For a film so grim, The Devil All the Time is a fitting title because God is not present for a moment of this movie. Truly, Antonio Campos' new Netflix film beats its audience over the head with unrelenting bleakness. With its brutal violence and subplots involving rape, suicide, and pedophilia, it will undeniably be triggering for many. The sheer extent of brutality present in The Devil All the Time is an acquired taste and for the type of viewers who like their darkness to be balanced with a little bit of light, there's no denying that The Devil All the Time will be an unbearable watch. However, if you're like me and are able to handle films as violent and humorless as this, then The Devil All the Time really goes hard.
Written and directed by Antonio Campos and based on the Donald Ray Pollock novel of the same name, The Devil All the Time follows a young man, Arvin (Tom Holland), who goes to great lengths to protect himself and his loved ones from the sinners that inhabit the small southern town of Coal Creek, West Virginia, all while seeing himself become a sinner in the process.
The major selling point going into this film is easily the impressive ensemble cast they've assembled. Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Sebastian Stan, Eliza Scanlen, Bill Skarsgard, Riley Keough, Jason Clarke, Mia Wasikowska, Haley Bennett- the cast is *stacked*. While a few members of the cast get minimal screen time (especially some of the women- we'll get to that), everyone is able to make an impression. Tom Holland abandons his typical "awkward teen" shtick for this film and, by doing so, he's able to turn in an absolutely unforgettable performance. He manages to be brutal but also incredibly nuanced, a combination that's difficult to pull off and that Holland does effortlessly. This is the first time he's showing off his true chops as an actor and it was very impressive. Unsurprisingly, the standout of the supporting cast is easily Robert Pattinson. He sports an impeccable accent and manages to make his corrupt preacher steal every scene he's in, giving the best male supporting performance of the year. Normally the term “chewing the scenery“ has a negative connotation, but not with Pattinson’s work here. He chews, swallows, and digests the scenery and totally exemplifies how to do it well and it was glorious. Bill Skarsgard, Riley Keough, Eliza Scanlen, and Sebastian Stan are all quite excellent too. As for Jason Clarke, he's good but it's the same kind of role we've seen him play before so there isn't much to compliment. Unfortunately, Haley Bennett and Mia Wasikowska get extremely short ends of the stick. They're very good but their roles are so limited that they barely get enough time to make an impression.
The underutilization of Bennett and Wasikowska actually brings up one of the minor problems this film holds, one that's been hinted at a few times in this very review- the female characters. This film is based on a novel and I’m sure they just took the arcs of the female characters directly from there. However, in 2020, we expect a certain level of depth to be added to female roles so that they don’t end up being underrepresented and it’s incredibly disappointing that this movie leaves its female characters behind, especially with such high profile actresses in these roles. Still, Scanlen and Keough‘s characters have a fair amount of depth and there's certainly enough about them for people to latch onto, so there is some semblance of dimension for them- but when compared to all of their male co-stars, their development isn't up to par. As to get the flaws out of the way, I felt as though the film's structure was a little disjointed at times. It jumps through time but it did so with little flow, so it can get a little bit hard to follow.
Both of these flaws are fairly minor, however, and they do not detract an inch from an otherwise awesome film. The film is completely unpredictable and every single violent, brutal twist and turn hits you like a bag of bricks. There are some absolutely crushing emotional beats and plenty shock-inducing ferocity that comes around each and every corner. The film also has some really compelling outlooks on vengeance and the hypocrisy of trying to be rid of sin- that is, how many sinners can one person actually take out before they start to become one themselves? It's a really thought-provoking movie in this way and considering how I didn't expect it to challenge me as much as it did, major props need to be given.
From a technical standpoint, the film succeeds as well. The cinematography from Lol Crawley is stellar. The color palette shifts between muddy brown and gray and while those aren't necessarily pretty colors, they work very well here, as they contribute to the film's somber tone and gritty, dirty feel. Campos' direction is also phenomenal. He makes the most out of the small, midwestern hick town setting and gives the film a visceral grittiness that made it feel all the more brutal.
The Devil All the Time is one of the most literary cinematic experiences I've seen in quit awhile. In the best possible way, it feels as though you're rapidly turning the pages of a really suspenseful novel. Boasting incredible performances by its cast, a genuinely unpredictable story, emotional gut-punches, impeccable cinematography, and strong direction, The Devil All the Time is one of the best films of the year so far and one that, perhaps sadistically, I really enjoyed watching.
★★★★½
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