History Film / TheDevilsAdvocate

* TheCameo: Sen. Alphonse D'Amato, Ambassador Charles Gagano, and Don King all appear as themselves, and seem to be on very good terms with John Milton. Makes you wonder if anyone told them what kind of movie they were in...If they were told, it's a rather extraordinary case of AdamWesting.

* FunnyBackgroundEvent: As Kevin and Milton walk through the streets of New York talking, a delivery man keeps pace behind them for several seconds carrying a box labeled "Halo Illumination."

--->'''Milton:''' ''Acquittal after acquittal after acquittal--until the stench of it reaches so high and far into heaven, it '''chokes the whole fucking lot of them!'''''

* ObviousSecondChoice: Evidently, the filmmakers wanted to end the film with "Sympathy for the Devil" by Music/{{The Rolling Stones|Band}}. In the end, they settled for the less appropriate "Paint It Black."

* SecretTestOfCharacter: Kevin’s whole life has been this. Milton [[spoiler:purposely impregnated a young pastor’s daughter from the DeepSouth, so his son would be raised in the Bible Belt]]. Then each case Kevin took on raised the stakes of how far he was willing to go to win, despite knowing his clients were guilty. His willingness to get Cullen off for murder despite knowing he is guilty is the final test before Milton reveals to Kevin his true identity and plan. Mary Ann lampshades this at one point during her SanitySlippage, saying, “This whole thing feels like one big test!”

''Vanity. Definitely my favourite sin.''

----

''The Devil's Advocate'' is a 1997 {{Thriller}} / ReligiousHorror film directed by Creator/TaylorHackford adn written by Creator/TonyGilroy, starring Creator/KeanuReeves, Creator/AlPacino and Creator/CharlizeTheron, and based on a novel by Andrew Neiderman.

''The Devil's Advocate'' is a 1997 {{Thriller}} / ReligiousHorror film directed by Creator/TaylorHackford, starring Creator/KeanuReeves, Creator/AlPacino and Creator/CharlizeTheron, and based on a novel by Andrew Neiderman.

* ObviousSecondChoice: Evidently, the filmmakers wanted to end the film with "Sympathy for the Devil" by Music/TheRollingStones. In the end, they settled for the less appropriate "Paint It Black."

* GasLighting: And how! [[spoiler:Milton to Mary-Anne]]. TurnedUpToEleven.

''The Devil's Advocate'' is a 1997 {{Thriller}} / ReligiousHorror film starring Creator/KeanuReeves, Creator/AlPacino and Creator/CharlizeTheron, and based on a novel by Andrew Neiderman.

* DevilInDisguise: John Milton. He's able to pass for human without fail, only dropping hints because he ''wants'' the protagonist ([[TheAntichrist who is really his son]]) to find out that his boss is the Devil himself.

* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:After Kevin kills himself, Milton]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGIaEP49wyc literally erupts (NSFW)]] into flames in anger.

* EvilCannotComprehendGood: [[spoiler:Satan]], whose entire ''modus operandi'' is based on hatred, never considered that love would be important to [[spoiler:Kevin]], and that he'd remember [[spoiler:Mary Ann]] as his best friend rather than as just a sex object [[spoiler:and thus reject Christabella]].

-->[[spoiler:'''Milton:''']] Let me give you a little inside information about God. God likes to watch. He's a prankster. Think about it. He gives man instincts. He gives you this extraordinary gift, and then what does He do, I swear for His own amusement, His own private, cosmic gag reel, He sets the rules in opposition. It's the goof of all time. Look but don't touch. Touch, but don't taste. Taste, don't swallow. Ahaha. And while you're jumpin' from one foot to the next, what is He doing? He's laughin' His ''sick, fuckin' ass off!'' He's a tight-ass! He's a ''sadist!'' He's an absentee landlord! Worship that? ''Never!''

* TheCorrupter: Of course, the Devil is the ultimate corrupter. Why he doesn't just force people to obey him? He implies it's one of the checks God put on him: he can tempt, he can influence, he can manipulate, but ultimately he can't ''make'' anyone choose to side with him.
-->'''Milton:''' Free will. It's like butterfly wings: once touched, they never get off the ground. No, I only set the stage. [[MoreThanMindControl You pull your own strings.]]

* BreakThemByTalking[=/=]WeCanRuleTogether: Milton’s final speech to Kevin is a combination of these—convincing Kevin that Kevin himself was responsible [[spoiler:for Mary Ann’s suicide]] and for getting off all the people he knew to be guilty, and thus he and Milton are NotSoDifferent, and convincing Kevin that he should agree to Milton’s plan to [[spoiler:sire the AntiChrist]].

-->[[spoiler:'''Milton:''']] Let me give you a little inside information about God. God likes to watch. He's a prankster. Think about it. He gives man instincts. He gives you this extraordinary gift, and then what does He do, I swear for His own amusement, his own private, cosmic gag reel, He sets the rules in opposition. It's the goof of all time. Look but don't touch. Touch, but don't taste. Taste, don't swallow. Ahaha. And while you're jumpin' from one foot to the next, what is he doing? He's laughin' His ''sick, fuckin' ass off!'' He's a tight-ass! He's a ''sadist!'' He's an absentee landlord! Worship that? ''Never!''

* BrotherSisterIncest: Satan wants his half-human offspring to mate with each other, as this will create TheAntichrist and leave him with someone to manage his affairs on Earth.

** [[spoiler: Kevin]] is a victim of it as well. For all the talk about free will and how [[spoiler: he]] chose everything, the ending reveals that, after failing, [[spoiler: Milton will just reset everything ad approach things from another angle, manipulating the circumstances until his victim "freely" choses to go along.]]

* ArtisticLicenseGeography: The movie opens in what is supposedly Gainesville, Florida--or, at least, what the filmmakers think is Gainesville, Florida, portrayed as a one-horse hick town in the middle of nowhere. In reality, Gainesville is a modern, skyscraper-encrusted college town. Apparently, the producers wanted Kevin Lomax to be from a small rural town and picked Gainesville off of a map at random, not realizing that "small rural town" does ''not'' describe Gainesville, and hasn't for about a hundred years. The [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar Civil War]]-era "courthouse" where the trial was taking place is actually in a one-stoplight town some 32 miles east of Gainesville, for example; the courthouses in Gainesville proper are all modern, multistory buildings.

* TheCorrupter: Of course, the Devil is the ultimate corrupter. Why he doesn't just force people to obey him?

* VillainNeverLies: Combined with ExactWords, however, since Milton tells Kevin that he merely "sets up the scene" [[spoiler: said set-up includes him using supernatural powers to manipulate time and perception until he finally gets the result he wants, giving the impression that he doesn't affect free will because he actually can't, and not because he refrains from doing so. His claim of not being a puppeteer is only true FromACertainPointOfView.]]

** Creator/AlPacino plays [[Film/AndJusticeForAll the head of a law firm]], speaks many languages including [[Film/{{Scarface 1983}} spanish]] and wants [[spoiler:his son]] Kevin to be in on [[Film/TheGodfather the family's evil business.]]

* ObviousSecondChoice: Evidently the filmmakers wanted to end the film with "Sympathy For The Devil" By Music/TheRollingStones. It would seen they had to settle for less appropriate "Paint It Black." (your Mileage May Vary)

* ChewingTheScenery: Al Pacino's [[spoiler:climactic meltdown is magnificent]]. The part where he seamlessly starts singing "It Happened In Monterrey" ''[[VoiceChangeling in Sinatra's voice]]'' somehow ups both the {{Fanservice}} and {{Squick}} of the scene.