The Devil's Advocate

An incredible atmosphere throughout the film, an ensemble cast that reaches to the very depths of their powers, haunting tones of music, and a perfect study of warped psyche and character. Al Pacino was unmatched as the devil and his performance really does border heavily on perfection. It's just a pity that Devil's Advocate had no chance at the Oscars in 1997 because of the competition with Titanic... (24/08/2009)

Originally, I had only four stars, but after careful consideration, I decided to add one more because besides the very good screenplay, which moves in a mysterious genre in an original way, the film also has top-notch casting and amazing performances. Al Pacino excels in the role of the ruler of hell. Keanu Reeves has probably reached his acting maximum, Charlize Theron shows that she is not only a beautiful model but also an excellent actress, and Connie Nielsen is wonderfully corrupt in her supporting role. Overall impression: 90%. (18/06/2006)

This film is hard to rate. On the one hand, the performances are all excellent, Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron are simply great, and I don't even have to dwell on Al Pacino, he’s one of the best actors ever, after all, and his expression alone foreshadows and represents all the unfortunate events that take place throughout. Those events are truly delicious, by the way, with an appropriate level of nastiness and strong sexual overtones, all accompanied by Howard's haunting music. But there are flaws. First of all, the story is not very strong emotionally, it fails to grab the viewer by the armpits and shake them furiously, instead, it just plays lightly with our curls and pulls out a tuft here and there. OK, the main purpose of the film was certainly not just to scare and increase the psychological pressure, but that doesn't excuse the slightly tedious first half. 80% (24/01/2012)

After seeing this movie for the second time 18 years after the premiere at the cinema, I’m raising my rating to a full five stars. It’s incredible that such scripts were written for genre entertainment in the 1990s! And those actors! And the set designs, whether interiors or in the city of New York! What’s up with Hollywood today?! (22/09/2015)

This film has four big assets: Al Pacino, whose portrayal of the Devil is unique, Charlize Theron, who’s even better as a woman falling into madness, great music by James Newton Howard, and an interesting and novel plot. Keanu Reeves does his best, but he's no match for the first two. Excellent thriller. (13/04/2003)