I love "Devil's Advocate." Keanu's beauty and performance make watching this movie "biochemically no different than eating large quantities of chocolate." And many reviewers agreed. The Washington Post called it "perfectly evil." Jeffrey Lyons said it was "a sexy and savvy thriller." Gene Siskel called it "entertaining and outrageous." Others saw it as an overbaked morality tale with an over-the-top performance by Pacino, and the usual slings and arrows tossed Keanu's way. But the film went on to become the 25th highest grossing film that year, making $153 million worldwide. It was number two in its opening weekend at the box office, behind "I Know What You Did Last Summer." Not bad for a film with a $57 million budget from Warner Brothers.

Originally titled "Devil's Own," it was based on a novel by Andrew Neiderman, which had a very downbeat ending with Kevin Lomax in jail. At various times during the eight years in development, Kevin was going to be played by Johnny Depp, Christian Slater, and Brad Pitt (with Joel Schumacher directing). It was finally offered to Taylor Hackford ("An Officer and a Gentleman") who had four screenwriters rework it to downplay the supernatural elements so that Al Pacino would sign on. Al had previously turned down the part several times.

It began production on October 28th, 1996 in NYC with all sorts of problems. The first and second unit directors and cinematographer were fired within the first few weeks. The L.A. Times reported that production fell behind schedule because of "crew firings, shorter daylight hours, a tardy Al Pacino, a miscast and struggling Keanu Reeves, and a disliked director."
Anything else, Chicken Little? Throw in a couple of plagues and we'd have a biblical epic! For damage control, Al Pacino released a statement that he "looked forward to seeing Keanu everyday. He's a joy to work with." Although Keanu frequently told the story that his "blood tickled" at the thought of working with Pacino, he also admitted to a recurring ringing in his right ear "just from the tension." So what if he and Al had some friction. I cared more about the chemistry between Keanu and Charlize Theron, who was just 21 years old. They looked stunning as a power couple in Florida, and their scenes as a couple trying to cope with a disintegrating marriage in NYC were very realistic. Even Keanu thought they were a "cool couple."

We all know how Keanu prepares for a role and this one was no exception. He worked two and a half months, losing 25 pounds, and spending hours with defense attorneys, and in courtrooms in LA, NYC, and Jacksonville. He used dialect tapes for his southern accent and a voice trainer for courtroom work, for which he said "I love yelling." He supposedly gave up drinking to maintain a clear-eyed look and was rumored to have a treadmill, bicycle, and bench weights in his NYC apartment, along with routine visits to the World's Gym on Broadway. The caterer said that Keanu ate only cereal for breakfast and Keanu said he gave up pork (in a cute interview in a hallway for the Food Network.) But then there was that story of a pizza delivery to his trailer...and Keanu signing autographs as it got cold on the steps. It was even reported that Keanu followed the big chess match between Deep Blue and Garry Kasparov to unwind on the set. Hackford said that Keanu needed the "right combination of savvy and idealism" to play Kevin well. Eventually the director concluded that he perfectly captured Kevin as "precise, street-smart, and thinking on his feet," especially in the courtroom scenes.

This was a production that would not die. Nine months after production began, Keanu had to leave the Dogstar tour for the first week of July (the rest of the band and crew stayed in NYC) to film the church scene with Judith Ivey in Florida. He rejoined the band in Boston on the same day he finished filming. This extra filming was one more reason the original release date was postponed from August to October.

Several scenes stand out in this film. Rick Baker's subtle special effects gave the movie its contemporary creepiness. I loved the decadence of Donald Trump's NYC apartment (reminded me of his Atlantic City Taj Mahal Casino.)
The mural in Milton's apartment, the subject of a lawsuit which threatened the video release, came alive by inserting into the sequence ballet dancers underwater. Really. The eerie scene of Kevin walking down a completely empty 57th street was filmed on a Sunday morning at 7:30 am with six blocks cleared. The long scene between Kevin, Al, and Connie Nielsen at the end of the movie was filmed on a LA set with one week's rehearsal with only the above three actors, the director, and the screenwriter Tony Gilroy present. Punctuated with humor, a Sinatra song, and a suicide, this extended expository scene pulls the themes of the movie together and it delivers.

The most memorable scene is the love scene between Keanu, Charlize, and Connie. It took several weeks to film and Hackford insists there were no body doubles used (I heard there was one for Charlize.) If there was a body double, then Keanu had to film this scene with three different women. The director said it was difficult to do but made easier because all of the actors liked each other. Charlize said it was easier to do because "Keanu is very comfortable with his body." Keanu, sitting nearby, emphatically shook his head "no" when she said this. It's not completely sexually titillating because you can sense that this is not about love, its about manipulation. Kevin wants to make a baby so his wife will leave him alone and he can get on with what's really turning him on: the murder case. The appearance of Christibella adds lust to the scene but even this turns ugly as Hackford explains that "Kevin just wants to f____ it out as it goes from fantasy to a nightmare." The editing was flawless and the nuances perfectly played by the actors. A very exciting and disturbing scene.

DA was compared to "Angel Heart", "The Firm", "Rosemary's Baby", and "The Omen". And it does have the supernatural dramatic elements of those films. It presents one moral dilemma after another as Kevin marches towards a decidely evil end. It's those little everyday decisions that destroy us and lead us down the path of moral bankruptcy. The choice is ours: "instant bliss, bliss on tap, bliss anyway you want it." It's mighty tempting. But I've already experienced it. It's called "Devil's Advocate," one of my favorite Keanu movies. And judging by the number of times its played on TNT, others would agree. The balcony is now open.