Directed by:
Antonio CamposCinematography:
Lol CrawleyCast:
Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Bill Skarsgård, Sebastian Stan, Haley Bennett, Riley Keough, Jason Clarke, Mia Wasikowska, Harry Melling, Eliza Scanlen (more)VOD (1)
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Sinister characters converge around a young man (Tom Holland) devoted to protecting those he loves in this suspenseful, seductive Midwestern gothic tale. (Netflix)
Videos (2)
Reviews (10)
Antonio Campos made a western-flavored, Deep South “fuck-up" thriller about the bad things that happen to bad people... and to Tom Holland. McCarthy’s poetic style is slightly undermined by the cynical narrator, who makes astute comments on the outcome of some of the situations, adding details necessary for understanding the humorous charm of the portrait as a whole. Pattinson really savors his role as an ingratiating, oversexed preacher and Jason Clarke was surprising as a porn photographer, but Holland was unusually less prominent, even though he has to deal with the biggest shitstorms and his moral dilemmas are probably the most convincing. Certainly one of the surprises of the year. Spider-Man vs. The Winter Soldier 2:0.
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Along with Extraction, this is one of Netflix's best offerings when I look at the overall additions from the streaming company for 2020. The Devil All the Time already impressed me in the trailers; I was expecting a bleak experience with a top-notch setting in the southern part of the USA in the 1950s and 60s. For me, the film benefited primarily from two things. The first is surprisingly the narration. I expected boring and shallow chatter that would undermine the story's build-up, but I actually liked this style. The second thing on the list is the exclusive cast. Even the smallest supporting roles are memorable because the entire cast gave more than 100% on set. Add to that the redneck accent, which gave the film extra points. Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Bill Skarsgård, and the sheriff played by Sebastian Stan left an incredible impression on me. The film is wrapped in an unpleasantly negative tone, and you don’t even know who to root for. It’s simply a cocktail full of intrigue, claustrophobic atmosphere, chilling moments, perfectly crafted dialogues (the scene in the church with the priest is an absolute acting high point), and explicit brutality that will resonate with you for a long time. It still won't get a full score from me, as I wanted a slightly more dynamic first half. Nevertheless, it’s a fantastic film. For me, it gets 85%.
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Netflix hit the jackpot this time around, and after Extraction and The Platform, The Devil All the Time is the third best Netflix venture of the year. The Devil All the Time is a solid Southern Gothic period thriller set in Midwestern America, in a small town full of violence and corruption. The film is told in multiple storylines, with some of them being flashbacks, but they don't distract and it's presented very clearly, and I enjoyed the engaging narrator. The cast is perhaps the most interesting that has come out of a film this year, and the interesting thing is not so much the sound names as the choice of characters – Spider-Man, Batman, Pennywise and Winter Soldier, of course in order of who gave the best performance. There isn't a properly positive character in the film, they all commit evil and horrific acts and are usually punished accordingly. Though the film moves at a slower pace, the director doses it with intense scenes that grab the attention (the scene in the church and in the car are the highlights), and the final forty minutes are literally a showdown and very satisfying. A good film with raw atmosphere, great actors and a solid story. Story****, Action***, Humor>No, Violence***, Entertainment***, Music***, Visuals****, Atmosphere****, Suspense****. 8/10.
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A compelling story from the Midwest full of murderers, perverts, paedophiles and other scum, with normal and sane people popping in here and there. An intense, but slowly flowing tension that benefits mainly from first-class performances (Skarsgård, Pattinson), an impressive and unpredictable script and the fearlessness of the filmmakers to surprise the viewer at times, even shock a bit here and there. Without unnecessary exhibitions like Tarantino, but similarly cleverly structured, and engaging for both the ambitious viewer and the layman.
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Perhaps an exceedingly improbable tangle of fucked-up life stories, accompanied by a needlessly frequent and literal voice-over. There are already several important connections between those estimable life stories in the narrative and the constant, all-explaining voice-over robs the viewer of their own thought-provoking consideration. Literal explanations of the characters’ feelings have a place in a book, where we don’t see the characters’ faces. Here it is too much and unnecessary. If, however, you accept this excessively lazy, monotonously flowing narrative, you’re in for a solid drama with a lot of suffering, the ugly fruits of religious fanaticism, slightly cynical use of laid-back period music (which evokes the Coen brothers) and excellent actors. Particularly Jason Clarke and Pattinson excel in their negative supporting roles, which are atypical of them. Paradoxically, I found Tom Holland’s main character to be lacking in expressiveness, which I wouldn’t blame on him as an actor, but on the director. Three and a half stars.
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