The Devil Has a Name

"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.

It is an engaging and interesting story, with an unexpected twist at the end.

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.

Since seeing Edward James Olmos in 'Stand and Deliver' way back I was impressed, so looked forward to seeing him in a movie which he co-produced/directed, and performed. To add to the interest it was claimed to be based on an actual event - the contamination of farmland by an Oil giant. Played straight this would have had promise but it seems green activist politics got involved and dragged it down a somewhat over baked, foolish path. Yes, giant multinationals have been guilty of irresponsible short-cuts, often brought about through greed and they must be held to account ensuring more ecological responsibility. The writer added another downer by including a vicious gangster whose repugnant over-the-top actions are the equivalent of a hideously brutal Gestapo Mafioso type - this pushes the story way out of reasonable acceptability and degrades much of the initial interest being offered.

I'm not sure Kate Bosworth was fully convincing as she should have been playing the slimy Oil company representative and the company's headman was made to look like a caricature. If this was intended as black comedy it did not work whatsoever. As the downtrodden farmer, David Strathairn was good as always, as was Olmos as his co-worker - production values were overall OK but even though the moral situations were well-intended, the overly forced agenda-pushing script weakens any worthwhile message. Pity, as we need movies that bring important messages to the screen but in a more honest manner, this is no 'Dark Waters'.

Parental Note; Heavy vulgar dialogue, violence and grotty sexual situation. Foxtel Aust ran this American R certificate as an M, when will they get it right?

Had more good moments that not so good ones, and the old guys still add some texture to the movie. Too many movies nowadays are way over the top drama and shallow phony bad-asses. Sit back and just enjoy the movie.