The Devil's Advocate (1997)

In The Devil's Advocate director Taylor Hackford goes way out in left field and likens lawyers to the devil and his minions. Yes the conceit is an obvious one, but its still an interesting film, though your enjoyment of it depends in large part on your ability to buy Keanu Reeves a) as a  lawyer and b) with a southern accent, I personally went back and forth on these. Adapted from the novel of the same name by Andrew Neiderman, The Devil's Advocate is an exploration of moral choices. Keanu is a successful mid-level defense attorney who is brought into a prestigious New York law firm and in short order is saddled with its biggest criminal case in years, one which is going to test his scruples. Charlize Theron is Keanu's much tormented wife and Al Pacino is John Milton the head of the firm. Pacino of course steals the film, its his to mug with and joyfully deliver long monologues. The obvious twist isn't really a twist so they have a secondary twist which is okay. It a good looking film, fine sets, lots of atmosphere and foreboding, and the cast is good. It's satisfying though of course it may cheat a little. I'm glad I saw it, and I could certainly watch it again. ***