The tyranist's thoughts
I'm not sure quite what I expected going into this one, but I was vaguely disappointed when it was over. I can't quite pinpoint the source of my frustration, and that makes me feel a little guilty for giving the movie a poor review. Specifically, I'm likely to say a lot more good about it than bad in spite of the fact that I didn't really like the movie.
So a hotshot young lawyer catches the eye of a big time New York law firm. He's called in to consult for a single case and then offered a position with the firm when the jury he selects gives a very favorable and surprising verdict. Naturally, all is not quite well, though, and as his wife appears to descend into madness, the truth unfurls.
The acting was adequate even for Keanu Reeves and about the only performance that I didn't like much was Charlize Theron's. Her descent into madness just didn't convince me of much. The characters were pretty forgettable, even Pacino's John Milton just didn't leap off the screen for me. The script was okay, with some interesting but highly predictable plot twists. I liked the effects and visually the film was very well done. Perhaps it was just the flat characterization and mildly bad dialogue that put me off.
You might like this, you might not. I didn't and so I'm certainly not going to recommend it. There are far better horror films based on religion and the antichrist (The Omen, Prophecy. Hell, even End of Days was better) and there are definitely better lawyer movies. Still, it seems to be popular, so maybe I'm alone.

Rish's Reviews
I saw this film the day it was released, back in 1997. '97 was the year I first saw The Godfather (yes, go ahead and gasp, but remember that Horror is my Genre Number One, sometimes to the exclusion of other noteworthy films) and I was becoming an Al Pacino fan. I dragged my poor, will-less roommate John to the film, as I often did in those days, and I had a really good time. After the movie, I annoyed my roommates with my terrible Pacino impression, taken mostly from this film ("Ohhh, I have SO many names!") and we talked a little bit about its moral and spiritual overtones. I remember thinking that Keanu Reeves' acting was pretty damn good, despite the consensus that he's as talentless as Pia Zadora doing Esperanto Shakespeare. I also remember quite appreciating Charlize Theron's performance, unusual for a woman who could get by on her looks. I thought it was a good movie.
So, here we are, a bunch of years later, and I'm finally seeing it again. It's an usual film, but of high quality. What I was struck by on my second viewing was the great screenplay, subtleties and subtext (John Milton was the author of Paradise Lost, for example), and the shockingly slow and languid pace. The special effects were quite good, mostly because they were used sparingly. Pacino still steals every scene he's it, making it all look so easy. And maybe it is a little. Reeves isn't bad, even though there's a moment or two that he doesn't quite carry across. I don't know if I could disagree more with my partner on a subject as I do on Theron's work in the film. It was brave of her to go so nuts that she almost ceases to be attractive, her normally sweet and even voice becoming shrill and grating, her vulnerability becoming something cringing and pathetic.
It IS slow, however, and perhaps longer than it should be. It clocks in around two hours and twenty three minutes long, and the ending is only partially successful. But dude, when it works, it works great. For example, there's an extraordinarily intense scene toward the end when one character takes their life, and it had me riveted, even though I knew what was going to happen. I gotta admit, as a horror film, it doesn't entirely work. It's too literate, too slow, too conversational, but it's still a film I liked.
Tyranist's above synopsis was quite sparing in plot revelations, which was one thing the ad campaign never did. They were very clear who Pacino was playing and though most of it doesn't come to light till late in the film, I can't see people going to it unless they knew. Wait, what am I saying, with a title like The Devil's Advocate, you'd either have to be illiterate or from Utah not to know what's coming.
Best Scare: I remember screaming quite girlishly when a character's face transforms into something demon-like during an otherwise unfrightening scene. I didn't this time, but I did smile pretty big.