User reviews

I watched this movie on DVD. It will be enough for me to mention that there had been no other movie where I'd had to pause the play in mere awe at the magnificence of the storyline! At a point, It was as if I could see my jaw on the floor praising in thorough amusement the brilliance, relevance-to-our-daily-lives, deepness of message, sophistication, great portrayal, top-of-the-class creativity, marvelous acting/directing/screen writing all having come together in a movie, which called for a rating of 9 out of 10 and no less, certainly, undoubtedly.

Al-Pacino's acting is to no surprise as brilliant as ever, exuding confidence, proficiency and clarity as always. Keanu Reaves leaves a great master-play in his work, meeting up to the acting skills required in displaying a character of wisdom, success, love and perhaps, of vanity. Charize Theron too puts up a play of passion in its right.

But what amused me more than all were the great and fantastic script-lines thrown around. All very meaningful and interesting indeed. The whole movie got me stunned and fixed at the edge of my desk seat, but the favorite part for me has to come at the end, where the theme of the movie comes to words and finds a chance as of clarifying itself in one the most brilliant ways I as one have ever seen possible! Recommended for everybody willing to enjoin on a meaningful story and a blend of excellent plays... surely a 9/10.

Evil promises everything but gives away nothing. This quote, which I like very much, sums up the point of The Devil's Advocate.

In this movie skillful lawyer goes to New York to pursue career of his dreams. He makes many compromises with his conscience on the way and even starts to neglect his romantic relationship.

It's really unbelievable that this movie isn't more popular than it is. It's got all the elements of a serious, adult thriller. It is true, however, that this is a very disturbing portrayal of someones life going down the spiral. What makes this movie great, makes this movie disturbing and vice versa.

We've all seen many movies devoting to much time to unnecessary violence only to disturb you, not to utilize it so that story line actually benefits from it.

However, all the violence, nudity and disturbing material in The Devil's Advocate fit nicely with the plot. I don't remember anything disturbing not being in concordance with moral of the story - that is to point out to viewer how the Evil actually operates.

Now recall the book of Genesis chapter 3, verse 1: "Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made."

Many movies have portrayed Satan as an ugly, violent monster often not intelligent enough. This movie portrays the Evil one as it actually is: intelligent, subtil, patient, taunting, masquerading as the angel of light. And one more thing: He hates God. His true call is to convince people loving God does not exist.

If you're looking for a movie which provocatively raises philosophical and theological questions in a way a book never could, look no further.

I saw this movie back in '97 in the theatre. It was running just a week after Cameron's Titanic. I remember the crowds that rushed to see Titanic, and an almost empty room when this movie was playing. After seeing this I thought how unbalanced is this creativity (originality) vs big budget blockbusters on one side, and the number of viewers on the other side. Later I realised that blockbusters are for the masses, and interesting movies like this one are for the few who can see beyond the FX and the small little girls tears. I was just a kid back then. I watched it again last night. And although I knew the ending, it was an awesome ride, and the ending gave me the same shivers as the fist time. If you haven't seen this one - go get it, if you have - watch it again. It never gets old, nor boring.

The reviews for "The Devil's Advocate" were not too kind, to say the least. But what did the critics refuse to see in this? With movies nowadays being nothing but flashy, over-the-top, masturbatory, CG-fests, "The Devil's Advocate" holds up like osmium.

The cinematography is good because it's quite understated and that's a virtue in today's cinema. The acting, while containing pretty lame Southern accents, is still pretty good. Even from Keanu, dude.

Sorely forgotten in it's day, the script tells a very deep, original and interesting story, with lots of development, respect for the characters, delicate pacing, and a head-spinning ending. The movie is solely about the people and their struggles. Fear takes hold of the audience through the dialogue.

Think of "The Devil's Advocate" as Woody Allen trying his hand at a horror/thriller and succeeding. This movie never makes you jump, but it puts you in a general state of discomfort through it's atmosphere. As with all memorable supernatural dramas, this one handles its spectacle with discretion and grace.

Isn't that what we hope to see when we watch any movie? 10/10

Stylish, sexy, suspenseful thriller stars Reeves as an accomplished southern lawyer who's never been beaten; he travels to New York City to take a job with powerful legal mogul Pacino, but his once ideal life is soon turned upside down as he's plunged into a surreal, demonic world of lust, temptation, and vanity. Slick writing, direction, and an array of startling scenes, breathtaking effects, and dazzling performances make this an imaginative thriller quite unlike any other. Reeves gives one of his finest performances to date, aided immeasurably by a wild, wickedly over-the-top performance from Pacino and a first-rate supporting cast. Not for all tastes, but highly watchable indeed. ***½

This is one of the most intensely dark and beguiling movies I have seen. The purpose behind it is to create a moral drama about the fight between good and evil in a man, or the devil's everlasting quest to conquer man's soul. In retrospective, there are few movies I've seen that bring out such strong feelings in me. Specially the first hour. We follow a young couple, played by Reeves and Theron in her first big picture, who move to New York from the south when he is given a job as attorney in one of the biggest firms in the country. We see the change come in Kevin as he is introduced to a world of luxury and pleasure by his boss, THE DEVIL, played by old master Al Pacino.

The ending brings a new, unpredictable and great twist to the story. I will not give it away. The supporting cast is pretty strong, specially Jeffrey Jones who plays a senior partner in Lucifer Pacino's firm and who first arises the suspicion in Kevin/Keanu with his mysterious behaviour, and Connie Nielsen as Cristabella, an extremely hot Italian colleague who is the very symbol of temptation. Nielsen looked even better here than in "Gladiator" and her performance is also more interesting. Charlize Theron displayed her range here for the first time, showing she had a great potential to become a star with her mix of ethereal beauty and acting talent. Reeves was also very good as the hotshot attorney and his looks elevated his macho hero potential. Al Pacino didn't disappoint, but his performance here counts as one of his least spectacular.

This is a dark movie with elements of horror and some gore and sex thrown in for good measure. I think Taylor Hackford never did it better. He gave us something to ponder on while entertaining and scaring us at the same time. It is a film one can't forget.9/10

Of course I have seen the 1997 movie "The Devil's Advocate" before. But truth be told, I needed no persuasion to sit down and watch the movie again here in 2024, as I had the opportunity to do so.

Writers Andrew Neiderman, Jonathan Lemkin and Tony Gilroy put together quite an enjoyable and entertaining script and storyline. It is a narrative that is parts drama, thriller and mystery, which actually played out quite nicely. And there is something unique about the storyline which makes the movie watchable again and again.

The movie has a very impressive cast ensemble, with some pretty good talents. You know what you are getting into when you have the likes of Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino in the leading roles, and they do deliver here; especially Al Pacino, he was phenomenal in the role of John Milton. The movie also have the likes of Charlize Theron, Jeffrey Jones, Judith Ivey, Connie Nielsen and Craig T. Nelson on the cast list, among many other great talents.

"The Devil's Advocate" has a few special effects throughout the 144 minutes that it runs for, which helps promote the narrative quite nicely. It is not a movie that relies heavily on special effects to tell its tale, nor does it rely on special effects to be an effective movie. Instead, director Taylor Hackford makes usage of carnal situations to cement the elements of pleasure and lust that drives John Milton and his surroundings.

I will say that "The Devil's Advocate" is the type of movie that you just have to watch, because it definitely was one of the more memorable and defining movies of the late 1990s. And it is quite an entertaining storyline in the movie.

My rating of "The Devil's Advocate" lands on a seven out of ten stars.

Movies about people getting involved with the Devil are quite common, but Al Pacino's deadpan performance makes this one especially cool. True, Keanu Reeves is a strange choice for a person who started out in Florida - especially since he still sounds like the guy from the "Bill & Ted" movies" - but he also does a good job. I am going to have to watch "The Devil's Advocate" again, just to see where...well, you'll see what I mean if you watch it. When this movie came out, I had never heard of Charlize Theron (although she had already starred in "That Thing You Do!"), but she showed the same chops that she would later bring to "Monster" and such movies. All in all, a really cool movie; you may never look at anything the same way again after watching this.

Vanity definitely IS my favorite sin...

The Devil's Advocate was just something different. It did not try to be deep and certainly did not take itself seriously making it good. It fortunately just follows its own path and throws you into a whole different world.

The acting in the Devil's Advocate was average. Keeanu Reeves was horrible as usual but Al Pacino fit his character perfectly. He seemed to have more fun with this role more than any other movie he has been in. He portrayed all the temptations we have inside of us. He kind of gave a glimpse of what type of person you would be when giving into those temptations and how it will just transform into something that is not human at all. Charlize Theron also gave a very interesting performance as she falls apart because of her loneliness and paranoia. The only problem I had with her performance is that she seemed as if she had some sort of southern accent at the beginning but it quickly vanished as you get deeper and deeper into the movie.

Directing, cinematography and writing were all good. Especially the cinematography making you feel as if not only the characters becoming more and more corrupt but as if the camera in which is looking into this story is being corrupted as well. So much of this happens it feels as if this movie just spins out of control which is probably a mistake of the director.

This movie does not portray the devil as a horrible crime riddled thing. It shows that the devil is inside of us and that devil is our temptations. Are temptation run through every little thing; Money, power, relationships and anything else that could give us a thrill. It shows that if we give into to our temptations it will not only reflect ourselves but become us.

The acting (Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino and Charlize Theron) was brilliant.

This film is scary as hell.

Favorite quotes:

"It's not a dream if it's true."

"Your belly's too full, your dick is sore, your eyes are bloodshot, and you're screaming for someone to help!"

"It's the goof of all time. Look but don't touch. Touch, but don't taste. Taste, don't swallow. Ahaha."

"Diaboli virtus in lumbis est. Diaboli virtus in lumbis est. The virtue of the devil is in his loins."

"Vanity, definitely my favorite sin."

this movie received many many bad reviews, including personal opinions of friends of mine ... however, the premise, script (although thin at times) and finished product were all amazing ... keanu reeves gives an extremely surprising performance ... when it starts off he is every character he has played, not a bad character actor, but not over the top, just a regular guy... but as the story progresses his ability takes on a transformation and he really astonishes ... of course, al pacino's performance goes without saying; he is a genius in any and all of his movies ... and charlize theron is at her best as she often is in her films ... however, despite both pacino's and theron's talented performances reeves is the one to watch ... look out for the change in him ... it is completely awe-inspiring...

A hotshot Florida lawyer is hired by a powerful New York law firm. Pacino is tailor-made for the role of the larger-than-life owner of the law firm. Reeves is miscast as the whiz kid lawyer who's in for more than he bargains for; his performance is so wooden that one can see every acting muscle being flexed to no avail. Theron and Nielsen are fine as the love interests. The film is reminiscent of "Rosemary's Baby," but is not as compelling as that film. Starting with an intriguing premise, it is engaging enough for the most part, but becomes increasingly ridiculous, including a contrived finale that seems to have been tacked on as an afterthought.

This movie has great pacing and every shot furthers the story. The dialogue is great and feels true to the situation. I feel that the cgi was a little confusing in certain situations and could have easily been practical but that is likely a product of the time it was filmed. I enjoyed the subtle pokes at what's really happening while still trying to see things from Keanues perspective.

What a surprisingly rewarding film. I have not watched a film that is so engaging for a long while. I had never even heard of the film before and only saw it by chance on the shelf at the video store. I am glad I picked it up as I enjoyed every minute of it. The Devil's advocate is heavy viewing, it is not a light cinema experience, yet it is rewarding in it's heaviness. It is very clever depicting the devil realistically and giving a totally truthful example of how people can un-knowingly be sucked in by evil. The film though dealing with a unrealistic concept is totally believable due the the fantastic acting by all involved. Keanu Reeves gives the performance of a life time, he is perfectly cast opposite Charliez Theron who is also very impressive. The two posses an obvious chemistry. I recommend you see this movie ASAP!

Pun intended for the title. While not many horror factors are incorporated, the constant subjects of the devil and hell and death are very creepy. But they are fun too.

Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, two of the best actors on God's Green Earth, pulled off very sick devils. As an actor, playing either God or the Devil is one of the highest callings. De Niro pulled off a pretty sick devil in 1987's Angelheart. Ten years later, Pacino dazzles us with his own devil. Reeves is the movie's main character, but it is Pacino that steals the show. While Angelheart is a straight-up horror movie, De Niro's devil is simply scarier than Pacino's, as this is a thriller with a horror undertone. I also found this to be a better movie.

Pacino plays the devil who is the head of the world's most powerful law firm located in New York City. He recruits Keanu Reeves, who's 64-0 record proves he can punish the guilty one day then make the guilty look more innocent than a child the next. Reeves and wife, Theron, move to a lavish New York life, too good to be true. Reeves is unaware what's on the line as everything of his could go straight to hell.

This really gives lawyers a bad name. Sadly, it is true. Sometimes, lawyers can be bad people as they free monsters. This Gothic fairly tale makes fun of this theory in an-over-the-top way, that is thrilling, fun, and scary. This was done before Keanu Reeves sold out and Pacino started doing good and bad movies, so both actors do mighty fine jobs. Supporting actors such as Charlize Theron and Craig T Nelson are just as good.

3.5/4

"The Devil's Advocate" is a very well made film, I won't deny that. But, oddly, at the same time, it's a most unpleasant movie...and after a while I was looking forward to it ending.

When the story begins, Kevin (Keanu Reeves) is winning yet another case as a defense attorney. In fact, you soon learn that when he worked as a prosecutor, he never lost as well...an amazing record. So, it's not all that surprising that a huge and very prestigious New York lawfirm would come looking for his services. Little did he realize that the man in charge (Al Pacino) is demonic....though since he's a lawyer, I found this part pretty easy to believe.

Through the course of this film, you see Kevin repeatedly making bad choices and losing his soul. But how this happens...well, that makes the film a bit hard to watch at times. I could say more...but it's a very adult film and occasionally very unpleasant.

This is a hard movie for me to rate. Technically, it's well made. The acting, direction and look of the film are great. But the story itself is so downbeat and unpleasant that I can see the picture is not for everyone, that's for sure.