The Devil's Advocate (1997)
- Eagle-eyed viewers have noticed a hidden easter egg referencing Taylor Hackford's previous film in the background of the opening scene.
- During the filming of The Devil's Advocate, Keanu Reeves improvised one of the most famous lines in the movie.
- Taylor Hackford originally wanted a completely different ending for the film, but test audiences preferred the one we see today.
The Devil's Advocate is a 1997 American supernatural thriller directed by Taylor Hackford. Keanu Reeves stars as Kevin Lomax, a young, undefeated Florida defense attorney who is recruited to a prestigious Manhattan law firm run by the charismatic, all-powerful John Milton, played by Al Pacino. As Kevin's career soars and he successfully defends increasingly reprehensible clients, his wife Mary Ann, played by Charlize Theron, begins experiencing terrifying visions and psychological deterioration, and Kevin gradually realizes that Milton may literally be the Devil offering him everything in exchange for his soul.
Al Pacino's performance was a volcanic display of theatrical excess that reached its apotheosis in the film's climactic monologue โ a five-minute tirade against God delivered with the actor's full scenery-chewing power that became one of the most quoted and parodied speeches of the 1990s. Charlize Theron's performance as the wife unraveling while her husband is too consumed by ambition to notice added genuine emotional weight. The Devil's Advocate earned $152 million worldwide on a $57 million budget.
