'The Devil All The Time' Review
R: Violence, bloody/disturbing images, sexual content, graphic nudity, and language
Runtime: 2 Hrs and 16 Minutes
Production Companies: Nine Stories Productions, Bronx Moving Company
Distributor: Netflix
Director: Antonio Campos
Writers: Antonio Campos, Paulo Campos
Cast: Tom Holland, Bill Skarsgård, Riley Keough, Jason Clarke, Sebastian Stan, Haley Bennett, Eliza Scanlen, Mia Wasikowska, Robert Pattinson
Release Date: September 16, 2020
In Knockemstiff, Ohio and its neighboring backwoods, sinister characters — an unholy preacher (Robert Pattinson), a twisted couple (Jason Clarke and Riley Keough), and a crooked sheriff (Sebastian Stan) — converge around young Arvin Russell (Tom Holland) as he fights the evil forces that threaten him and his family.
Not to start this review with an openly anti-religious statement, but as a former Jehovah’s Witness, there’s nothing more appealing to me than watching a movie with an overarching theme of White American Christians being some of the worst fucking people in the world. Something about a narrative that goes, “Look at these Jesus freaks being hypocritical with their violent actions,” just fills me with serotonin. The Devil All The Time, based on the hit 2011 novel by Donald Ray Pollock, exposes the fact that religious people, especially preachers, can be some of the most sinister, wicked human beings. Part of the narrative’s functionality, in regards to the characters’ fates, follows a cycle where the harder a character tries to get themselves closer to God through prayer, the harder the tragedy they face or the more obliviously evil they become. You know… like many American Christians today.
For an ensemble mostly composed of European and Australian actors (seriously, the only American cast members are Bennett and Keough), they all deliver spot-on Appalachian/country accents. The cast itself is fitting for such a grueling, dark tale since most of these actors/actresses have starred in at least one batshit insane movie. Every recognizable face in The Devil All The Time knew what they were doing since this wasn’t their first rodeo.
The only famous actor in this cast who is new to this territory is Tom Holland. There are moments where our current Peter Parker goes full-on Frank Castle. Seeing Holland display this brawny, violent nature may be surprising, but his great performance is convincing. There’s an incredible scene between him and Pattinson that is so *chef’s kiss*. Hell, this is the closest thing we’ll ever get to a Batman V. Spiderman standoff and it’s so incredibly acted that it’s one of the only memorable things this film has to offer.
The Devil All the Time is a decent movie that has the ingredients to be a masterful picture if it wasn’t for its poor storytelling, and endless, gratuitous sequences of disturbing content. The first half is such a chore to sit through, both physically and emotionally. For some reason, Antonio Campos strays from the narrative structure of the source material, which is divided up in parts, and nonchalantly time-jumps frequently, leaving you confused and less attached to the incohesive thread of the narrative. It doesn’t help that the occasional third-person narration includes pointless and on-the-nose details and descriptions of the plot. The film often lacks focus, making everything aside from its shock value feel hollow.
Violent scenes without substance are usually gratuitous and this applies heavily to The Devil All The Time. It’s one of those narratives that are gory and violent for the sake of being gory and violent. The constant grisly displays make you numb to these violent sequences, especially when the story becomes more disjointed as it bounces back and forth in time. Director Antonio Campos doesn’t shy the camera away from any explicit content as he actively makes each scene more disturbing or violent than the last.
All of the disturbing content, in terms of serving a functional story, is so unnecessary. Some of the prolonged sequences could’ve been condensed for time, impact, and story purposes. Campos spends so much time using violence as a means to manipulate the viewer to feel sympathy for characters, but at the same time, in the midst of all the violent scenes, the movie asks you to feel sympathy towards these criminals.
As far as a narrative goes, The Devil All The Time leaves much to be desired. It prospers from a talented ensemble who gives incredible performances and the film has great cinematic production quality. Unfortunately, the storytelling is too hectic in structure and overly reliant on shocking, numbing sequences of gratuitous violence that hinders most of the positive aspects of the film. But it’s a Netflix movie so… you know… it’s there for you anyway.
