The Devil's Advocate
The Devil's Advocate (marketed as Devil's Advocate) is a 1997 American supernatural horror film directed by Taylor Hackford, written by Jonathan Lemkin and Tony Gilroy, and starring Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino, and Charlize Theron. Based on Andrew Neiderman's 1990 novel of the same name, it is about a gifted young Florida lawyer invited to work for a major New York City law firm. As his wife becomes haunted by frightening visions, the lawyer slowly realizes the firm's owner, John Milton, is in fact, the Devil. The name John Milton is one of several allusions to Paradise Lost, as well as Dante Alighieri's Inferno, and the legend of Faust. An adaptation of Neiderman's novel went into a development hell during the 1990s, with Hackford gaining control of the production. Filming took place around New York City and Florida. The Devil's Advocate received mixed reviews, with critics crediting it for entertainment value and Pacino's performance. It grossed $153 million at the box office and won the Saturn Award for Best Horror Film. It also became the subject of the copyright lawsuit Hart v. Warner Bros., Inc. for its visual art.
She knew it. She knew it, so you destroyed her. You're blaming me for Mary Ann? Oh, I hope you're kidding. Mary Ann, you could have saved her anytime you liked. All she wanted was love. Hey, you were too busy. That's a lie. Mary Ann in New York? Face it, you started looking to better-deal her the minute you got here. That's not true. You don't know what we had. - You don't know anything about it. - Hey, I'm on your side. - You're a liar! - No, hey... Kevin. There's nothing out there for you. Don't be such a fucking chump. Stop deluding yourself. I told you to take care of your wife. What did I say? "The world would understand." Didn't I say that? What did you do?
The Devil's Advocate
I know what you did. You set me up. Who told you to pull out all the stops on Gettys? - Who made that choice? - It's entrapment. You set me up. And Moyez. The direction you took. Popes, swamis, snake handlers, all feeding at the same trough. - Whose ideas were those? - You played me! It was a test! Your test! And Cullen. Knowing he was guilty. Seeing those pictures. What did you do? You put that lying bitch on the stand. You brought me in. You put me there. You made her lie. I don't do that, Kevin! That day on the subway, what did I say to you? What were my words to you?
The Devil's Advocate
You're right. I did it all. I let her go. Aw, don't be too hard on yourself, Kevin. You wanted something more. Believe me. I... I left her behind and just kept going. You cannot keep punishing yourself, Kevin. It's awesome how far you've come. I didn't make it easy. Couldn't. Not for you... or your sister. Half-sister, to be exact.
The Devil's Advocate
Taste, but don't swallow. And while you're jumping from one foot to the next, what is he doing? He's laughing his sick fucking ass off! He's a tightass! He's a sadist! He's an absentee landlord! Worship that? Never! Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven, is that it? Why not? I'm here on the ground with my nose in it since the whole thing began. I've nurtured every sensation man has been inspired to have. I cared about what he wanted and I never judged him. Why? Because I never rejected him, in spite of all his imperfections. I'm a fan of man! I'm a humanist. Maybe the last humanist.
The Devil's Advocate