little guy vs. big oil" eco-drama, and this could've made for riveting viewing similar to, say, last year's "Dark Waters". Alas I regret to inform you that this film is anything but riveting. In fact, the film is dreadfully boring, plain and simple, and the reason is obvious very quickly: a terribly weak script is what dooms this movie, with an eco-message that is as subtle as a bull in a china shop. In addition to Edward James Olmos, this also stars David Strathairn (as Fred), Kate Bosworth (as GiGi, a Shore Oil executive), and last but not least Martin Sheen, looking good as the "lawyer who killed the Pinto" who takes on Fred's case.

"The Devil Has a Name" premiered over a year ago at the 2019 LA Latino Film Festival to so-so acclaim, and now is getting a short run in selected theaters. It opened this weekend at my local art house theater here in Cincinnati, which strictly adheres to all COVID-19 protocols. Not that it mattered, as the Friday early evening screening where I saw this at was a private screening: I was the only person in the theater. I can't see this playing n the theater for more than a week, to be honest. If you have any interest in eco-dramas or simply are a fan of Edward James Olmos, Martin Sheen or Kate Bosworth, I'd suggest you check this out, be it in the theater (if you still can), on VOD, eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.

The production looks rushed and cheap and the image-quality looks like it's right out of first semester of film school. These are things I could live with but the storytelling is seriously weak. The actors have no motivation beyond reading the script loud. martin sheen is terrible it feels like they're there just to fill the runtime of a of the movie. The actors have no motivation beyond reading the script loud. martin sheen is terrible 1/10