The Devil's Advocate

Some movies seem to have been made for just one scene, and disappointingly, "The Devil's Advocate" is one of them.

Granted, the scene in question — in which young attorney Kevin Lomax (Keanu Reeves) confronts his Machiavellian, or more properly, Mephistophelean boss, John Milton (Al Pacino) — is a great one. In fact, it almost saves this uneven dark comic thriller. But it's quickly scuttled by a preposterous, "What the?" ending that seems completely out of character with the rest of the movie.

Beneath the film's seamy surface, there is an obvious message about love vs. money, but "The Devil's Advocate" wallows in excess (including full female nudity, simulated sex, violence and gore), and director Taylor Hackford takes so long to get to the final conflict that many audiences will already be turned off.

The film's opening is straight out of "The Firm," as we see Lomax defending a school teacher accused of molesting a student. It's a case he can't possibly win, but he does anyway — even though he knows his slimy client is guilty. Kevin's astoundingly perfect success rate soon brings him to the attention of a prestigious New York law firm.

After receiving a tentative offer to consult on a case, Kevin and his wife Mary Anne (Charlize Theron) head for New York, over the protestations of his churchgoing mother (Judith Ivey). Once there, the couple is slowly seduced by power and wealth through the firm's charismatic founder, Milton.

But while Kevin is beginning to thrive in the Big Apple, Mary Anne feels alone and out of place. It also becomes apparent to her that there's a lot more to Milton than blind ambition. He is evil incarnate, and the two of them fight for Kevin's soul.

As mentioned, the film's main message is lost somewhat under the messy storytelling. Hackford, a veteran who directed both "An Officer and a Gentleman" and "Dolores Claiborne," should have known better, but he's working from a faulty script. (Some of the best humorous bits will probably go over many audiences' heads, and most of the scenes aren't particularly scary.)

Still, Pacino almost single-handedly saves things. As the Prince of Lies, he is every bit as charming, funny and ruthless as you'd expect. Of course, this character also limits what he could do to top it, careerwise, unless he's planning to narrate a remake of "The Greatest Story Ever Told" or star in a sequel to "To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar."

And though Reeves is more convincing in the courtroom scenes that you might expect, he's not nearly as good in the more dramatic moments. (His Southern accent sounds like it came from anywhere but his character's Florida origins, as does Theron's.)

With all the nudity, sex, violence and profanity, "Devil's Advocate" earns its hard R rating.