His exceptional record has won him an admirer
in far away New York City. That admirer is none other than the head
of a large New York law firm, John Milton (Al Pacino). He knows that
Lomax fits that perfect lawyer that he is looking for. 
So
Milton sends a man to Florida to try and entice Lomax and his wife Mary
Ann (Charlize Theron) to come to New York and help pick a jury. But
Milton's intentions aren't to just bring Lomax to New York to only pick
one jury, they run much deeper. The only question is...will Milton
be able to grab Lomax for his "team" or not.
The Devil's Advocate oozes with greed,
sex, power, money, and deceit, all of the stereotypical traits of a good
defense lawyer. Al Pacino's portrayal of the lead of the powerful
New York city law firm is typical Pacino. This role goes to the heart
of what has been Pacino's strong suit over the years, the evil, power hungry
head of a firm that can manipulate people to do his bidding.
Keanu Reeves plays the small town boy that
is moving up in the world and likes every advantage that comes with the
territory. 
His
mom thinks that it is all of his wife's (Theron) influence that is pushing
him away to the big city. But Keanu is drawn by the allure of bigger
cases, more money, and the fast lifestyle. Keanu comes across a little
stiff from time to time, but all in all he is very good at his portrayal
of the unknowing Lomax being sucked in by the John Milton allure.
This film portrays the bitter struggle between good and evil. Twists and turns are abundant in this Taylor Hackford directed thriller and it definitely kept me on the edge of my seat until the end. The cast and crew do a decent job of portraying the epic battles that face us every day in society, but to me some of the scenes go a little bit over the edge.
Grade: B-
Parents
Guide: The Devil's Advocate is not intended for young
audiences. It is rated "R" and it deserves its rating. This
film contains just about every offensive aspect that a film can throw together.
There is extreme language, full frontal nudity, violence, satanic references,
and much more. The "F" word is used frequently out of Pacino's mouth
and the women show everything they've got including a scene with lesbian
references. The opening scene even shows a man (albeit clothed) getting
aroused by the rape story of a 14 year old girl. I definitely would
NOT let children under 17 see this film.