The Devil All the Time (2020) Movie Drinking Game
Do a Shot: every time someone dies.
Take a Drink: for every monologue.
Do a Shot: for every moment of narration.
Take a Drink: because Spiders!
By: Movie Snurb (Two Beers) –
Based on the acclaimed novel by Donald Ray Pollock, The Devil All the Time is an interwoven story between several deplorable and despicable people with a few redeeming ones in the mix. It begins after WWII and goes up to the beginning of the Vietnam War. This film uses two of the biggest wounds on American history to open up several wounded people to explore themes of violence and religion. There’s a man returning from WWII who is not fully healed, and his son who grows up with issues of his own. A preacher dealing with his struggles with faith and a woman who follows him blindly, and a daughter they abandon. She gets entwined with the town preacher who has far more sinister intentions than she realizes. Two serial killers pick up hitchhikers, take photos with them, and then slaughter them. Finally, a town Sheriff is on the take and more concerned about making money and re-election than the town he is Sheriff off.
A Toast
I was amazed when I saw the cast that they were able to get all of these actors into one film. It’s like one of those terrible star-studded comedies like New Year’s Eve, but when you actually have good actors and a good script it can work. The cast includes: Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Bill Skarsgard, Haley Bennett, Sebastian Stan, Riley Keough, Jason Clarke, Harry Melling, & Eliza Scanlen. All of them bringing their different talents to highlight their character so each one is memorable even though there are only 140 minutes and there are about 15 main characters. If there was ever an award given for casting, Douglas Aibel should get all the awards.
You can put a great cast together, but that doesn’t mean they’ll deliver. However, they all deliver in this film. I don’t want to talk about every actor’s performance because I don’t want this to be 2,000 words, but I’ll highlight my favorites. Pattinson’s accent is very divisive and I think it works for the character. That nasally high-pitched Southern drawl reminded me of Strother Martin as Captain in Cool Hand Luke. I’ve enjoyed all his performances since Twilight and am basically a season ticket holder for Robert. It was great to see Tom Holland do a more mature and complex character. Definitely more understated than Pattinson and Melling’s preachers, but possibly the most affecting.
Haley Bennett is great in her small role. She provides a caring and sweetness and when she is gone all humanity essentially leaves with her. Riley Keough is another actor I am a season ticket holder for. Her as the wife and co-conspirator of a serial killer brings to life her character and makes her one of the most complex in the film. Her husband Jason Clarke is great in his dark role, he is far underutilized. Lastly, my favorite performance and I wish he had more to do in the film is Bill Skarsgard as the troubled soldier who comes home from WWII tormented but calm on the surface and slowly unravels and becomes completely undone when his wife becomes sick with cancer.
The film looks gorgeous. As disgusting as all the characters are, it’s surprising how beautiful the surroundings they are in are. They really capture the beauty of West Virginia and southern Ohio in a way that travel brochures do. The cinematography is great, and Campos’ direction and blocking is excellent.
Beer Two
My only issue with the film, which is a big issue, is there just isn’t enough screen time for the characters or the story. It doesn’t feel rushed, but everything that happens feels like it’s only to serve to push the story forward. There is no moment when the characters are allowed to breathe and just exist in the world and we get to know them better. It feels like ever character could get a deeper dive and explored more. I think this should’ve been a miniseries on Netflix with the exact same cast. Each episode could focus on a different character’s story and we get their full due. After I finished the movie, I immediately ordered the book because I know the book is going to be great because it’ll spend the time each character deserves.
Verdict
The Devil All the Time is definitely not for the faint of heart. It’s dark, rich, and complex, but is kept from being truly great because there is just not enough time to devote in a film. This is another great film by Antonio Campos with great performances by a great cast.
