by Shane Conto
Do you ever feel like watching a film that is just one horrible occurrence after another where you honestly question your faith in humanity? Me neither…but you just might get that with The Devil All the Time. This film is quite unrelenting. I like to relate it to what I like to call “The Revenant Effect”. As I watched The Revenant in the theater, I reached a point where I asked myself “what else could they POSSIBLY do to this character for the sake of thrills?” I felt that the film border-lined on being too mean-spirited. After a while, I felt turned off by the film. On some level, I felt the same about The Devil All the Time.
With all that being said, I could just end this review by calling this “The Feel-Good Movie of the Year”, right?
Of course, I will not end this review there…mostly because it is completely untrue. Antonio Campos, the co-writer and director of this film, creates an impressive film from a technical standpoint. As you look at this film, you notice how beautiful every shot is. Lol Crawley, the cinematographer, is able to capture crisp and precise lighting in every frame. One particular moment sticks in my head as the camera zooms in on a preacher (played with impeccable charisma and aggression by Harry Melling) where you focus intensely upon his face and the shadows and light caress his face as he moves up and down the pews. The steady and strategic camera work pulls the audience in as a fantastic reveal is dropped on the preacher (and the audience). Those kinds of inspired filmmaking choices really highlight this film. Unfortunately, Campos is not able to keep up his pace in the film. So much happens within the first act of this film as we bounce through time that when the film settles into its main story, it screeches to a halt. For a film that is well over two hours, the pacing really needed the support of sustained energy.
The methodical directing by Campos does have its pay-offs, but the pacing is certainly not one of them.
One particular creative choice from the film does not really deliver a justification for its existence. Donald Ray Pollack, the writer of the original novel, is brought on to deliver narrations throughout the whole film. Where this feels like a classic noir choice, it really did not pay dividends here. The internal thoughts provided are on the nose and feel completely pointless. Why not just trust your actors to do their job and convey those things through their performances? That insecure reliance on narration hurts the film. Even if the narration does not deliver, the poignant and deep themes do deliver. This darkly thematic film thrives on its commentary on religion and faith. Preachers populate many scenes and watching different characters come to grips with their own faith is quite powerful. One of the biggest talking points that will circle this film will definitely be the dark and twisting story. The way the story is portrayed is non-linear and honestly can be a bit choppy. Then there are the twists and shocking moments that fill this film to the brim. For a while, they DO shock you. They really do. The film is so well done that those scenes deliver like a sledgehammer.
BUT…after two hours of more and more, they lose your impact because you start expecting bad things to happen.
The true gem at the center of The Devil All the Time is the impressive ensemble cast that is filled with incredibly talented actors. Tom Holland delivers an intense and raw performance that is explosive at times and so vulnerable at others. Holland shines at the center and proves that he is a true star even in smaller scale films. Robert Pattinson delivers (surprise) a scene-stealing performance that is charismatic and enigmatic as any good preacher should be. Then, there are plenty of other actors that shine in their smaller roles. Bill Skarsgard gives a similar performance to Holland (portraying his father) yet has a much darker side. Harry Melling is really coming into his own as an actor, instead of just being known as cousin Dudley from Harry Potter. I could keep going on about all of the great performances, but some of them are unfortunately wasted. Two such performances are Haley Bennett and Mia Wasikowska. Their characters feel too much like plot devices instead of real characters.
The burning question has to be at this point…is The Devil All the Time worth the two hour plus streaming investment on Netflix?
Netflix went out and got talented filmmakers and one of the most impressive casts for a streaming film to date to sell this film. One thing is guaranteed. This film is going to take you on a dark spiral of a journey into the darkest depths of humanity. Campos delivers strong direction and the cast really comes to play. But in the end, one quote from J.K. Simmons’ CIA Superior at the very end of the Coen’s Burn After Reading really fits the mold. In a state of confusion and shock, Simmons’ blurts out “what did we learn?” Honestly, what is the point of this horrific ride we take with The Devil All the Time?
Grade: C+