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10

Paramilitary400May 17, 2015

Devil's Advocate has stellar acting from Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino. The plot is very intricate and there are
many creepy moments brought on by Pacino's performance. The movie is exciting and brilliantly original in every area a viewer canDevil's Advocate has stellar acting from Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino. The plot is very intricate and there are
many creepy moments brought on by Pacino's performance. The movie is exciting and brilliantly original in every area a viewer can rate this movie on. The movie will keep you engaged until the epilogue of the movie. One of the smartest psychological thrillers of the 90's and one of the best movies of 1997 easily. This is one of the most underrated movies ever.… Expand

67 of 67 users found this helpful670

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9

pedelcosaDec 30, 2012

The movie plot is interesting, it makes a good effort at presenting a Christian view of some of the ethical & spiritual difficulties (albeit magnified) a young up-and-coming attorney goes through. Despite potential theological or doctrinalThe movie plot is interesting, it makes a good effort at presenting a Christian view of some of the ethical & spiritual difficulties (albeit magnified) a young up-and-coming attorney goes through. Despite potential theological or doctrinal issues, the director and actors do a great job in this movie. Free will is a simple yet key aspect of the plot, with special reference to balancing marriage a work, as well as work ethics. I have seen this movie many times. Best wishes… Expand

24 of 24 users found this helpful240

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10

FarsheedJun 5, 2016

It is one of the movies which has been always underestimated by critics. The Devil's Advocate is absolutely one the most brilliant performances by Al Pacino let alone that it has a so interesting story.

17 of 17 users found this helpful170

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10

FilipeNetoSep 19, 2020

It's always a pleasure to see this film. Its one of those films that makes us think and that touches on one interesting theme: the eternal struggle between Good and Evil, between God and his eternal enemy, the Devil. And this film gives us,It's always a pleasure to see this film. Its one of those films that makes us think and that touches on one interesting theme: the eternal struggle between Good and Evil, between God and his eternal enemy, the Devil. And this film gives us, precisely, the best interpretation of the Prince of Evil that cinema has ever seen!

The script could hardly be better: we followed the trajectory of meteoric success of a Florida lawyer, Kevin Lomax, who is hired by a prestigious New York law firm run by John Milton who, without anyone knowing, is the Devil himself. The position is so good that Lomax doesn't even think twice: an excellent salary, a large and good apartment and other perks in exchange for a permanent effort on behalf of the company, defending cases that, at first sight, seem lost. But things will get worse when he has to choose between work and personal life.

Gradually, the audience begins to realize the whole thing, starting with the high level of amorality and perversion that reigns in the firm, where the boss flaunts his sexual affairs with assistants and employees, and where company's parties end in authentic orgies. Equally striking are the dialogues, most notably the monologues of Al Pacino, which are never tedious but rather exciting. Throughout the film there are several veiled mentions to "Paradise Lost", a classic of English literature, and sometimes we even see Lomax about to fall from grace, too, as happened to Adam.

In addition to an interesting story, the strongest point of this film is the impeccable and overwhelming work of Al Pacino, which overshadows the rest of the cast. I think he liked his character a lot and the result of his commitment is another great work... it's not his best because he made a lot of colossal films and characters ("The Godfather", "Serpico", "Scent of a Woman" etc). By the way he "defended" diabolical action in his arguments and reasoning, he turns out to be the real Devil's advocate. Keanu Reeves, who played Lomax, gives us a very good job, full of talent, but he is clearly overshadowed by Pacino. In the supporting cast there are still good performances by Charlize Theron, Jeffrey Jones and Connie Nielsen.

Technically, it is a film that has it's value but knows how to give space to the story told and the performance of the cast, never falling into the temptation to allow technique to override dramatic art. Cinematography is very good, and makes an intelligent use of light and shadow to create the most appropriate environment for each sequence and scene. Manhattan's urban landscapes are already known to any movie buff, but they always look good on film and have been well used here. The sets are extraordinary, thought to the detail. Being a film that spends a lot of time in the characters' houses, the creation of indoor environments was important and each apartment reveals a lot about the character that inhabits it: for example, the detail of Milton's apartment not having a single bedroom... the Devil never sleeps, in fact. Finally, a word for the special, visual and sound effects, that appear punctually but are extremely well made, and also for the soundtrack, which includes an excellent original score by James Newton Howard and some well-known songs, like "Paint it Black".… Expand

16 of 16 users found this helpful160

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10

SolariumJan 12, 2020

A+ *************************************************************************

16 of 16 users found this helpful160

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10

PressyourluckFeb 16, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This movie has numerous, thrills, mystery and surprises. It is one of the slickest thrillers from 1997. Easily this was in the top 10 movies from that year, this movie delivers the goods on every level along with a brilliant twist for the viewer.… Expand

16 of 16 users found this helpful160

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10

oustApr 27, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. John Milton: [On the roof] What do you think? Some people can't handle it

Kevin Lomax: It's peaceful

John Milton: My sentiments exactly, fill in the resume for me, what does your father do?

Kevin Lomax: I never got to know my father, he passed away before I was born my mother raised me just the two of us

John Milton: That can't be easy in a town like Gainesville can it?

Kevin Lomax: I don't think it's easy anywhere

John Milton: A little different when you looking down isn't it?

Kevin Lomax: Yes it is

John Milton: Your mother, what's she like?

Kevin Lomax: She's a preacher's daughter she's tough she's worked at the same poultry as I can remember she's got a church she really likes, she's usually there or they go out and do a lot of volunteer work

John Milton: Did it rub off? The book or the church?

Kevin Lomax: No I'm on parole early release for time served

John Milton: A lot of potential clients down there

Kevin Lomax: why do you need a criminal department?

John Milton: Our clients break the law like anyone else just tired of sending their business across the street

Kevin Lomax: Are you offering me a job?

John Milton: I'm thinking about it, I know you got talent, I knew that before you got here its just the other thing I wonder about: Pressure it changes everything some people you squeeze them, they focus others fold can you summon your talent at will? Can you deliver on a deadline? Can you sleep at night?

Kevin Lomax: When do we talk about money?

John Milton: Money? That's the easy part… Expand

16 of 16 users found this helpful160

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10

Exemplify78May 18, 2021

⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙
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16 of 16 users found this helpful160

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9

NdiMay 3, 2013

The entire movie is a setup for the end, where Pacino delivers an incredible performance. An original movie, a good setup with an excellent closing. This is may be my favorite movie.

It would be a 10, but you can't just put Keanu Reeves onThe entire movie is a setup for the end, where Pacino delivers an incredible performance. An original movie, a good setup with an excellent closing. This is may be my favorite movie.

It would be a 10, but you can't just put Keanu Reeves on the same stage as Pacino. He looks like he's taking his first year acting exam. He's not an awful actor, but you can see the difference in class.

This is 10 rating movie, with a slight casting limitation. Definitely, definitely recommend.… Expand

27 of 29 users found this helpful272

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10

Ripcord33Apr 10, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. You would not give CPR to a person with a slashed neck. You would try to staunch the bleeding as Kevin inadequately does with his hand on Mary Anne's neck, but more in a choking position rather than to the carotid artery pressure point, and to keep the airway open from drowning blood.… Expand

10 of 10 users found this helpful100

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10

RindApr 23, 2021

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10 of 10 users found this helpful100

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10

ProlificApr 25, 2021

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9 of 9 users found this helpful90

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10

DefameApr 29, 2021

............................¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

9 of 9 users found this helpful90

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10

Maxilla328May 14, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Kevin Lomax (Reeves), a hot shot lawyer who's never lost a case. A master at getting the guilty acquitted, despite his belief in their guilt.

Mary Ann Lomax (Theron), Kevin's wife who dreams of a family and languishes in her husbands success.

And of course John Milton (Pacino), the head of the most powerful law firm in the world.

Milton recruits Lomax to his law firm and rewards him with the mega wages and the standard of life he and his wife have been longing for. An instant success Lomax becomes the hot property of the legal world, while Mary Ann continues to only dream of the family she so desires. Ill at ease and suspicious of everyone and everything, she begins her decent into madness, while Kevin continues to dominate the courtroom, with the aid of the brilliantly manipulative Milton. As the story unfolds, Kevin becomes seduced by the power Milton affords him, and Mary Ann becomes increasingly insane; or so it appears.

In a truly fantastic climatic sequence, Lomax learns the truth about himself and his family, and he tries one final shot at redemption (an attempt to spit in the Devils Face) that doesn't quite work out as he had hoped.

The secret to the appeal of this movie is the subtle visuals that project you into Mary Ann's state of mind, the seductive and manipulative methods used by the superbly cast John Milton, and the climax that is revolutionary to say the least.

An absolute masterpiece… Expand

9 of 9 users found this helpful90

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10

Vial44May 1, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The character of John Milton is named for John Milton, the author of "Paradise Lost," the classic epic poem about man's fall from God's grace. When Lomax is in Milton's office at the end of the film, he says "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven," from Book I Line 263 of the same work.… Expand

6 of 6 users found this helpful60

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10

Aversion68May 2, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The scene where Kevin and John have their first talk with Alexander Cullen (Craig T. Nelson) inside a building under construction originally ran longer; it was specified that Cullen and his wife were in the process of divorcing, and were already living apart. This fact would actually be an additional motive for Cullen to kill his wife, because if proof of his extramarital affair were to come out before the finalization of the divorce, Mrs Cullen would legally be entitled to half his fortune. The finished movie never explicitly states the pending divorce status, only that Mrs Cullen suspects that Alexander is cheating on her, which might be an incentive for Alexander to kill her and prevent her from filing for divorce.… Expand

6 of 6 users found this helpful60

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10

Chassis28May 7, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Are you the devil in disguise?

The film opens with a scene featuring the corrupt but brilliant lawyer skillfully defending an criminal(rapist) and cross examining the victim a young girl in her adolescence or younger. AS the scene progresses into transposes itself and vanishes as our lead role goes to the lavatory for a short break. Here the story of one mans unbelievable power of words begins to attract the attentions of the Satan as he begins to see him as a perfect addition to his family. The unsuspecting lawyer is then attracted towards his lair by one favour after another the promises of an opulent and lavish lifestyle the fantastic salary its all just to much for our naturally material minded human. This film has an incredible plot where slowly but surly our man starts to believe in something he would of considered unthinkable Paccino is absolutely flawless in his performance and virtually every member of the cast portrays there characters convincingly accurate. The plot had me glued to the screen throughout and believe me the last thirty minutes of this film have to be seen to be believed absolutely astounding !!!!… Expand

6 of 6 users found this helpful60

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10

Veranda44May 9, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. When Kevin is in the restroom speaking to Larry the reporter, a loud boom is heard before he splashes water on to his face. At the end of the movie, he awakens at the same bathroom, although no boom is heard. The boom indicates Kevin's entry into Milton's world, or the hallucination of it.… Expand

6 of 6 users found this helpful60

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10

Obstinate177May 15, 2021

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6 of 6 users found this helpful60

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10

Ulna319May 17, 2021

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10

Eulogist111May 21, 2021

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9

Pluto744Jun 20, 2021

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10

Exigent93Jun 6, 2021

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10

Catenary44Jun 7, 2021

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9

Aerialist277Jun 18, 2021

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4 of 4 users found this helpful40

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9

ReceptacleJun 22, 2021

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9

Palindrome704Jun 28, 2021

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10

HabibiehakimJun 27, 2021

What the hell that i just watch?, The Devil's Advocate is one of the most if not the most craziest movie i've ever watch, the movie fills with a non-stop weirdness, non-stop craziness, and non-stop terrifying, yet added with Al Pacino, KeanuWhat the hell that i just watch?, The Devil's Advocate is one of the most if not the most craziest movie i've ever watch, the movie fills with a non-stop weirdness, non-stop craziness, and non-stop terrifying, yet added with Al Pacino, Keanu Reeves, and Charlize Theron phenomenal performance, it's terrifying, weird, and crazy but incredible, i highly recommended.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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9

Anisette570Jul 11, 2021

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9

Xenophobe114Jun 25, 2021

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1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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9

Embalmer98Jun 9, 2021

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10

Atrium89May 24, 2021

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9

Autopsy904Jun 13, 2021

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9

Acquit77Jul 19, 2021

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9

Shroud189Jun 26, 2021

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8

CeltroMay 11, 2013

Finally got round to watching this film, and I wasn't dissapointed. Dark, stylish and good fun. Pacino is perfect as ever, and even Keanu holds his own here. Cool ending too.

5 of 25 users found this helpful520

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7

ThegodfathersonDec 14, 2013

Diverting supernatural hokum, elevated from the tolerable by a cracking, show-stealing performance by Al Pacino. It's mostly enjoyable, sporadically entertaining, but it might stretch your patience as it's nearly two-and-a-half hours long.

1 of 15 users found this helpful114

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5

amheretojudgeJan 16, 2018

go on..

The Devil's Advocate Setting up the plot and characters for more than an hour is too much especially if there isn't any thread to hold on to for the audience after which the movie paces up for its surprising final act but till thengo on..

The Devil's Advocate

Setting up the plot and characters for more than an hour is too much especially if there isn't any thread to hold on to for the audience after which the movie paces up for its surprising final act but till then it is hard to come back.… Expand

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8

SpangleMay 10, 2016

A thoroughly terrifying and dismaying morality play, The Devil's Advocate takes a deliciously twisted approach to supernatural thriller and blends it with a bit of courtroom drama to distract you from what is really on trial. Keanu Reeves isA thoroughly terrifying and dismaying morality play, The Devil's Advocate takes a deliciously twisted approach to supernatural thriller and blends it with a bit of courtroom drama to distract you from what is really on trial. Keanu Reeves is very good here, but has got nothing on Al Pacino and his turn here as Satan. Thoroughly evil, deceitful, and menacing, Pacino exudes evil here and plays the role perfectly, enticing the audience to both trust and fear him in unison as he wraps Reeves around his finger. An interesting take on revelations and the end of the world as well, The Devil's Advocate really messes with your mind and makes you wonder who among us could be a similar type of wolf in sheep's clothing. Overall, The Devil's Advocate takes a minute to kick it into high gear, but when it does, it is more than worth it.… Expand

0 of 14 users found this helpful014

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6

MadameQuelhasJun 6, 2013

It is not a brilliant movie, but it's amusing. The devil's character begun to be mysterious and with the right speech, but at the end it is ruined by the good vs devil's "cliché" conversation.

0 of 15 users found this helpful015

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8

MovieMasterEddyApr 3, 2016

'Devil's Advocate': Perfectly Evil.

IN: Satan OUT: God That is the premise of Taylor Hackford's preposterously entertaining "Devil's Advocate," in which Al Pacino gives the Devil his due and then some. A wicked parable for a wicked'Devil's Advocate': Perfectly Evil.

IN: Satan OUT: God

That is the premise of Taylor Hackford's preposterously entertaining "Devil's Advocate," in which Al Pacino gives the Devil his due and then some.

A wicked parable for a wicked age, the film presupposes a powerful Manhattan law firm in which the Big Guy Himself, Beelzebub, is the senior partner. His choppers gleaming, his eyes alight with the fire of a billion souls roasting in agony forever, his hair midnight-shiny with the self-confident Wildroot of all evil, Pacino plays John Milton (grad student symbolism alert: John Milton, 1608-1674, English poet who wrote "Paradise Lost"), Mr. Scratch in pinstripes. As his protein-rich hair and glossy smile attest, it's great work if you can get it.

The movie is in a genre that has nearly vanished from film culture: supernatural fantasy, ecclesiastical subset, the supreme work of which was "I Married a Witch" in 1942. But Hackford has a reactionary's adoration of old movie forms (remember his "An Officer and a Gentleman," the best service drama of 1946, except that it happened to be made in 1982). He shamelessly blasts ahead, as if he's made a deal with otherworldly powers. Hmmmm.

Unlike so many pagan entertainments that seem to have no moral center as they blow things up, this one in fact does. It's very small, but it's there: The Devil, it halfheartedly argues, is a bad person. Lust, avarice and bopping thy neighbor's wife are still no-nos, and if you decide they are for you, there will be consequences.

So underneath the fab performances and the computerized trickery by which people oozily morph into demons and then back to men in the blink of an eye, the movie is preaching that old-time religion. On the other hand, it doesn't have much confidence in God. He clearly needs a better stylist and wardrobe, and certainly a better publicist. He's nowhere to be seen, not even in the tabloids. In fact, his former acolyte offers the chilling Nietzschean proposition that He's really an absentee landlord. Theologically, the film says that God is here but He suffers from attention deficit disorder.

I am of course too highfalutin, too refined, too darn sensitive to resort to movie-crit-speak, but if I weren't, I might say that "Devil's Advocate" is "The Firm" meets "Rosemary's Baby," with a good deal more wit than either John Grisham or Ira Levin managed on their own. A tale of innocence struggling with corruption that could be traced back to Faust's first folly, the original Bad Career Move, it watches as talented, earnest but rather narrow country lawyer Kevin Lomax (Keanu Reeves, whose awkwardness helps rather than hurts his performance) is invited to New York, seduced by the hushed grandeur and the soft squish of big money in the offices of Milton Chadwick Waters and by the second reel has committed to Gotham's Big Law lifestyle. This includes a Park Avenue apartment with a hundred or so rooms, interesting cases, flashy, fleshy parties and rubbing shoulders with people who've clearly already sold their souls to get where they are. (Alfonse D'Amato, did you read the script before you agreed to appear? And . . . where's Howard Stern?)

But even as he is being mentored and semi-seduced by the glossy Milton and absorbed into the lifestyle of the demimonde, the natively bright Lomax is beginning to see through him. For one thing, the older man radiates carnality, a raptor's glee in the pleasures of the flesh. He's the Devil of too much testosterone and too little conscience, wildly seductive to both men (who emulate) and women (who succumb). He's polymorphous perversity in clothes by Armani. But the film is structured around legal and emotional issues.

The legal issue is Lomax's first big case, in which he must defend a Trump-like magnate (Craig T. Nelson) accused of murdering his wife and stepchild. Problem No. 1: The client's fingerprints are on the gun. Problem No. 2: The client is guilty as hell. This is the moral crux of the film and perhaps its cheapest shot: What is the lawyer's professional responsibility toward a client he knows to be guilty? It's a dilemma Kevin Lomax faces twice, and he always comes down on the side of professionalism, and is condemned by moralist Hackford for it. But the larger question isn't considered: We may hate the legal sleazoids who get bad boys off, but do we really want them throwing cases and serving, ipso facto, as judge and jury?

Not since the year the Orioles lost the pennant -- wait, that's this year, dammit! -- have the issues of Beelzebub v. the People been laid so bare. Daniel Webster himself couldn't have done it better, and if "Devil's Advocate" won't save any souls, it's great entertainment on the road to Hell.… Expand

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8

smuroseJul 27, 2020

This movie was pretty damn good. Keanu Reeves, Charlize Theron, and Al Pacino all had some great acting performances.

0 of 12 users found this helpful012

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7

eva3si0nOct 18, 2020

The Devil's Advocate is a good thriller with a wonderful star cast. The plot develops as too slowly for me and quickly accelerates to the final. The last scene of course makes you smile, but still the theme of the game with the Devil is notThe Devil's Advocate is a good thriller with a wonderful star cast. The plot develops as too slowly for me and quickly accelerates to the final. The last scene of course makes you smile, but still the theme of the game with the Devil is not completely revealed. And the topic of mysticism is touched upon very mediocre. And yet the 97 thriller looks much more interesting than most modern films about lawyers.… Expand

0 of 6 users found this helpful06

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8

HurQlezJul 25, 2019

An OK movie that is saved from Al Pacino's overacting. The third act saves the entire movie!!

0 of 17 users found this helpful017

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8

Sosmooth1982Dec 17, 2022

I wasn't expecting this movie to be so demonic. I thought it was just a attorney movie fighting for something. Love the turn it took and was a good movie.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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6

MrIslamicApr 25, 2021

When stuff is actually happening the movie is probably an 8/10 but when nothing is happening (which happens a lot) it's a 5/10.

0 of 5 users found this helpful05

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6

Amirhosein2005Jul 2, 2021

A not-so-attractive film that has no visual story. But there is nothing wrong with the actors. Especially the beautiful game of Al Pacino, which is one of the positive points of the film.

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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8

AcidwormAug 12, 2022

This is a great movie that gets into the morality of lawyers where they manipulate the judicial system through jury selection, and defending clients when they believe them to be guilty. Al Pacino's performance is stellar here, and it seemsThis is a great movie that gets into the morality of lawyers where they manipulate the judicial system through jury selection, and defending clients when they believe them to be guilty. Al Pacino's performance is stellar here, and it seems like he feels very at home playing the role of a larger than life character whom has some genuinely creepy moments. Keanu Reeves' performance is pretty good, but I question whether someone else may have been a better fit as he seems a bit out of place at times, and his southern accent is a bit cringey for my liking. Charlize Theron playing his wife does an excellent job as well.

The pacing is very well done with a rather unique plot with its depiction of the devil. There are some good twists as well that keeps the viewer on the edge of the seat. One of the best Psychological thrillers of the 90s.… Expand