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... (2009-08-24)

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?! (2015-09-22)

Originally, I gave it only four stars, but upon further consideration, I decided to add one more because alongside a very good screenplay, which navigates the mysterious genre in an original way, the film also boasts top-notch casting and amazing performances. Al Pacino excels in the role of the ruler of hell. Keanu Reeves reaches his acting peak, Charlize Theron shows that she's not just a pretty model but also an excellent actress, and Connie Nielsen is beautifully corrupt in her supporting role. Overall impression: 90%. (2006-06-18)

Superb thriller with a brilliant demonic performance by Al Pacino. The story develops slowly and I even doubted that the advertised supernatural element would appear at all. Fortunately, halfway through things begin going in right direction, Satan shines, Charlize Theron is impressively crazy and Keanu Reeves is pretty good, too. I can imagine it 30 minutes shorter, but doesn’t matter, it still fun as it is. 9/10 (2010-05-21)

Who would believe that after a slightly tired introduction, I would be so enthusiastic at the end? After each screening, I look forward to watching it again, already expecting that the beginning will seem better in the context of the rest of the story. It starts off so innocent, but that's when the biggest surprise comes, when the story starts to pick up pace and the atmosphere thickens to the point where you anticipate a fright with every shot. It's no wonder, director Hackford knows how to create very disturbing moments (a brilliant and dark sexual scene) and contrasting visual and sound inserts of mystery in innocent moments. However, it is difficult to judge how successful it would be without the actors. Reeves, in fact, delivers the best performance of his career and thanks to this film, Pacino has definitively become an incomparable acting chameleon. (2006-08-25)