The Devil's Advocate | 1997

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Watched @ home

Creator/Director • Taylor Hackford

Lead cast

• Keanu Reeves as Kevin Lomax

• Al Pacino as John Milton

• Charlize Theron as Mary Ann Lomax

• Jeffrey Jones as Eddie Barzoon

• Judith Ivey as Mrs. Alice Lomax

Based on

A novel by Andrew Neiderman, with screenplay by Jonathan Lemkin and Tony Gilroy.

AI Summary

Ambitious Florida defense lawyer Kevin Lomax accepts a high-powered position at a prestigious New York law firm run by the formidable John Milton. As Kevin climbs the ranks, his wife Mary Ann begins experiencing terrifying, mystical visions that erode her grip on reality. With the stakes escalating with each case, Kevin gradually uncovers that his mentor is orchestrating something far more sinister than simply winning at any cost.

My feelings, thoughts, and opinions

I had 5 movie options, and this is the one my boyfriend chose. I didn't just choose this movie because it looked good, but also because I had seen a clip of it on Instagram. It's a great watch: thrilling, psychological, but not overwhelmingly so. You can still follow along with ease.

The best part about this movie wasn't the movie itself; it was the afterthoughts. I finished it the next day while I was alone and found myself reflecting on the message of the film. Once I'd worked through my own thoughts, I had this slightly unfair moment of curiosity: I wondered whether my boyfriend, who had finished it the night before, had reflected on it too. Or whether he'd even given it a second thought.

Then he came home and immediately asked me if I'd finished it. I didn't even get the chance to ask what he thought; he just launched into this mini essay on his reflections.

The movie's theme is that vanity is the greatest sin. The main character is a hotshot lawyer who believes he is the best and can never lose. His boss keeps telling him "you can't win them all, maybe you should just lose one," but he refuses to accept this.

When things go wrong at a big firm, he has a chance to make a better choice, but instead he chose to do a case that led to his girlfriend's death. Then when he does abandon his client, he meets the journalist he met at the beginning of the movie.

The twist is that his father is the Devil, who keeps hinting that maybe this is one case he shouldn't try to win, but the lawyer's ego won't allow him to listen. That pride is ultimately his downfall.

At the end, the journalist says "can't win them all", and it's revealed that the journalist was the Devil all along, and in fact, everyone around him turned out to be the Devil in disguise.

People will always choose themselves.

And now my take: I saw this note "Modern take on morality play". That is what I thought. How opportunity overshadows the well-being of your own character and your relationships.