The star studded The Devil All The Time finally released today and features some terrific performances and some dark themes. Read further to see if you should check out Netflix’s newest original thriller.
In Knockemstiff, Ohio and its neighboring backwoods, sinister characters — an unholy preacher (Robert Pattinson), twisted couple (Jason Clarke and Riley Keough), and crooked sheriff (Sebastian Stan) — converge around young Arvin Russell (Tom Holland) as he fights the evil forces that threaten him and his family. (Summary courtesy of Netflix)
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The Devil All The Time is based on the book with the same name by Donald Ray Pollock (who also served as the narrator in the movie).
The Devil All The Time Makes Use Of Its Cast
The heart of the movie are the performances. Tom Holland delivered a career best performance. He manages to sell so many different emotions just through his eyes and plays his character with the needed physicality, but also the needed heart to show vulnerability.
Another highlight is Robert Pattinson as the menacing preacher. He gives an almost delightfully evil performance, while creating iconic memes such as the “Delusions” speech, which is one of the best scenes in the movie. He yet again proves that he is one of the most talented actors of his generation. But that’s not it: Bill Skarsgård also delivers a great performance, as does the entire cast but these three are the clear standouts.
The story expends over a few years, with many side plots. Our main story line follows Tom Holland’s Arvin Russel, but gets interrupted every there and then with one of the many side plots, until at the end everything comes together. Many critics criticised the fact that there are this many side plots, but I actually liked them because it never got boring and they helped to explore the dark world more and more. Some of them actually could have been cut, as they don’t affect the main plot at all, but the 138 minutes runtime doesn’t feel stretched at any second and the movie is thrilling until the end.
The technical aspects are really solid. There is some great cinematography, capturing some memorable shots and even makes great use of the POV framing during a few scenes. The sound editing and mixing is solid and the score is good in adding some extra layers to some scenes, creating a dark atmosphere.
The Devil All The Time makes great use of its cast and explores some dark themes. It’s one of this years best movies and definitely worth watching for every thriller fan.
4/5
The Devil All The Time is globally available on Netflix and is Rated R for violence, bloody/disturbing images, sexual content, graphic nudity, and language throughout.
What do you guys think? Are you planning to watch The Devil All The Time? Have you read the book? Let’s discuss everything in the comments down below.
