The Devil All the Time (film)

The Devil All the Time is a 2020 American psychological thriller film directed by Antonio Campos, from a screenplay co-written with his brother Paulo Campos, based on the novel of the same name by Donald Ray Pollock, who also serves as the film's narrator. The cast includes Tom Holland, Bill Skarsgård, Riley Keough, Jason Clarke, Sebastian Stan, Haley Bennett, Harry Melling, Eliza Scanlen, Mia Wasikowska and Robert Pattinson, whose characters' stories weave together.

The Devil All the Time
Official release poster
Directed byAntonio Campos
Produced by
Screenplay by
  • Antonio Campos
  • Paulo Campos
Based onThe Devil All the Time
by Donald Ray Pollock
Starring
Narrated byDonald Ray Pollock
Music by
  • Danny Bensi
  • Saunder Jurriaans
CinematographyLol Crawley
Edited bySofía Subercaseaux
Production
company
Distributed byNetflix
Release date
  • September 11, 2020 (2020-09-11) (United States)
Running time
139 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Devil All the Time was released in select theaters on September 11, 2020, and on Netflix on September 16, 2020. It received mixed reviews from critics, but received praise for the performances of Holland and Pattinson.

Plot

During World War II, while serving in the Solomon Islands, U.S. Marine Willard Russell finds Gunnery Sergeant Miller Jones skinned and crucified by Japanese soldiers. Willard ends Jones's agony by shooting him behind the ear. This religious tableau will haunt Willard for the rest of his life. After the war, on his way home to Coal Creek, West Virginia, Willard passes through Meade, Ohio, where he meets Charlotte, a waitress at a diner and a photographer named Carl Henderson. Willard and Charlotte marry and move to Knockemstiff, Ohio, where they have a son who they name Arvin.

In 1950, Helen Hatton marries Roy Laferty, a bizarre albeit charismatic evangelical preacher who pours venomous spiders over his head while giving sermons to demonstrate his faith in God. They have a daughter who they name Lenora. During a sermon, Roy is bitten by a spider on his face and has a severe allergic reaction that affects his grip on reality. Roy comes to believe that he has the ability to resurrect the dead. He takes Helen out in the woods and stabs her in the neck with a screwdriver before trying and failing to resurrect her. He hitchhikes and is picked up by a married couple, Carl Henderson and his wife Sandy. The pair are revealed to be serial killers and their ritual involves picking up male hitchhikers, encouraging them to have sex with Sandy while Carl takes photographs, and then murders them. Roy refuses to have sex with Sandy, and Carl shoots and kills him.

In 1957, Charlotte is diagnosed with cancer. Willard believes he can influence God with fervent prayer to remove cancer from his wife's body. He prays to God and sacrifices Arvin's dog, kneeling before a rustic cross he had erected in the woods behind his house. Nevertheless, Charlotte dies and Willard commits suicide. Arvin, now orphaned, goes to live with his grandmother Emma, where he meets Lenora, who becomes his adopted "stepsister".

In 1965, Arvin is given his father's Luger pistol as a birthday present. He is fiercely protective of Lenora who is bullied by some local boys, prompting Arvin to attack and beat them all mercilessly. Lenora grows close to the new, narcissistic Reverend Preston Teagarden. Preston seduces and rapes Lenora and she becomes pregnant. When she informs Preston, he denies her. Not wanting to bring shame to her family, Lenora plans to take her own life by hanging herself. At the last second, she decides not to go through with suicide, but as she attempts to undo the noose, she slips off her support and dies. After the autopsy, Arvin is told that she was pregnant and suspects that Preston was the father. He follows Preston and sees him seduce and rape another underage girl.

At the church, Arvin confronts Preston about Lenora and shoots and kills him with the Luger before fleeing. Arvin hitchhikes and is picked up by Carl and Sandy. Arvin notices that Carl is carrying a gun, and as Carl begins the pair's ritual, Arvin shoots and kills both Carl and Sandy in self-defense. In the car's glove compartment, Arvin finds a collection consisting of several rolls of film. Sandy's brother, Sheriff Lee Bodecker, learns about Sandy's murder, and to protect himself and his coming reelection, goes to Carl and Sandy's apartment where he finds and destroys Carl's photo collection.

Arvin travels to Meade to visit his childhood home. Lee learns that Arvin murdered Preston, tracks him to Meade, and, armed with a shotgun, confronts Arvin in the woods at Willard's rustic cross. A shootout ensues and Arvin mortally wounds Lee with his father's Luger. Before Lee dies, Arvin shows Lee the picture of Sandy with Roy's dead body. Arvin leaves the photo and rolls of film so evidence of Carl and Sandy's serial killing spree can be revealed.

Arvin hitchhikes and is picked up by a hippie. As he rides in the passenger seat, the exhausted Arvin struggles to stay awake. He daydreams and contemplates his future as possibly a husband or serving in the Vietnam War.

Cast
  • Tom Holland as Arvin Eugene Russell, Willard and Charlotte's son.
    • Michael Banks Repeta as 9-year-old Arvin Russell
  • Bill Skarsgård as Willard Russell, Arvin's father, Charlotte's husband, and Emma's son, haunted by his experience serving in World War II.
  • Robert Pattinson as Reverend Preston Teagardin, a charismatic but morally corrupt preacher who rapes and abandons Lenora when she becomes pregnant.
  • Sebastian Stan as Sheriff Lee Bodecker, Sandy's brother, a dirty cop who is both protective of his sister and willing to do anything to protect his position.
  • Riley Keough as Sandy Henderson,[1] Carl's wife and Lee's younger sister. Unlike her husband, she has no taste for killing and begins to contemplate murdering him.
  • Jason Clarke as Carl Henderson,[1] Sandy's husband, a photographer and serial killer who takes pictures of his victims.
  • Eliza Scanlen as Lenora Laferty, Arvin's adopted "step sister;" she is Roy and Helen's daughter who was adopted by Emma.
    • Ever Eloise Landrum as Young Lenora Laferty
  • Haley Bennett as Charlotte Russell,[1] Arvin's mother and Willard's wife
  • Mia Wasikowska as Helen Hatton Laferty, Lenora's mother
  • Harry Melling as Roy Laferty, Lenora's father
  • Kristin Griffith as Emma Russell, Arvin's grandmother, Willard's mother, and Lenora's adoptive mother
  • David Atkinson as Earskell, Arvin's great-uncle and Emma's brother
  • Pokey LaFarge as Theodore, Roy's cousin who lost the use of his legs from drinking poisonous substances.
  • Douglas Hodge as Leroy Brown, a pimp who keeps Sheriff Bodecker on his payroll. The sheriff murders him and his bodyguard to protect his reelection prospects.
  • Drew Starkey as Tommy Matson, one of Lenora's bullies.
  • Teddy Cole as The Hippie

Production

The film was announced in September 2018, with Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Chris Evans and Mia Wasikowska in talks to star. Antonio Campos was set to write and direct the film, with Jake Gyllenhaal serving as producer. In January 2019, Bill Skarsgård and Eliza Scanlen joined the cast, and Netflix was set to distribute the film.[2][3] Sebastian Stan was cast to replace Evans, after scheduling conflicts caused him to drop out and personally recommended Stan for the role.[4] Additionally, Jason Clarke, Riley Keough and Haley Bennett were announced as part of the cast,[5] and in March 2019, Harry Melling also joined.[6] Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans composed the film's score.[7]

Principal photography began on February 19, 2019, in Alabama, with filming locations including Blount County, Anniston, Deatsville, Pell City, Birmingham, and Montevallo.[8][9] Filming completed on April 15, 2019.[10][11]

Release

The film was released in select theaters on September 11, 2020,[12][13][14] and digitally, on Netflix, on September 16, 2020.[15]

The film was the most-watched on Netflix over its first two days, and third overall in its first five days.[16] In November 2020, Variety reported the film was the 22nd-most watched straight-to-streaming title of 2020 up to that point.[17]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 64% based on 197 reviews, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "The Devil All the Time's descent into darkness can be harrowing to the point of punishment, but it's offset by strong work from a stellar cast."[18] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 55 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews."[19]

The Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips wrote, "It's easy on the eyes... worth seeing for an intriguingly cast ensemble, authenticating the milieu as much as possible. Holland's terrific, taking in each new setback in [his character's] life without revealing the full extent of the damage."[20]

Ryan Lattanzio of IndieWire gave the film a "C–" and called it "colossal misfire, a sweaty mess from start to finish," although he praised Holland and Pattinson's performances.[21] Owen Gleiberman of Variety said that "it's hard to imagine how a movie with this much sordid crime and violence could be this rote" and wrote "The Devil All the Time shows us a lot of bad behavior, but the movie isn't really interested in what makes the sinners tick. And without that lurid curiosity, it's just a series of Sunday School lessons: a noir that wants to scrub away the darkness."[22]

References
  1. De la Paz, Maggie (February 21, 2019). "Netflix's The Devil All the Time Adds Bennett, Clarke, & Keough". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on May 6, 2019.
  2. Kroll, Justin (January 16, 2019). "'It' Star Bill Skarsgard and 'Sharp Objects' Actress Eliza Scanlen Join Netflix's 'The Devil All The Time'". Variety. Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  3. Keene, Allison (January 16, 2019). "Chris Evans, Tom Holland Lead A-List Cast for Netflix Film 'The Devil All the Time'". Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  4. Fleming, Mike Jr. (February 14, 2019). "Sebastian Stan Replacing Chris Evans In Netflix Film 'The Devil All The Time'". Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  5. Fleming, Mike Jr. (February 19, 2019). "Haley Bennett, Jason Clarke, Riley Keough Join 'The Devil All The Time' At Netflix". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  6. Wiseman, Andreas (March 4, 2019). "Netflix's Starry Pic 'The Devil All The Time' Adds 'Buster Scruggs' Star Harry Melling, Shoot Underway". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  7. "Danny Bensi & Saunder Jurriaans to Score Antonio Campos's 'The Devil All The Time'". FilmMusicReporter. November 20, 2019. Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  8. "Make a Deal With 'The Devil All the Time'". Backstage.
  9. "Locations". latlong. Archived from the original on December 31, 2020. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  10. Project Casting (February 8, 2019). "Tom Holland's 'The Devil All The Time' is Now Casting!". Archived from the original on December 31, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  11. "Filming for the multi-million $$ @netflix film, "The Devil All the Time" happening in Bham today (Highland Park). Crew member says they're shooting the whole movie in AL & will wrap up April 15. The story is based on a book by David Ray Pollock & takes place in Ohio and West VA". Twitter. Archived from the original on October 11, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  12. "FilmInfo". www.landmarktheatres.com. Archived from the original on December 31, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  13. https://drafthouse.com/show/the-devil-all-the-time
  14. "Cleveland Cinemas | The Devil All the Time". www.clevelandcinemas.com.
  15. Collis, Clark (July 17, 2020). "Tom Holland-starring Southern Gothic saga The Devil All the Time to premiere on Netflix in September". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  16. Brueggemann, Tom (September 21, 2020). "'Antebellum' Immediate #1 on VOD Charts While RBG Films Soar on Apple TV". IndieWire. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  17. Bridge, Gavin (November 4, 2020). "DATA: 'BORAT 2' SECOND ONLY TO 'HAMILTON' IN MOST-WATCHED U.S. SVOD MOVIES OF 2020". Variety. Archived from the original on November 4, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  18. "The Devil All the Time (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  19. "The Devil All the Time Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on December 31, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  20. Phillips, Michael (September 11, 2020). "'Devil All the Time' review: Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson wrestle with their sins in a bloody Southern Gothic". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  21. Lattanzio, Ryan (September 11, 2020). "'The Devil All the Time' Review: Netflix and Antonio Campos' Bloated Gothic Profoundly Fails a Terrific Cast". IndieWire. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  22. Gleiberman, Owen (September 11, 2020). "'The Devil All the Time' Review: Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson in a Netflix Drama of Small-Town Sin". Variety. Archived from the original on December 31, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
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