Philadelphia Globe Reviews “The Devil All The Time” & The Dark Side of Power
By John Saeger
Netflix’s The Devil All The Time explores the dark side of power and religion by allowing characters to wallow in violence and corruption. The setting of rural West Virginia and Ohio pit an unlikely mix of characters against each other. Instead of the pedestrian romantic view of life after World War II, the film intermixes fate and faith as it tests the limits of humanity.
Based on a novel of the same name by Donald Ray Pollock, The Devil All The Time is headlined by Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Riley Keough, and Bill Skarsgård. The actors played an orphaned teenager with a brutal childhood, an unethical preacher, a voyeuristic serial killer, and a corrupt sheriff. Antonio Campos, whose last major feature was the 2016 biopic Christine, directed the movie.
The film is narrated by Pollock, who explains how the dispersed stories are bound together and fills in gaps to condense the plot. The film is an anti-American Graffiti in that there is no postwar illusion of innocence. Far from an endless parade of cars and California teenagers trying to make out, Pollock and Campos show a gritty side of a recovering America. The lead subjects try to fill the void of global conflict through violence and perversion.
The Devil Time All The Time is reminiscent of a Coen Brothers flick, albeit without the comedy the duo typically exact from desperation. One cast member, a corrupt preacher, memorably played a role in the Coen’s own excellent Netflix feature: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. Fans of Buster Scruggs may remember the stunning vignette involving Liam Neeson and a disabled actor. Harry Melling continued acting as a performer in The Devil All The Time, although his role as a preacher has a more obvious warning about the dangers of deifying religious figureheads.
These situations are omnipresent throughout the film. The entrapment of false preaching also bears a resemblance to the fraudulent revivalism in There Will Be Blood.
Despite the renown of Paul Thomas Anderson’s movie, none of its revival scenes are as captivating as Pattinson’s own turn as a morally bankrupt preacher. His predatory behavior and fiery sermons reveal the actor’s stunning range. The most captivating scene comes as he emphasizes the delusions of faith. Pattison’s accent work and passion are second to none as he lies to his congregation.
The film does receive points for a runtime of two hours and 18 minutes, although it turns out that may have hindered the possibilities of the adaptation. Even though the stories intersect on screen, greater character exploration might have pushed the limits of streaming attention spans. As is the case with so many movies that fall just short on development, one can’t help but wonder if Pollock’s novel would have been better suited for a miniseries. Even with this in mind, The Devil All The Time is a solid piece of macabre filmmaking that immerses its audience in a string of violence and powerful performances.
About the Author: John Saeger is a music and film writer from Philadelphia. Since 2017 he has been writing his pop-culture blog Long After Dark, a site dedicated to the arts in the City of Brotherly Love and beyond. Email / Twitter
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