There have been times where a movie has had a stellar cast and completely bombed. Luckily, this is not the case with Netflix’s The Devil All the Time. Which stars Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Bill Skarsgard, Jason Clarke, and Sebastian Stan. The film takes place in between World War II and the Vietnam War. It moves around in between that timeline – sometimes moving forward, while sometimes flashing back to important moments in the storyline. It’s a two hour and twenty-minute film that does indeed take its time. I promise, it is worth it though. Everything does tie in the end. And it has enough unexpected moments to keep you guessing.
What Was the Movie About
The Devil All the Time can be described as an “aftermath” film. Exploring the aftermath of someone returning from war. The aftermath of religious zealousness. Or the aftermath of trusting the wrong person. Certainly, no one is truly happy in this film. There’s small moments of happiness that only lead the way towards tragedy – making these tragic moments all the more disheartening.
I could go into the style of the film. The pacing. The title to this article says a little bit about it. The Devil All the Time does take its time. If you are expecting an action-packed thriller, then you have come to the wrong place. This film does require you to actually sit down, stop talking, and just digest it. Something, I have no problem doing. It was well worth it.
Let’s Talk About the Performances
What I really want to talk about are the performances. The stand-outs in the film were Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson. Jason Clarke gave an eerie performance that made up for some of the not-so-great films he’s been in the past. Sebastian Stan’s character felt like a less cartoonish role than the one he played in I, Tonya. And Bill Skarsgard gave a very meaningful, deep, and intense performance – though, it was short.
Back to Holland and Pattinson. Both actors, though some do recognize they are more than just certain characters they’ve played in the past; have a stigma around them. Holland is known as boy-wonder Peter Parker. And Pattinson is heavily known for Twilight (though, hopefully he’ll have more people on board for his performance as The Batman). The Devil All the Time was a great film for both of them. Holland felt natural in this slow-burn, southern tragedy. Smoking, cursing, and shooting people felt natural and there wasn’t once where his young looks got in the way. The Devil All the Time could very well be his Lawless – a movie I felt was Shia LaBeouf’s turning point after the Transformers films.
Truly, though; Pattinson was virtually unrecognizable in this film. As an extreme, delusional preacher, Pattinson was unnerving in his performance. Whether he was insulting his congregants, manipulating a young woman, or twisting Bible verses for his benefit, Pattinson did it all without ever breaking character. From his mannerisms, to his voice, and everything in between, Pattinson was just great. If you doubt Pattinson’s ability to act – watch this film.
Rating: 4.5/5
The Devil All the Time is worth the watch. I’m not sure how much “rewatchability” it has, as it was so intense; but I’m still thinking about it hours after having viewed it. Check it out and see what you think about this Netflix film (which did not feel like the typical Netflix movie at all).
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