The Devil’s Advocate wants to be a serious piece of horror. It wants to make you afraid of the devil, of corruption, of the soul itself. What it delivers instead is a movie about a man who gets too comfortable with the wrong kind of power. It is slick, glossy, and mostly forgettable.
The film follows Kevin Lomax, a lawyer played by Keanu Reeves, who is summoned to New York City by John Milton, the head of a powerful law firm. Milton offers Lomax a partnership and a chance to change the world. What Lomax doesn’t know is that Milton is the devil himself, and he is testing Lomax’s soul.
The setup is simple and effective. The execution is where the film loses its grip. Reeves plays Lomax as a man who is both arrogant and naive, and the script asks us to believe that this man, who has won every case, can be corrupted simply by being offered more success. The problem is that Lomax’s flaws are never earned. He is a good guy who makes bad choices, but we never see the depth of his goodness that would make those choices feel like a fall.
Trailer, via Warner Bros. Rewind.
Milton’s Performance
Al Pacino plays Milton, and he is the reason anyone watches this movie. His performance is commanding, slippery, and genuinely unsettling. He speaks in riddles, smiles at the wrong moments, and never lets you know exactly what he is thinking. Pacino makes Milton a force of nature, and the film leans on him heavily to carry scenes that would otherwise collapse under their own weight.
But Pacino’s performance is not enough to save the script around him. The film’s central idea—that a man’s soul can be destroyed by ambition—is never explored in a way that feels meaningful. The movie tells us Lomax is losing his soul, but it shows us a man who is simply getting better at his job.
The Setting
New York City is the other lead in The Devil’s Advocate. The film spends a great deal of time showing Lomax walking through the city, staring at the skyline, and feeling the pressure of the world around him. The cinematography is beautiful, and the city feels alive. But the setting is used as a mood piece rather than a character in its own right. The streets are not a threat; they are just a backdrop for a man who is supposed to be falling.
The film also uses religion as a visual motif. Churches, cathedrals, and religious imagery appear throughout, and the film tries to create a sense of spiritual dread. This works in isolated moments, but it becomes repetitive over the course of the runtime. The constant presence of religious symbolism starts to feel like decoration rather than storytelling.
The Supporting Cast
Charlize Theron plays Mary Murdock, Lomax’s wife, and she gives the film its best moments. She is a lawyer herself, and she understands the danger her husband is in. Her scenes are tense and well-written, and Theron brings a sharp intelligence to the role. She is the one character who feels fully realized, and her arc is the only one that feels like it moves anywhere.
Joey Lauren Adams plays Lomax’s friend Ben, and he provides comic relief. His scenes are meant to be funny, but they often land flat. The film tries to balance the darkness with humor, but the tone is uneven. One moment you are watching Pacino threaten a man’s soul, and the next you are watching Ben joke about a meeting. It does not hold together.
The Script
The dialogue is often clever, but it is also hollow. Milton speaks in aphorisms and riddles, and the film expects us to find them profound. They are not. They are empty words that fill space between plot points. The film also has a habit of explaining itself. Characters will say things like, “He is testing you,” or “You are being tempted,” and the film treats these lines as insight rather than exposition. It is a frustrating approach, and it breaks the illusion of the story.
The film’s climax is a courtroom scene where Lomax faces off against Milton. It is meant to be a battle of wits, but it feels more like a recitation of the film’s themes. Lomax makes a speech about faith and justice, and Milton responds with a monologue about power. The scene is tense, but it is also obvious. The film has spent an hour and a half telling us what will happen, so the payoff feels inevitable rather than earned.
The Soundtrack
The music in The Devil’s Advocate is effective in isolated moments, but it is overused. The score swells at every emotional beat, and the film relies on it to tell us how to feel. When Lomax is happy, the music is triumphant. When he is scared, the music is ominous. It is a lazy approach, and it removes the need for subtlety.
The film also uses popular songs from the mid-1990s, and some of these work well. But the use of pop music as a shorthand for emotion is a symptom of the larger problem. The film is not willing to let its characters feel things on their own. It always needs a cue.
Comparison Table
| Element | Strength | Weakness |
|---|---|---|
| Al Pacino’s Milton | Commanding presence, unsettling menace | Carries scenes that the script cannot support |
| Charlize Theron’s Mary Murdock | Sharp intelligence, well-written arc | Underused in the overall plot |
| Keanu Reeves’ Lomax | Charismatic, likable | Flaws never fully explored |
| Setting | Beautiful cinematography, atmospheric | Used as mood rather than character |
The Verdict
The Devil’s Advocate is a film that knows how to look good but does not know how to say anything. Pacino gives a performance that is worth seeing, and Theron grounds the story in something real. But the script is hollow, the themes are obvious, and the film never rises above its own ambitions. It is a handsome failure, and it is worth watching once for Pacino’s performance. After that, there is nothing left to discover.
The Devil’s Advocate is a film that tries to be a classic of horror, but it settles for being a stylish piece of entertainment. It is not a failure in every respect, but it is a failure in the ones that matter. It is a movie that looks like it means something, but it never delivers on that promise.
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