A Detailed Dive into The Devil's Advocate
In ‘The Devil’s Advocate’, Keanu Reeves plays a righteousness Florida lawyer named Kevin Lomax who is smoothly induced to work at a leading law company in New York. This firm is in the hand of a mysterious man known as John Milton and acted by Al Pacino. Lomax climbs the ladder in the force, but he or she declines as moral issues and suspenseful supernatural manifestations are depicted as a dark side of the American dream. It probes the price a man pays for personal accomplishment again and again presents the audiences with the choice between the two and thus answering the queries of the movie-goers: has the possibility of fame no worth when it comes at the price of the soul? Keanu Reeves does very well for portraying the gradual degeneration of Kevin Lomax, who is a man of law turning into one who is not afraid to break the law. Charlize Theron delivers a stellar performance as Mary Ann and her fear is very believable despite the film’s elements of fantasy.
Taylor Hackford delivers great visuals in the film through a well shot legal drama and a mysterious air surrounding it. As for adding tension to the character decisions, it doesn’t get much better than what he does for the film.
James Newton Howard’s music complements the dramatic tension of the movie and the supernatural occurrences, providing a suitable eerie and suspenseful component to the film’s narrative.
The visuals are marvelous in depicting the difference between the bright, glitzy world of New York and the cold, confined interiors of the apartments. This dim and bright vision contributing to provide the audience a dcorum to the themes of temptation and degeneration of the movie. Even the settings of the film, the offices of the law firm, Milton’s penthouse, for instance, seem purposefully designed to complement the movie’s themes.
The supernatural elements are enhanced by special effects but do not overwhelm the story. These elements established them to the story setting and appeal to audience’s moral ambiguity and immerse themselves further into the story.
The pacing of the movie continually builds up the tension with the help of the editing. For this reason, changes in scenes are organic and the audience is always thrilled.
The rhythm of the film is well managed with the suspense increasingly building up. By slowly revealing the dark reality, the serial does not let the viewer get bored right from the beginning The dialogues are inspiring and numerous monologues of Milton are quite sharp, which makes one uncomfortable. A rather dark and complex script does not degenerate into melodrama at any point and is a perfect poster child of the film. Such a storyline may be somewhat annoying when viewing the film for it can probably take many hours, though the actors’ work can explain such a format. It provides a provocative exploration of the dark side of ambition and is an enjoyable and engaging film, with its visuals that leave an impression even beyond the film’s conclusion.
