REEL TALK

October 23, 2020

THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME

REVIEWED BYAshwini Vethakan

An orphaned boy, two romantically involved serial killers, a corrupt sheriff, several guileless young women and two very confused preachers: The Devil All The Time could easily turn into a sticky melting mess…

Yet, director Antonio Campos – aided by a top-notch cast – avoids the pitfalls.

The Devil All The Time is an adaptation of Donald Ray Pollock’s novel of the same name; and it is an ambitious project to say the least.

This sprawling drama has so much rippling under the surface with so many characters that it’s hard to keep track of everything – so much so that it’s tempting to say it would have worked better as a miniseries than a movie especially since some characters and themes have been overlooked because of the film’s broad scope.

The film is narrated by the author, which I’m thankful for – for two reasons: the first being that it gives a sense of familiarity to those watching – as if Pollock is seated amongst us and telling the story; and secondly, it helps you to understand the tangled plots.

This story revolves around two generations that have been impacted by violence in the heart of America while chronicling how faith and evil often intertwine – more so when there are men of the cloth who commit heinous crimes.

The plot unravels in true hick fashion with a typical ‘fathers and sons’ story, starting with Willard Russell (Bill Skarsgård) returning home from World War II to Knockemstiff in Ohio, carrying a heavy weight of PTSD.

His particular trauma melds with faith when during the war, he sees a man who has been literally crucified, his body still barely alive on a cross. This scene plays a crucial part in the film. I’m not one for spoilers… so I don’t want to divulge anything more than the little scene I have described here.

The film carries many heavy gothic undertones and tends to be confusing too when one spends most of the time playing catch up with what the narrator is describing.

We are then taken through the life journey of an unlucky lad called Arvin (played by Tom Holland) as he absorbs shock after grimace worthy shock in his young life. However, it’s ultimately the lessons he learned from his pa that help him navigate the real life horrors he comes face to face with.

If you break apart each head spinning plot, the stories are captivating, considering the powerful cast that brings each character to life. From Sebastian Stan’s paunchy, corrupt policeman to Jason Clarke’s truly revolting serial killer persona, these actors take on some pretty heavy (and very dark) roles.

But if I had to choose which characters grabbed my attention, I’d say they’re the two preachers.

The first would be Roy Laferty, played by Harry Melling (viewers may remember him as Dudley Dursely in the Harry Potter films). Roy is what we call an ‘eager preacher.’ He searches for the Word of God, really only wanting to live up to ‘the man upstairs.’ But his beliefs are distorted and one ends up feeling sorry for him.

Then there’s Reverend Preston, played by Robert Pattinson. It’s a mystery where Pattinson picks up his eccentric nasal whine. But it’s his portrayal of the kind of bad preacher who rides through certain contorted fictions, smooth talks with scripture on his forked tongue and confuses people’s faith that deserves our praise.

My favourite scene is when he yells: “Delusions!”

Trust me, you will crack up!

All in all, The Devil All The Time is a movie we’d recommend. It has everything you need in a thriller except maybe enough minutes to run… Watch it and you’ll see what we mean!