Vanity is my favourite sin.

Rating: 7/10 (3 October 2009)

Young hotshot Florida lawyer Kevin Lomax is lured to New York to work for a powerful law firm run by John Milton. With his wife Mary-Ann in tow, everything at first seems idyllic. But Mary-Ann starts to see unpleasant things and all may not be quite what it seems with Milton and his all powerful operation.
Starring Al Pacino {Milton}, Keanu Reeves {Kevin} and Charlize Theron {Mary-Ann} and directed by Taylor Hackford {An Officer and a Gentleman}, The Devil's Advocate is adapted from the novel written by Andrew Neiderman. Going for a more traditional style of story telling as opposed to a heavy effects laden one, Hackford's movie was met with a mixed reception by critics and horror aficionados alike. Not surprisingly, because although it has horror elements in it, the film is more a cunningly crafted thriller embracing ethics, power, sex and prestige. All structured around a classical type villain and his new favourite protégée. A touch overlong, the film however is always interesting, be it Mary-Ann's slow decent into borderline madness, or the legal and court room morality on show. There is a lot to take in and enjoy here, even stuff to admire.
Pacino gives one of his effervescent performances as Milton, and it's not hard to see why he was tempted in to take on this role. He gets to swagger with a glint in his eye, and the finale gives him license to shout a lot. Vintage Pacino really. Reeves is the perfect foil to Pacino's scene stealing's, and a pre-famous Theron is gorgeous and really heartfelt in what is the films pivotal character. Good support comes from Jeffrey Jones, Connie Nielsen and Craig T. Nelson. To leave a good film working from a good source story, to which The Devil's Advocate rewards if one can lower horror expectations and expect a more genre molded picture. 7/10