The Devil's Advocate

Plot synopsis:
Kevin Lomax (Keanu Reeves) is a successful defense attorney in Gainesville, Florida. After successfully defending a high school teacher, Gettys, who is accused of molesting a young girl named Barbara (Heather Matarazzo). He is celebrating with his wife Mary Ann (Charlize Theron) when he is approached by a representative for a New York law firm, Leamon Heath (Ruben Santiago-Hudson). The Lomaxes go to New York, and Kevin proves his expertise while picking a jury. A sharply-dressed John Milton (Al Pacino) watches him from afar. The next day, Kevin receives word that Gettys has been acquitted. More so, the jury only deliberated for 38 minutes before bringing in the verdict.Heath shows Kevin around the office, and he is distracted by Christabella (Connie Nielsen), a beautiful young lawyer. He meets Milton, and reveals part of his success is due to eavesdropping on juries while they deliberate. Milton shows Lomax the roof, which contains an infinity pool, and quizzes Lomax about his history. A job offer is implied. Heath and his wife Jackie (Tamara Tunie) takes the Lomax's to their spacious, luxurious apartment.The next day, Kevin meets the team and Pam (Debra Monk), who hands him his first case. He meets his client, Phillipe Moyez (Delroy Lindo), who practices voodoo and is on trial after being found sacrificing a goat. Kevin begins his research while Mary Ann tries to decorate the apartment. Kevin successfully defends Moyez and Milton is impressed.The Lomaxes attend a party at Managing Director Eddie Barzoon's (Jeffrey Jones) lavish apartment. Milton flirts with Mary Ann, suggesting she change her hair, and Kevin chats with Christabella. Milton brings Eddie, Heath and Kevin to his suite and tells them he wants Kevin for the high-profile murder trial of Alexander Cullen (Craig T. Nelson), a businessman accused of killing his wife, his wife's stepson, and a maid. Eddie and Heath are not happy with the decision to use Kevin as council. That night, Kevin returns to his apartment to find Mary Ann furious that she was left alone at the party.Kevin meets Alexander and convinces him that he can defend him. Mary Ann, Jackie and Eddie's wife Diana (Pamela Gray) try on expensive dresses, and Mary Ann watches as Jackie's face transforms into a demonic scowl. Kevin tries to console Mary Ann to no avail. After sadly claiming that she misses Kevin and feels lonely, Kevin suggests that they try to have a child. They begin to have sex, and Kevin imagines Mary Ann as Christabella. Mary Ann realizes something is wrong, and they stop.Kevin conducts a briefing of Alexander, and shows skill. On the way back from a fancy dinner, Kevin, Mary Ann and Kevin's mother (Judith Ivey) meet Milton. Milton tries to charm her, but she seems struck by Milton, as if she knows him from somewhere. Kevin resists the impulse to meet with Milton and hot women in his suite, but Mary Ann sees through it and gets angry. Kevin's mom tries to convince him to leave and return to Florida.Kevin begins research and interviews. He finds Eddie working late, shredding documents. Eddie tells Kevin to ignore the activities going on, and mentions Weaver at the Justice Department. Milton shows up and invites Kevin to a boxing match. On the subway, they are accosted by a punk, and Milton tells him (in perfect Spanish) to check on his girl, who is cheating on him...The night continues, with Milton partying and Kevin trying to explain himself to Mary Ann over the phone. Milton and Kevin sit with a group of beautiful women, Kevin talking with them as Milton watches with a smile. Meanwhile, Mary Ann is awakened by a noise, and finds a child in the apartment. She notices, to her horror, that the child is playing with a pile of ovaries. The next day, Kevin tells her it's a dream, but she is still freaked out. She tells Kevin that she found out that she's incapable of bearing children. He's interrupted by the phone.Alexander tells Kevin he's been unfaithful, and was having an affair with his secretary during the night of the murder. Milton wants Kevin to quit the case and take care of Mary Ann, but Kevin wants to prove himself. Milton relents.The trial starts. Kevin's strategy is to make Alexander look awful, so he can later prove Alexander was sleeping with his secretary at the time of the murder.Eddie later confronts Kevin about his promotion, and threatens to go to the Justice Department. Kevin tells Milton about the threat, and Eddie is chased by phantom joggers, then is beaten to death by homeless men who appear as demons. Mary Ann watches from her apartment window.Kevin briefs the secretary, Melissa (Laura Harrington), and in doing so figures out that she has never had sex with Cullen. He then learns about Eddie's death. He is perturbed by both the death and the secretary's lies. On the subway again, Milton tells Kevin to go with his gut. Back in the courtroom, as Milton watches, Kevin calls the secretary to the stand. She testifies, and Alexander is cleared. Upon returning home, Kevin discovers Mary has gone to a local church and is very ill.Mary Ann tells Kevin that Milton came to the apartment and talked with her for hours. Lonely and desperate, Mary Ann began to have sex with Milton, but when she told him to stop, Milton violently raped her. Kevin thinks Mary is crazy, as he had seen Milton in court. She insists that she isn't crazy and shows Kevin that her body is covered with bloody scratches. Thinking that she has done this to herself, he has her committed to a mental hospital.Later, Kevin attends Eddie's funeral, and Alexander arrives with his 14-year-old stepdaughter, Alessandra. Kevin watches as Cullen begins stroking Alessandra's skin sensually, and suddenly has a vision of Cullen as Gettys, the pedophile he had defended in Gainesville. Realizing that Cullen was having an affair with his underaged stepdaughter and that Mary Ann may not be crazy after all, Kevin leaves the church. He is met by Mitch Weaver (Vyto Ruginis), who tells him that Eddie was going to testify against Milton. He convinces Kevin only after telling him that Gettys was found with the body of ten-year-old girl in the trunk of his car. Weaver tries to cross to Kevin to talk further, but is hit by a car and killed. As this happens, Milton smirks and boils holy water with his touch.Kevin goes to visit Mary Ann in the psych ward, and his mom is there. She tells Kevin his father was a NYC waiter, and Mary Ann sees Pam as a demon. She locks the door and slits her throat while Pam looks on. Later, Kevin's mother tells him the truth about his father - it's Milton! Kevin realizes Milton has been watching and helping him all along.Kevin leaves to see Milton, and Pam reassures him. No one is on the streets as he walks through New York. Kevin confronts Milton in his office and shoots him, but it has no effect. Milton reveals that he indeed is Satan, and Christabella is his half-sister. Milton wants them to take over the firm and conceive a baby. Kevin starts negotiating the deal, and the sculptures come alive. Christabella seduces Kevin, but at the critical moment, he commits suicide by shooting himself in the head.Enraged, Milton explodes into flames. As Kevin falls to the floor, Christabella shrivels to a mummified corpse, and Milton changes to his true angelic form, which looks exactly like Kevin. Suddenly, the entire scene rewinds back to the opening scene of the movie where Kevin finds himself facing a restroom mirror in the Florida courtroom. Kevin is contemplating defending the teacher whom he knows is guilty. He also finds Mary Ann waiting for him outside the men's room as he returns to the courtroom to begin cross examination of Barbara the victim to discredit her testimony. Before he can begin, he announces to the judge and jury that he cannot proceed with the trial and quits as the legal council saying that it's the right thing. Kevin, aware of what has happened to him, realizes that by divine intervention, he has been given a second chance to do good rather then for what he is told to.As Kevin and Mary Ann leave the courthouse, he is pursued by a reporter (the same one from the restroom at the beginning) to ask him for an exclusive interview about his decision to quit the case and of being "a lawyer with a conscience". Kevin initially refuses, but when the reporter and Mary Ann both encourage him, Kevin agrees to phone him later for the exclusive.As Kevin and Mary Ann walk out of the courthouse, the reporter morphs into John Milton, who smiles and adds the closing line: "Vanity... definitely my favorite sin."

Tags: psychological, murder, paranormal, allegory, cult, intrigue, violence, thought-provoking, insanity, psychedelic, satire

Review:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Keanu Reeves gives the performance of a life time, he is perfectly cast opposite Charliez Theron who is also very impressive.
The best acting we get here is from Charlize Theron which is no surprise to me considering how well she has done since in films like Monster.
It does run for nearly two and a half hours but they run quicker than you can imagine and as soon as the film finishes you will be wanting to watch it all over again so you can see where everything makes sense.Al Pacino does pack a punching performance to the very end and is as crazy as ever if a little over the top at times but without him we wouldn't be talking about this film as much..
Hot-shot Floridian defense attorney Kevin Lomax (Keanu Reeves) is head-hunted by New York's most powerful law firm, unaware that his new boss (Al Pacino) is The Devil.For The Devil's Advocate, director Taylor Hackford breathes fresh life into several well-worn satanic horror themes, skillfully weaving them into a slick, big-budget horror/thriller that delivers on many levels: it's smartly written, sexy, intelligent, and well-acted, with a particularly fine, lip-smacking performance from Pacino, who owns every scene he is in.
Above all else, though, The Devil's Advocate is thoroughly entertaining throughout.The film is perhaps a little light on scares and gore for some horror fans, but there is a genuinely creepy atmosphere to compensate, the script is gripping and imaginative enough that one soon forgets about the lack of stuff like bowel-loosening jumps and exploding heads, and to top it all, Charlize Theron and Connie Nielsen both get completely starkers.
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.
Kevin Lomax (Keanu Reeves)is a young and successful attorney, in fact so successful that, as we are reminded time and again in the movie, he has never lost a case.
Although Keanu Reeves holds his own in this film, this piece of cinema is an Al Pacino show.Pacino must have loved playing the devil, it shows in every word, in every gesture in his performance.
I was initially dismissive of this film; it was only the ending I truly enjoyed, thanks to Al Pacino's epic speech, Keanu Reeve's epic solution, and all the epic special effects that came out of the woodwork (or stonework as the case may be).
Acting is fantastic: Al Pacino easily steals the show as the title character, while Keanu Reeves does his best to be earnest, and Charlize Theron flexes some impressive acting muscle.
Devils Advocate is probably the best Hollywood movie of the 90`s, and surely the best Hackford`s film.
Pacino plays the devil who is the head of the world's most powerful law firm located in New York City.
This was done before Keanu Reeves sold out and Pacino started doing good and bad movies, so both actors do mighty fine jobs.
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.
i loved this movie, the script is out of the world, the cast is great, the performance is best.I had seen some of the parts of this movie on TV.I didn't understood where the story was heading or what the story is so i was not interested in this movie but one day while surfing channels i saw some credits rolling i got excited which movie it is and then saw its name the devils advocate.Obviously i thought its not a good movie u know but decided to give it a try the scene where Keanu Reeves prosecutes the girl that scene made me go wow what a scene it was;the best prosecution i have ever heard.Then the movie went on revealing its elements one by one.I loved it so much cant describe it in words.If someone in this world haven't seen it go for it..
The law firm offered to Kevin not only a great salary but a luxurious apartment in which the couple now lives.They struggle to adapt to their new lifestyle in New York and at some point Mary Ann starts to feel unease in this new life but Kevin is assigned several cases and pays less and less attention to his wife.Then strange events start to occur and all of them seem linked to enigmatic senior board member and Kevin's boss, John Milton,played by Al Pacino...I was pleasantly surprised with this movie and I enjoyed every minute of it.The movie turns out to be something different then you expect and has a dramatic change of tone towards the end.I advise to go into this movie with the least possible knowledge of the plot.Allow yourself to be surprised.Due the course of the movie you keep wondering if the movie is gonna go one way or the other and this unpredictability makes the movie a great experience.Keanu Reeves delivers a great performance, and so does Charlize Theron.Al Pacino was the star thought, he plays once again an over the top character and displays some of the finest acting I've seen.A must-see thriller.8/10.
I can't take my eyes off them.Keanu Reeves is often mocked for his lack of expressiveness, but this time his casual manner is the perfect foil for his co-star's maniacal air of mischief.Ultimately the movie abandons all attempt at any kind of moral/legal parallel by the finale, choosing instead just to give Al space for his personalised, paraphrased riffs on Paradise Lost material, so if you're expecting consistently sensible and thought-provoking, then you're probably at the wrong gig.
Al Pacino is at his eat-the-scenery best in "Devil's Advocate."  Keanu Reaves and Charlize Theron also stand out in a uniformly talented cast.
True entertainment only comes without limits.Seeing how my recent obsession with Charlize Theron has intensified in the last few weeks (may be the rather appalling effect of stress and responsibility which makes me want to elude reality), I got around to seeing the so renowned Devil's Advocate.The film as such is a fun ride and, by all means, very well done.
It is however a clever film, with some good performances from both Charlize and Pacino (who does his usual tricks to amuse everyone), but which descends into dangerous territory towards the end.
"The Devil's Advocate" is much more believable, having a law firm at the center of the story.Kevi n Lomax(Keanu Reeves) is a modern day Clarence Darrow, having never lost a case.
I must say, at first I never really wanted to see the movie after it got some pretty bad reviews, however, after going through the Keanu Reeves syndrome, I decided to watch this film, and I was glad that I did.
As for Charlize Theron, as this was one of her first films, I think she did a very good job of playing such a serious role at the age of 22.
The Devils Advocate is a good thriller with flaws from director Taylor Hackford whose admirable in making this movie about a hotshot lawyer who gets a lot more than he barged after when he learns that his new boss is Lucifer himself.
Keanu Reeves is solid as Kevin Lomax the hotshot lawyer and Al Pacino is better than ever clearly enjoying his chance to play Satan.
Overall though The Devil's Advocate is a decent thriller thats creepy with some suspense, surprises, and exceptional performances by the cast who make this overlong movie worth watching at least once..
But whatever, even if somethings were changed, I cannot say anything bad about this film, where Keanu Reeves has one of his best roles as Kevin Lomax and Charlize Theron became famous.
Becoming rich and powerful, he did not pay attention in what's happening around him, including his wife Mary Ann. His boss John Milton, seems to always know how to overcome every problem, making things for Kevin, in a way, get worst and worst.
The Devils Advocate is a film I thoroughly enjoyed even though it does have Keanu Reeves in it.
I'm not Keanu's biggest fan  but loved The Matrix and Point Break and somewhat surprisingly its his performance which made me like Devils Advocate.
However Theron is the real star of the show and her mental and physical decline is harrowing to watch.One interesting part of this film is that as you watch you don't know if its going to suddenly turn into a full horror like the omen or persue the more obvious thriller route.
At times Keanu does look out of his depth in the acting department, especially next to Pacino and Theron but he carries the film well.
Pacino is fun and Charlize Theron as Reeves wife makes her mark in that huge cast.
Too much gratuitous sex and blood hiding the real horror of the theme, a poor performance from Keanu "But Don't You Think I Sound Like I'm From Georgia" Reaves, and Al Pacino hamming it up and basically playing himself.
Right to the point,this is one of the finest performances from keanu reeves and indeed Al pacino(best i consider scarface).This is one of the finest thriller movies I have ever seen.The film has a great plot with great performances and you should definitely watch this movie and you will be surprised how you didn't watch it before and haven't heard of it as much as the great movies like the shawshank redemption,forrest gump,etc.
Al Pacino is the best possible choice for his part (probably why they offered it to him 5 or 6 times) I caught this movie at 4 in the morning without any prior knowledge of what it was about, it drew me in that quickly and now i consider it a favorite of mine.If it was made with the original intent of having Brad Pitt as Kevin Lomax it would 10 of 10 without a doubt.
It seems to Kevin like she is loosing her grip on reality, but soon enough he'll find out about John Milton's true identity and the reason why he wanted Kevin as his protégé...What I like most about this movie, next to the excellent portrayal of this fine story, is the performance of Al Pacino.
Keanu Reeves is nice to watch as the hotshot lawyer and Charlize Theron's fine performance was very prominent in this movie, even though she had a smaller role.As I already said, the portrayal of the story is also very nice.
And who is better to cast as the devil than Al Pacino?Ultimately, it might not be the kind of film I'd watch more than twice, or maybe even once.
So almost two decades passed before I caught up with "Devil's Advocate" (1997), a film with plenty of sex and violence that is a savage critique of the American legal profession and a challenge to the Christian conception of the Almighty.Al Pacino plays the diabolical head of a sprawling corporate empire who gives a splendidly over-the-top performance.
Also, actors and actress have a impact on watching the film with integrating the roles of their.Al Pacino, Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron are leading roles.
The film explains life of a successful lawyer Kevin Lomax (Keanu Reeves ) that his life changes after he meets rich businessman John Milton (Al Pacino).
Charlize Theron strikes a few false notes here and there, and Keanu Reeves obviously isn't the best actor in the worldBut this is clearly Al Pacino's show.
Young hotshot Florida lawyer Kevin Lomax is lured to New York to work for a powerful law firm run by John Milton.
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.
This comment is about actors and about actors only.Plot is about young lawyer Kevin Lomax (Keanu Reeves), who comes to New York from Florida, so he can work in the most powerful law firm in the world.
Soon, Kevin is sinking in his new cases and pays less and less attention to his wife, who feels homesick and has all sorts of bizarre thoughts connected with devil.I just love to watch performances from actors in these sort of movies.
An Oscar worthy performance.Keanu Reeves is our young lawyer and he really looks like one but this is not his role.
I never get tired of watching this performance.He has a great supporting cast here with Keanu Reeves as a lawyer that will do anything to win.
The way that temptations are shown, heaven and hell mixed at the same place and the chance of choice between good and bad actions (like the Matrix problem..."choice"), and an intelligent story that has to be seen, without distracting, to reach the top of an extremely good script, is a total pleasure to the viewer.About the Movie: Keanu Reeves plays Kevin Lomax (a name that suits well for the actor) an attorney from Florida that is well respected and who hasn't lost a case.
It is all that a young attorney would ever dream about, but things are not what they seem.Keanu Reeves gives a good performance, probably his best as of yet, as Kevin Lomax and Charlize Theron is typically good as Lomax's wife who slowly slips into schizophrenia.
OK...Here is an almost perfect movie.Keanue Reeves plays Kevin Lomax, a hot shot lawyer from Gables, Florida who is spotted by a big New York Law Firm, headed by a man named John Milton (Al Pacino).
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.
Keanu Reeves isn't really the man you look up when you want good acting or diverse characters(he did do excellent work in The Gift, mind you); however, here, he manages to hand in a fairly decent performance...
Keeanu Reeves put on a great performance as an hard-nosed lawyer from Florida in "The Devil's Advocate".
So-so allegorical tale follows shallow hotshot Florida lawyer Kevin Lomax (Keanu Reeves), who hasn't lost a case, and his beautiful young wife Mary Ann (Charlize Theron) to a prestigious NY law firm.
I thought this would just be another attempt for Keanu Reeves to try and make a good movie, but I was wrong.
Reeves plays the title character Kevin Lomax well, and Al Pacino is 'divine' as the head of this law firm who really is 'you-know-who'.
Charlize Theron, who played Kevin Lomax's (Keanu Reeves) wife, doesn't do much besides scream, whine, and take her clothes off.
Keanu Reeves' performance is very good, but his accent really gets in the way.
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.
And people like that, who is symbolized by the Keanu Reeves character, are going to come face to face with the devil in the future!
Pacino's characther of John Milton has a member of his law firm recruit hotshot Florida defense attorney Kevin Lomax (Keanu Reeves) to New York City to practice law for his firm, but soon does Lomax and his wife Mary Ann (Charlize Theron) learn not only are there cases to be won, but souls to be lost.
THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE (1997) ***Starring: Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino, Charlize Theron, Craig T.
I think Keanu Reeves grew up a little with this performance, although, at times, he forgot the Southern accent lawyer Lomax was supposed to carry.Pacino was good in everything.