The Devil All the Time review- A disappointing bore, despite its star studded cast
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Its always disappointing when a film that had the best of intentions fails to live up to expectations. And its unfortunate to say that ‘The Devil All the Time’ fits into that category. With a stellar cast and utterly mesmerizing cinematography by British DP Lol Crawley, it is a shame that Antonio Campos’s adaptation of Donald Ray Pollock’s novel is on the dull and underwritten side.
The narrative brings together three different plotlines set in Ohio and West Virginia during the early years of the Vietnam War. Arvin (Tom Holland) is a troubled young man reeling from traumas in his youth inflicted upon him by his father (Bill Skarsgård). He is extremely protective of his stepsister Lenora (Eliza Scanlen) who has a fascination with the new pastor of the church Preston (Robert Pattinson). Meanwhile, there is a serial killer couple (Jason Clarke and Riley Keough) who pick up hitchhikers, pose them for sexually provocative photographs and then murder them. Furthermore, there is a corrupt sheriff (Sebastian Stan) trying to win reelection of the county.
This where many of the problems lie. Campos seems to lift heavily from Pollock’s novel, but there are far too many plotlines going on. Whilst films like ‘Magnolia’ and ‘Short Cuts’ have succeeded, this just feels undercooked. Most of the actors are not given the breathing room to really flesh out their characters. They exist more as movie stars than as characters in a film. They are there so people can point out “hey, there’s [insert famous actor’s name here]” since they will be so uninvested by the plot. Besides Holland, most of the actors have less than 20 minutes of screen time and are wasted in their roles.
It fills like a novel that would have worked better as a television series. One in which the characters and story were further to developed to deliver a far more enriching experience. At nearly 2 ½ hours, it becomes a slog to sit through, as we cut back to these individual characters but with little care or investment. Many things happen to them, but they rarely feel like real people, often just southern caricatures. It reels in its depressing rural backdrop, one in which religion dominates people lives. Yet, it has little original to say on the impact of Christianity on the blue collar American.
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One other detriment of the film is its obvious and unnecessary narration. Whilst Campos makes an interesting choice by having the author Pollock narrate much of the film, the narration is fairly cliché. Pollock’s gruff voice does little to add to the story, often pointing out things that are already happening on screen. It is a clear example of “show, don’t tell”.
The performances are solid all round for the most part. Much like last years ‘The King’ (another mediocre Netflix original), Pattinson delights in a scenery chewing performance. And Holland does well with what he is given. It is a shame when talented actors like Mia Wasikowska and Riley Keough are given far too little to do.
Its frankly not worth people’s time especially compared to what Netflix has on offer. Considering the vast quantity of shows they make; it begs the question to why they made this as a film. Many people have often commentated that television has become the new film. After seeing this, I might have to agree.
tags: robert pattinson antonio campos donald ray pollock tom holland jason clarke riley keough
mia wasikowska
