The Devil's Advocate
The Devil's Advocate is a 1997 drama movie directed by Taylor Hackford and based on a novel by Andrew Neiderman.
Disambiguity: The Devil's Advocate is also the name of a novel by Taylor Caldwell
This title is a reference to the idiom "Devil's Advocate" and the character of John Milton is named after the author of Paradise Lost (see John Milton).
Cast
- Kevin Lomax – Keanu Reeves
- John Milton – Al Pacino
- Mary Ann Lomax – Charlize Theron
- Eddie Barzoon – Jeffrey Jones
- Alice Lomax – Judith Ivey
- Christabella Andreoli – Connie Nielson
Plot
Hotshot defense lawyer Kevin Lomax has never lost a case, even though many of his clients are not innocent. Invited to leave his small Florida town and join the huge New York law firm lead by John Milton. Milton, a massively charismatic and highly regarded man, becomes Lomax's mentor, pushing him towards arrogance and greed. Meanwhile, Lomax's wife Mary Ann starts descending into schizophrenia as she feels lost and abandoned by her husband, a state which is partially, if not entirely, induced by other "employees" of Milton's firm.
The story unfolds as John Milton is found to be the devil and Kevin Lomax his son. Lomax rejects his heritage when he commits suicide and ends Milton's plans to bring about the antichrist. However, we are then returned to the small Florida town and it is revealed that the movie had been a flash of conscience for Lomax or, possibly, even a game of manipulation played on him by the devil. John Milton subsequently shows himself in another guise and begins his plotting once again, this time with more subtlety.
External link
The Devil's Advocate (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118971/) at the Internet Movie Database