Devil's Advocate

Lawyers as agents of Satan? Well, not all of them, just those who work for John Milton's international New York law firm. Even off screen, Milton's unearthly presence hovers like white noise, composing a deadly siren song that lures Florida hotshot lawyer Kevin Lomax (a smartly restrained Keanu Reeves) to his firm. Lomax and his wife, Mary Ann (played with cumulative intensity by Charlize Theron), pursue the lotus of status and decadence, but it's Kevin who chases it outright, unaware that Milton (Al Pacino in top form) is pulling from the other end.

Thanks to the direction of Taylor Hackford, it's hard to be objective about Kevin's fate. Hackford's film is like one prolonged seduction: ripe textures and bedroom lighting everywhere. He rewards your emotional investment by avoiding static courtrooms and spiking the cardiac pace as Kevin sinks further into a diabolic pit of vanity and lust. And between voodoo spells and demonic possessions, Hackford even manages to air some pressing social issues (if a religious overtone is the only way Hollywood can suggest that lawyers are the root of all evil, so be it). By the film's end, you're feeling a bit spent, which is probably why Hackford has Pacino camp it up . . . with questionable results. Nonetheless, despite the absence of profound revelation as you head for the exit, Devil's Advocate is one hell of a ride. At the Harbour Mall, Holiday, Lincoln Mall, Showcase (North Attleboro only), Tri-Boro, Warwick Mall, and Woonsocket cinemas.

-- Robert Furlong