Review of The Devil's Advocate (1997) by Maxilla328 — 14 May 2021

Kevin Lomax (Reeves), a hot shot lawyer who's never lost a case. A master at getting the guilty acquitted, despite his belief in their guilt.

Mary Ann Lomax (Theron), Kevin's wife who dreams of a family and languishes in her husbands success.

And of course John Milton (Pacino), the head of the most powerful law firm in the world.

Milton recruits Lomax to his law firm and rewards him with the mega wages and the standard of life he and his wife have been longing for. An instant success Lomax becomes the hot property of the legal world, while Mary Ann continues to only dream of the family she so desires. Ill at ease and suspicious of everyone and everything, she begins her decent into madness, while Kevin continues to dominate the courtroom, with the aid of the brilliantly manipulative Milton. As the story unfolds, Kevin becomes seduced by the power Milton affords him, and Mary Ann becomes increasingly insane; or so it appears.

In a truly fantastic climatic sequence, Lomax learns the truth about himself and his family, and he tries one final shot at redemption (an attempt to spit in the Devils Face) that doesn't quite work out as he had hoped.

The secret to the appeal of this movie is the subtle visuals that project you into Mary Ann's state of mind, the seductive and manipulative methods used by the superbly cast John Milton, and the climax that is revolutionary to say the least.