‘Advocate’: A Case of Satan on Retainer

If Satan were the senior partner in a major Manhattan law firm, would anybody notice? What difference would it make in standards and practices? And if the Prince of Darkness is so powerful, why is he bothering to run a law office in the first place?

“The Devil’s Advocate,” starring a determined Keanu Reeves as an ambitious young lawyer and Al Pacino as you-know-who, is a potboiler with something on its mind, which is not always a good thing. Directed in bold, energetic strokes by Taylor Hackford, “Devil” is fine disreputable fun at first, a stylish and watchable hoot. But then its tone changes, the plot goes gimmicky and bombastic speeches about the nature of good and evil clutter the airwaves and confuse the issue.

“Devil’s Advocate” shies away from initially saying who John Milton (Pacino) of Milton, Chadwich, Waters is, but anyone who’s read the title and seen the trailer will guess in a New York minute, and that knowledge makes things much more fun. In fact the only person in the entire film who’s in the dark, so to speak, is young Florida attorney Kevin Lomax (Reeves).

First glimpsed in a Gainsborough courtroom, Lomax is that rare individual who, first as a prosecutor and now as a defense attorney, has never lost a case. And, faced with a shaky teenage victim (Heather Matarrazo of “Welcome to the Dollhouse”) in a molestation case, he knows exactly what needs to be done.

These formidable courtroom skills come to the attention of that New York firm, which offers to bring Lomax and his fetching wife, Mary Ann (an appealing Charlize Theron), to Manhattan. Off they go despite the qualms of his God-fearing mother (Judith Ivey), who is fond of quoting Ecclesiastes to the effect that “fallen, fallen is Babylon, it has become a dwelling place of demons.” Little does she know. . . .

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Watching this young couple fall under the sway of the kind of swank life only a major league New York firm can provide is part of the fun of “Devil.” Much of that pleasure comes from Pacino’s relish in playing the showy role of malevolent malefactor, riding the subway for pleasure, hobnobbing with pals like Don King and Sen. Alfonse D’Amato and sweet-talking Mary Ann with lines like “A woman’s shoulders are the front lines of her mystique.” Who knew the devil read Harlequin novels in his spare time?

Gradually, however, things get dicier. Lomax’s workaholic tendencies take over his life, and he finds himself attracted to Christabella (Connie Nielson), one of the firm’s more attractive partners. There’s little time for poor Mary Ann in all this, and she starts to have a nervous breakdown that worsens when Lomax begins the defense of Andrew Cullen (Craig T. Nelson), a Donald Trumpish developer (the Donald’s Fifth Avenue penthouse makes a cameo appearance) accused of a messy triple murder.

As written by Jonathan Lemkin and Tony Gilroy from a novel by Andrew Niederman, “The Devil’s Advocate” also has some amusing subtexts, like the idea that all attorneys are Satan’s pawns and the perverse notion that it’s not idle hands but the determination to work endless hours that makes the devil happy.

But at a certain point in the exposition, a pair of unwelcome tendencies assert control of “The Devil’s Advocate,” and things begin to spiral out of control. One is the increasingly common need to add needless complications to the plot, which run the length to an unnecessary 2 hours and 23 minutes, and the other is the willingness to confuse the film with a freshman seminar on moral philosophy.

What that means is that Pacino, who’s been under control for most of the movie, explodes into a series of bloated speeches that are declaimed like leftovers from the benighted “Looking for Richard.” Although it’s nice for a film to be ambitious, there is such a thing as overreaching. As the devil himself puts it (and who should know better), “Vanity, that’s my favorite sin.”

* MPAA rating: R for sexuality, nudity, violence and language. Times guidelines: considerable sexual activity.

‘The Devil’s Advocate’

Keanu Reeves: Kevin Lomax

Al Pacino: John Milton

Charlize Theron: Mary Ann Lomax

Jeffrey Jones: Eddie Barzoon

Judith Ivey: Mrs. Lomax

Craig T. Nelson: Alexander Cullen

Connie Nielson: Christabella

A Kopelson Entertainment production, in association with Regency Enterprises, released by Warner Bros. Director Taylor Hackford. Producers Arnon Milchan, Arnold Kopelson, Anne Kopelson. Executive producers Taylor Hackford, Michael Tadross, Erwin Stoff, Barry Bernardi, Steve White. Screenplay Jonathan Lemkin and Tony Gilroy, based on the novel by Andrew Niederman. Cinematographer Andrzej Bartkowiak. Editor Mark Warner. Costumes Judianna Markovsky. Music James Newton Howard. Production design Bruno Rubeo. Art director Dennis Bradford. Set decorator Roberta Holinko. Running time: 2 hours, 23 minutes.

* In general release throughout Southern California.