How to do genre with style. . .

Rating: 7/10 (5 June 2000)

Somebody once said that after Shakespeare, every drama is a Faustian tale of sorts. Which makes you wonder how films like Devil's Advocate are so good, if it's just the same old stuff over again.
But I guess it goes to show that you can still do any old story provided you do it with enthusiasm, class and a sense of humour. And as they say, movies are script, casting, and the rest in that order. This is a very good script - great lines, well paced and some good twists which you can work out but what the heck, it's a good ride anyway.
Casting Keanu Reeves as the lawyer about to sell his soul - well, somebody was having a quiet chuckle somewhere, but Keanu gives it his best shot. Against Al Pacino who has been given a licence to go Completely Over the Top, well it must have been a daunting prospect, but Keanu pulls it off much better than you'd expect.
Pacino puts the whole thing into perspective and keeps the viewer happy with a humdinger performance as a campy but very plausible and convincing Lucifer. Charlize Theron is wonderful as Mary Anne. Everybody puts in and there is an interesting ending which I liked more than some other reviewers.
Pact-with-the-devil stories can be horrendous if they are taken too seriously, but Devil's Advocate just stays on the right side of pretentiousness. And irony of setting has never been better exemplified than with Donald Trump's apartment as a set location. The sin of hubris manifested. . .
I just wish that the makers of End of Days had taken a few lessons from this one.