CARAMOAN,

BEVELYNC.

MOVI
EREPORT
(
Dev
il
’sAdv
ocat
e)

I
NTRODUCTI
ON:

Rel
easedi
nOct
ober
,1997byWar
nerBr
os,
theDev
il
’sAdv
ocat
emov
iewasabox-
of
fi
ce hi
tof$96 mi
l
li
on gai
ns f
rom a-$57 mi
l
li
on budgetf
il
m.Thi
s power
ful
super
nat
uralhor
rorf
il
m aut
hor
edbyanAmer
icannov
eli
stAndr
ew Nei
der
nani
n1990
f
il
medi
n1997byTay
lorHackf
ordwasr
atedRbyMPAAf
orsexual
i
ty,nudi
ty,v
iol
ence
andl
anguage.Thewonder
fulcastofKev
inLomax(
KeanuReev
es)
,JohnMi
l
ton(
Al
Paci
no)
,Mar
yAnnLomax(
Char
li
zeTher
on)andot
hersuppor
ti
ngcast
s Al
exander
Cul
l
en(
Crai
gNel
son)
,Eddi
eBar
zoon(
Jef
freyJones)
,Bar
bar
a(Heat
herMat
arazzo)
,
Ll
oydGet
ty(
Chr
isBauer
),Mr
s.Al
i
ceLomax(
Judi
thI
vey
),andmanymor
eexpl
oit
sthe
cr
isesi
nthej
ust
icesy
stem pr
ompt
edbysomuchambi
ti
onandpowerf
orv
ani
ty.Such
seduct
iveandst
yli
sti
cmov
ief
ull
ofmy
ster
yandi
ntr
iguei
spor
tray
edi
nthescr
eenpl
ay.

SUMMARYOFTHESTORY
Thef
il
m st
art
souti
nGai
nvi
l
leFl
ori
dawi
thar
uthl
essy
oungl
awy
er,
Kev
inLomax.

Ar
elat
ivel
ygoodl
awy
erwhonev
erl
ostacase,Kev
inhasasi
xthsensewhenhepi
cks

hi
sjur
y.Dur
inghi
sfi
rstt
ri
al,def
endi
ngachi
l
dmol
est
erf
rom aMat
hteacher
,Ll
oyd

Get
tys.Kev
inbel
atedl
yreal
i
zeshi
scl
i
enti
sgui
l
tyandl
ocalr
epor
terLar
rywar
nshi
ma

gui
l
tyv
erdi
cti
sinev
itabl
e.Howev
er,t
hroughcr
oss-exami
nat
ion,Kev
indest
roy
sthe

v
ict
im’
scr
edi
bil
i
tyandsecur
esa“
notgui
l
ty”v
erdi
ct”
.Subsequent
ly,Kev
ini
scaughtup

i
nthewhol
eint
ri
gui
ngpl
ot,t
hatMi
l
ton,Chadwi
ckandWat
ers,apower
fulf
ir
minNew
Yor
kaskhi
mtocomedownt
ohel
psel
ectaj
ury
.Af
ter
,heandhi
swi
fear
etr
eat
edt
o

l
uxur
yont
hatv
isi
t,Kev
ini
sof
fer
edaj
obwi
thaf
ir
m basedonhi
stal
ent
.WhenKev
in

Tay
lorj
oinst
heManhat
tancr
imi
nall
aw f
ir
m ofJohnMi
l
ton7Associ
ates,he’
shi
tthe

bi
gti
me-money
,achauf
feur
-dr
ivenl
i
mo,
andast
unni
nghomei
nahi
gh-r
ise.Kev
inand

hi
swi
feenj
oyt
hel
uxur
iest
hey
’vesodesi
red.Spendi
ngmostofhi
sti
meatwor
k,Kev
in

l
eav
esMar
yAnnf
eel
i
ngi
sol
ated.Al
i
ceLomax,hi
smot
her
,adev
outChr
ist
ian,doesnot

appr
oveofKev
in’
sli
feandsuggest
stheyr
etur
nhomebutt
hesonr
efuses.

Then,Mi
l
tonassi
gnedKev
inoneoft
hemostnot
ori
ouscasesoft
hey
ear
.Abi
l
li
onai
re

Al
exCul
l
eni
saccusedofmur
der
inghi
swi
fe,
hisst
epson,
andamai
d.Kev
inwascaught

upi
nthet
ri
plemur
dercaseandhasnot
imef
orMar
yAnn.Al
lal
ong,
Kev
inl
ust
saf
tera

cer
tai
nfl
i
rtat
iousr
edheadi
nthef
ir
m-hi
sco-wor
ker
,Chr
ist
abel
l
a,Ont
heot
herhand,

Mar
yAnnbegi
nsseei
ngdemoni
coft
hewi
vesofot
herl
awy
ersi
nthef
ir
m whom she’
s

af
rai
danduncomf
ort
abl
etobewi
th.Shehasani
ght
mar
eofababypl
ayi
ngwi
thher

ov
ari
esbutKev
inonl
yint
erpr
etsi
tashal
l
uci
nat
ionscausedbyherbei
ngi
nfer
ti
le.Mi
l
ton

suggest
sKev
inst
epdownonat
ri
alt
otendt
ohi
swi
febutKev
incl
aimst
hati
fhest
eps

downandhi
swi
fer
ecov
ers,hemayr
esentherf
orcost
inghi
mthecase.I
ntur
n,Mi
l
ton

becomes Kev
in’
sment
or.Het
akesKev
int
obar
sandspor
tsev
ent
s.Het
empt
s

Kev
inwi
thwomen.Mi
l
tonandKev
inbecomegoodf
ri
ends.Thi
sgi
veshi
ntt
oEddi
e

Bar
zoon,t
hef
ir
m’smanagi
ngdi
rect
orofKev
in’
scompet
ingf
orhi
sjob.Eddi
eBar
zoon

t
hreat
enst
oinf
ormt
heUSAt
tor
ney
’sof
fi
ceoft
hef
ir
m’si
l
legalandcr
imi
nalact
ivi
ti
es.

Kev
int
ell
s Mi
l
ton aboutt
he t
hreat
s whi
ch r
esul
ted t
othe l
att
er’
s mur
derand i
s

wi
tnessedbyMar
yAnn.Di
stur
bed,Mar
yAnnonceagai
nrequest
sKev
int
ogobackt
o

Gi
anv
il
le.Kev
in,
ashei
scommi
tt
edt
othet
ri
al,cont
inuesdef
endi
ngCul
l
enbypr
epar
ing
Mel
i
ssaBl
ack,
thesecr
etar
y’st
est
imonyonCul
l
en’
sal
i
bi.

Page1of3
Mov i
eReport
LegalTechandLogi
c

Ev
ent
ual
l
y,Kev
inf
indsoutMel
i
ssai
sly
ingandt
ell
sMi
l
tonabouti
t.Despi
tet
his,Mi
l
ton

of
fer
saback-upr
egar
dlessandKev
inpr
oceedswi
tht
het
ri
al,wi
nni
nganacqui
tt
alf
or

Cul
l
en.Af
ter
war
ds,Mar
yAnni
sfoundbyKev
ini
nanear
bychur
chcov
eredwi
tha

bl
anket
.Exposi
ngher
sel
ftot
heal
tarandKev
in,Mar
yAnn’
sbodyi
sbr
utal
l
ytor
tur
ed

wi
thcut
sandscr
atches.Shecl
aimsMi
l
tonr
apedhert
hatdaybutKev
inbel
i
evest
his

cannotbet
rueashe’
swi
thMi
l
toni
ncour
t.Kev
inassumest
hatMar
yAnni
njur
edher
sel
f

andi
spl
acedt
hewi
fei
nthement
alhospi
tal
.

Wi
thr
emor
se,Al
i
ce Lomax,r
eal
i
zesshe coul
d hav
e st
ayed wi
tht
he coupl
e.The

r
eli
giousmot
hert
ell
sKev
inwhoi
mpr
egnat
edherasa16-y
earol
dinNewYor
k.I
ttur
ns

outt
obet
hemanaspower
fulast
hedev
ilhi
msel
f,Mi
l
ton.Kev
inconf
ront
sMi
l
ton.

Mi
l
toni
ntr
oducesKev
int
ohi
shal
f-si
sterwi
thseduct
ion.Mi
l
tont
henconf
ront
sKev
in

f
oraper
ver
sepl
ant
ocr
eat
eanAnt
i-Chr
isti
nthecl
i
maxendi
ng.Kev
inst
opst
heev
ili
n

hi
m andagr
eest
oMi
l
tonoft
heso-cal
l
ed“
freewi
l
l”.

Fi
nal
l
y,Kev
inr
efusesbyshoot
inghi
msel
fint
hehead.Ast
hedev
ildoesn’
tgetwhathe

pl
anned,and goes i
ntof
it
s ofr
age,Kev
ini
s suddenl
yshown backi
n Gai
nsv
il
le,

cont
inui
ngt
hef
ir
stcase.

I
ntheend,
Kev
inr
efusesdef
endi
ngt
het
eachermol
est
er.
ANALYSI
SOFTHEPLOT

Kev
in’
svani
tyi
nhi
sNew Yor
kli
fev
isi
ongav
ehi
m aconsci
encet
ochooset
he

r
ightt
hing

I
nthemi
dstoft
hef
orcesoft
hedev
ilandhi
spl
an.Thekeyet
hicali
ssuei
swhet
hert
o

dot
her
ightt
hingordowhatonei
ssupposedt
odo.Thi
sissuef
ir
stcomesupwhen

Kev
ini
sthel
awy
erf
ort
he

Page2of3
Mov i
eReport
LegalTechandLogi
c

chi
l
dmol
est
er.Kev
inseest
hedef
endanti
sget
ti
ngar
ousedandst
art
stomast
urbat
e

whent
hegi
rlont
hewi
tnessst
andi
stel
l
inghowshewasmol
est
ed.Af
terst
ari
ngi
nto

t
hemi
rr
or,hecandof
orwar
dandbeapr
ofessi
onalorhecandot
her
ightt
hingand

r
esi
gnf
rom t
het
ri
al.Conf
ront
edoft
hesamei
nNew Yor
k,br
ingi
nghi
swi
fei
na

si
tuat
ionofl
onel
i
nessoft
heci
tyl
i
fe.Kev
inhast
heopt
ionofqui
tt
ingt
het
ri
plehomi
cide

t
ri
alandcar
eforhi
swi
feorst
icki
ngwi
thhi
str
ialandwi
nni
ngt
hecase.Choosi
ngt
owi
n

t
het
ri
alandt
ogetAl
exof
fthehook,Kev
in’
sfi
nalr
uni
swi
thhi
set
hicalchoi
cewhi
ch

changedhi
sper
sonal
i
tyofhi
swi
fe’
sdeat
handt
hei
dent
if
icat
ionofhi
sfat
her
,aSat
an

whowant
shi
mtopr
oduceachi
l
dwi
thhi
shal
f-si
stert
oseedest
ruct
ionoft
hegood

wor
ld.Kev
inki
l
ledhi
msel
fThi
schangeshi
set
hicalper
sonal
i
tyt
odot
hej
obandt
owi
n

atal
lcostort
odot
hej
obt
owi
nbutnotatt
heexpenseofhumani
ty.
CONCLUSI
ON

Ti
mer
ewi
ndsbackt
othebat
hroom scene.Kev
iny
elpsl
ooki
ngathi
sref
lect
ion.

Hei
sget
ti
ngscar
edofseei
nghi
msel
fast
hedev
il
.Al
lthati
nthebat
hroom scenei
sa

met
aphor
.Kev
inr
eal
i
zest
hatwhat
’she’
sdoi
ngandchoosest
onotdef
endhi
schi
l
d-

mol
est
ingcl
i
ent
.Kev
inal
l
owshi
msel
ftol
ose.Nuti
ntheend,whenar
epor
terpl
eads

Kev
inf
orani
nter
view,
promi
singt
omakehi
m ast
ar,
Kev
ingi
vesi
ntov
ani
tyonceagai
n

andaccept
s.Ther
epor
teri
sshowni
ntoJohn’
swor
ds,quot
ed,
“Vani
tyi
sdef
ini
tel
ymy

f
avor
it
esi
n.”John’
schar
act
err
epr
esent
soneoft
hathar
nessesev
ili
npeopl
e.Onewho

woul
dli
ket
oseeev
ilspr
ead.Thedev
il
.Ev
ent
houghKev
int
hrowst
hecase,hest
il
l

want
stobet
hest
arandaccept
sthei
nter
view.Thi
scont
inuesmani
ndul
ginghi
msel
fin

v
ani
tyasi
tispar
tofhi
scor
enat
ure.Andf
ort
hismov
ie,
alawy
er,
justl
i
keanyman,
has

hi
set
hicalchoi
ces.Thesechoi
cesar
egui
dedbyt
hef
reewi
l
ltodi
sti
ngui
shbet
ween

pat
ter
nsoft
hegoodandev
il
,just
iceandi
njust
ice,peaceandt
err
or,angelanddev
il
’s

adv
ocat
e.Asal
awst
udent
,whi
chv
ani
tywoul
dyouchoose.

Page3of3
Mov i
eReport
LegalTechandLogi
c