The Devil All the Time

One of the best films I've seen in recent times. And not only on Netflix. The “prologue" alone with Bill Skarsgård is so amazingly atmospheric and emotive, and it's actually just the start. It’s waiting for a much bigger acting concert which, in this mosaic with the mood of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, is played by Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Jason Clarke and co. I like these types of stories and I like to let them to do whatever they want with me. (16/09/2020)

This is one of the best things in the "Netflix original production" category in a while, no question about it. Unfortunately, I couldn't shake the feeling at the end that a narrative this ambitious and expansive deserved even stronger performances (I'm thinking especially of Tom Holland, who's not bad, but I just don't believe him) or a slightly more innovative formula. Overall, though, satisfaction prevailed and for the first time in a long time this is a film with a digestible voiceover. (20/09/2020)

A compelling story from the Midwest full of murderers, perverts, paedophiles and other scum, with normal and sane people popping in here and there. An intense, but slowly flowing tension that benefits mainly from first-class performances (Skarsgård, Pattinson), an impressive and unpredictable script and the fearlessness of the filmmakers to surprise the viewer at times, even shock a bit here and there. Without unnecessary exhibitions like Tarantino, but similarly cleverly structured, and engaging for both the ambitious viewer and the layman. (15/10/2020)

Antonio Campos made a western-flavored, Deep South “fuck-up" thriller about the bad things that happen to bad people... and to Tom Holland. McCarthy’s poetic style is slightly undermined by the cynical narrator, who makes astute comments on the outcome of some of the situations, adding details necessary for understanding the humorous charm of the portrait as a whole. Pattinson really savors his role as an ingratiating, oversexed preacher and Jason Clarke was surprising as a porn photographer, but Holland was unusually less prominent, even though he has to deal with the biggest shitstorms and his moral dilemmas are probably the most convincing. Certainly one of the surprises of the year. Spider-Man vs. The Winter Soldier 2:0. (19/09/2020)

Perhaps an exceedingly improbable tangle of fucked-up life stories, accompanied by a needlessly frequent and literal voice-over. There are already several important connections between those estimable life stories in the narrative and the constant, all-explaining voice-over robs the viewer of their own thought-provoking consideration. Literal explanations of the characters’ feelings have a place in a book, where we don’t see the characters’ faces. Here it is too much and unnecessary. If, however, you accept this excessively lazy, monotonously flowing narrative, you’re in for a solid drama with a lot of suffering, the ugly fruits of religious fanaticism, slightly cynical use of laid-back period music (which evokes the Coen brothers) and excellent actors. Particularly Jason Clarke and Pattinson excel in their negative supporting roles, which are atypical of them. Paradoxically, I found Tom Holland’s main character to be lacking in expressiveness, which I wouldn’t blame on him as an actor, but on the director. Three and a half stars. (18/09/2020)