The Devil All The Time (2020) Review

So I am a few days late but I have now watched Netflix's new big film The Devil All The Time and here is my review for it. The premise of the film sees a young man attempting to protect the ones he loved by going after sinister characters in his town. 

Main Character

Even though he doesn't turn up in this film till the 45 minute mark, Tom Holland is the main character here and he is fantastic. This is a really mature performance, his character is going through a crisis for the majority of the film and you sympathise with him as he attempts to stay good but protect those close to him. Holland is still a young actor and the future for him is huge and hopefully he can be a leading man for years and years to come. 

Supporting Characters

Robert Pattinson is a busy man at the moment, with Tenet and The Batman but he plays a preacher here and he is fantastic too. He has a different accent and he does it so well here, he is such a slimy person and just by looking at him you can see something is up with him and he plays this role so well, when you consider he is usually the leading man. Bill Skarsgard plays Holland's father here and he does a good job too, you can see where Holland gets his personality from and the two characters journeys really mirror each other and fit the tone of the film really well. Sebastian Stan plays a crooked cop and he is great, he is a charismatic guy and he fits the role well. Credit to Jason Clarke, Harry Melling & Riley Keough who also all do great jobs in their respective roles. 

Story

The story is interesting for sure, seeing the different characters and their stories are a highlight and made better by the great performances. This films story is all about crisis, mainly in faith and the film does a great job of portraying that and make some really interesting and characters and this film has a really great ending. But, sometimes I think maybe the film should have focused on a few less stories, it is clearly trying to be a film like Pulp Fiction that wants to have everything connect and it does an okay job and not great job at it. 

Script

The script for me was okay, The drama is here and the film is as dark as it gets which considering the subject matter, that is fine for me. But for a film that lies on its drama there weren't really any moments where the drama hits the highest level and is memorable and that is a let down. Also this films storytelling device of narration feels cheap and lazy and like we need our hands held throughout the plot.

Style

The style fits its film very well, everything is dry and looks like a place you would never want to visit. It shows the worst of the worst and the way the film is made really highlights what the film was going for. But I also felt this film was a little long in the teeth, mainly the first act, which took a bit to get going, if this had been sped up a little bit this film would be a much higher level in the final rating. 

Overall

Overall, this is another good film for Netflix with a great cast that fails to hit the highest levels. I think if you like character driven well acted films then you will enjoy this film and it is a good watch. 

Rating - 7/10