The Devil’s Advocate
I first watched this movie when it released in the theatres sometime in ‘97. I watched it again recently and was struck by how powerful it is. Not to mention, creepy! Parts of it reminded me of “Rosemary’s baby”; a little bit of it reminded me of John Grisham’s “The Firm”.
The tagline says “The newest attorney at the world's most powerful law firm has never lost a case. But he's about to lose his soul.”
Keanu Reeves is the hotshot lawyer who has won 64 consecutive cases. This draws the attention of a powerful law firm in New York, which offers him a new job with an apartment to die for, and all the perks he could ever want. He moves into his new place with his wife (played by Charlize Theron).
But as the story progresses, Keanu realizes that he has taken on more than he can handle and slowly understands who he is dealing with. When his wife starts seeing ghastly visions and goes through some shocking experiences, he starts wondering if she is slowly becoming insane. These violent and disturbing images to show devilry afoot are enough to scare the faint of heart. Not surprising then that this movie comes with an adult rating.
Al Pacino who plays Keanu’s new boss is Satan himself, and his name in the movie is John Milton, an interesting choice of name as it is the same as that of the famous poet who wrote Paradise Lost, which deals with matters of the soul, God, and Lucifer.
The last few scenes with the blazing fire conform to the image we have of hell. These scenes convey all kinds of perversions of the flesh that one would automatically associate with the devil.
This movie would serve as a warning to all aspiring lawyers: Beware the perils of defending those you know are guilty. Each time you do it, you sell a little bit of your soul and sacrifice your integrity.
Al Pacino does a great job as usual and delivers a powerful performance in this modern Gothic fable.
I first watched this movie when it released in the theatres sometime in ‘97. I watched it again recently and was struck by how powerful it is. Not to mention, creepy! Parts of it reminded me of “Rosemary’s baby”; a little bit of it reminded me of John Grisham’s “The Firm”.
The tagline says “The newest attorney at the world's most powerful law firm has never lost a case. But he's about to lose his soul.”
Keanu Reeves is the hotshot lawyer who has won 64 consecutive cases. This draws the attention of a powerful law firm in New York, which offers him a new job with an apartment to die for, and all the perks he could ever want. He moves into his new place with his wife (played by Charlize Theron).
But as the story progresses, Keanu realizes that he has taken on more than he can handle and slowly understands who he is dealing with. When his wife starts seeing ghastly visions and goes through some shocking experiences, he starts wondering if she is slowly becoming insane. These violent and disturbing images to show devilry afoot are enough to scare the faint of heart. Not surprising then that this movie comes with an adult rating.
Al Pacino who plays Keanu’s new boss is Satan himself, and his name in the movie is John Milton, an interesting choice of name as it is the same as that of the famous poet who wrote Paradise Lost, which deals with matters of the soul, God, and Lucifer.
The last few scenes with the blazing fire conform to the image we have of hell. These scenes convey all kinds of perversions of the flesh that one would automatically associate with the devil.
This movie would serve as a warning to all aspiring lawyers: Beware the perils of defending those you know are guilty. Each time you do it, you sell a little bit of your soul and sacrifice your integrity.
Al Pacino does a great job as usual and delivers a powerful performance in this modern Gothic fable.
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