The Devil All the Time

A compelling story from the Midwest full of murderers, perverts, paedophiles and other scum, with normal and sane people popping in here and there. An intense, but slowly flowing tension that benefits mainly from first-class performances (Skarsgård, Pattinson), an impressive and unpredictable script and the fearlessness of the filmmakers to surprise the viewer at times, even shock a bit here and there. Without unnecessary exhibitions like Tarantino, but similarly cleverly structured, and engaging for both the ambitious viewer and the layman. (10/15/2020)

Perhaps an exceedingly improbable tangle of fucked-up life stories, accompanied by a needlessly frequent and literal voice-over. There are already several important connections between those estimable life stories in the narrative and the constant, all-explaining voice-over robs the viewer of their own thought-provoking consideration. Literal explanations of the characters’ feelings have a place in a book, where we don’t see the characters’ faces. Here it is too much and unnecessary. If, however, you accept this excessively lazy, monotonously flowing narrative, you’re in for a solid drama with a lot of suffering, the ugly fruits of religious fanaticism, slightly cynical use of laid-back period music (which evokes the Coen brothers) and excellent actors. Particularly Jason Clarke and Pattinson excel in their negative supporting roles, which are atypical of them. Paradoxically, I found Tom Holland’s main character to be lacking in expressiveness, which I wouldn’t blame on him as an actor, but on the director. Three and a half stars. (09/18/2020)

Netflix hit the jackpot this time around, and after Extraction and The Platform, The Devil All the Time is the third best Netflix venture of the year. The Devil All the Time is a solid Southern Gothic period thriller set in Midwestern America, in a small town full of violence and corruption. The film is told in multiple storylines, with some of them being flashbacks, but they don't distract and it's presented very clearly, and I enjoyed the engaging narrator. The cast is perhaps the most interesting that has come out of a film this year, and the interesting thing is not so much the sound names as the choice of characters – Spider-Man, Batman, Pennywise and Winter Soldier, of course in order of who gave the best performance. There isn't a properly positive character in the film, they all commit evil and horrific acts and are usually punished accordingly. Though the film moves at a slower pace, the director doses it with intense scenes that grab the attention (the scene in the church and in the car are the highlights), and the final forty minutes are literally a showdown and very satisfying. A good film with raw atmosphere, great actors and a solid story. Story****, Action***, Humor>No, Violence***, Entertainment***, Music***, Visuals****, Atmosphere****, Suspense****. 8/10. (09/17/2020)

This is one of the best things in the "Netflix original production" category in a while, no question about it. Unfortunately, I couldn't shake the feeling at the end that a narrative this ambitious and expansive deserved even stronger performances (I'm thinking especially of Tom Holland, who's not bad, but I just don't believe him) or a slightly more innovative formula. Overall, though, satisfaction prevailed and for the first time in a long time this is a film with a digestible voiceover. (09/20/2020)

One of the best films I've seen in recent times. And not only on Netflix. The “prologue" alone with Bill Skarsgård is so amazingly atmospheric and emotive, and it's actually just the start. It’s waiting for a much bigger acting concert which, in this mosaic with the mood of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, is played by Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Jason Clarke and co. I like these types of stories and I like to let them to do whatever they want with me. (09/16/2020)