The Devil ought to sue

Rating: Null/10 (14 April 1999)

Many people really enjoyed this movie, but I have to admit (in rather flaky terms) that I'm the Devil's advocate regarding this.
"The Devil's Advocate" is OK. Actually, it was pretty campy. Some parts of it were so campy that they were sad. "Advocate" attempts to examine lofty material such as instinct versus ethics and free will, but it never reaches its goal. The material is discussed, but it's discussed so clumsily, so abruptly, and so flimsily, that the discussions seem more like an attempt to convince the viewer that this isn't really a slasher flick - that it's really a sophisticated film. Well, it's really a poor amalgamation of thriller, slasher flick, and comedy-drama.
As for Al Pacino's highly-praised performance, it's pretty neat - all 30 minutes of it. It's also neat as long as you consider that Al Pacino was really playing Al Pacino. The female performers were extremely annoying. Charlize Theron, who played Kevin Lomax's (Keanu Reeves) wife, doesn't do much besides scream, whine, and take her clothes off. Otherwise, there's a lot of lesbian-like activity between supporting characters who don't do much besides sneer and touch each other's breasts. Keanu Reeves' performance is very good, but his accent really gets in the way. It's difficult to take seriously someone whose accent is not only not real but sounds like a cross between "In the Heat of the Night" and "Deliverance." This is not Reeves' fault; it's the director's fault. Not every southerner, certainly not every Floridian, has a southern accent. Why does Kevin Lomax need one?
I do give this movie credit for a great monologue (spoken by Al Pacino), interesting special effects (although not always the top of the line), and a surprise ending.
If you're terribly bored one evening and there's nothing good on TV, this is a night's entertainment. Even the Devil might get a kick out of it.