The Devil in Ms. Lomax.

Rating: 4/10 (6 September 2006)

Nicely photographed and generally well acted. It's a pleasure to look at it on the screen. And there's some nifty dialog.
Charlize Theron is like chewing gum for the eyes, with her chubby cheeks and pretty, plump lips. You've just got to love ballerinas. And Connie Nielson is a treat too, although of a different kind. Not chewing gum exactly. Maybe a sourball. She has a distinctively sensual squint from which two surprisingly innocent eyes seem to glow. Nobody projects virginal depravity better than she.
Al Pacino is reliable in a loud and expansive role, waving his arms, "Hoo"-ing his way through the movie, eyes abulge. Keanu Reeves looks handsome as a Southern lawyer although he doesn't bring much to the part. He can shout as well as Pacino but it's like watching an animatronic figure in Disneyland's Hall of Presidents shout. The effort shows through the performance and it's not really very convincing. Also, saints preserve us, how naive can a lawyer be? But even if everything else were perfect, the movie would still be confused about exactly what it's trying to be. A story of corruption at high-income levels, like "The Firm" or "Wall Street"? A courtroom drama? The dramatic story of a devoted wife's breakdown? A supernatural thriller grappling with Big Questions? In the end it turns out to be a kind of ragout with the ingredients dominating in the order they're listed above. The climax is entirely and fantastically supernatural.
And what theology it is! Catechism is more complicated. This theology is really very simple. There's a real, genuine Christian God (who is of no help whatever, except that he's given us "free will"). There is a good old-fashioned devil whose sole aim seems to be to noodge God and tick Him or Her off like a pebble in a shoe. The devil organized this gigantic and successful law firm because he wants to acquit everyone. (If he weren't a fallen angel he'd be all for burning at the stake.) There's a heaven, just as we've been told, and it seems like a Christian heaven. And there's a hell too. And judging from the last scene, involving a naked Nielson and orgiastic figures in a huge bas relief, the chiefest of sins is sex. It almost seems that the religious theme is built around Reeves' fundamentalist faith.
And, boy, is there punishment. At the end, just as he's about to do Connie Nielson, Reeves decides to shoot himself instead. Now, this strikes me as a major error in judgment, but let it go. As Reeves' dead body topples towards the floor, Pacino, the devil in the case, begins screaming, "NOOO! NOOO!" Connie Nielsen drops dead and rots on screen. Pacino somehow loses his clothes and then is burned alive -- or dead -- whatever. Everyone is shrieking and the screen is filled with special effects. It isn't explained how this particular earthly enterprise of the devil's can be destroyed by the suicide of one dumb guy.
It's pleasant to look at it, yes, but I'd have settled for that courtroom drama instead of this confused and confusing mishmash.