2020 American film by Antonio Campos
The Devil All the Time
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![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/6c/The_Devil_All_The_Time.jpeg/220px-The_Devil_All_The_Time.jpeg) Promotional release poster
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Directed by
| Antonio Campos
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Screenplay by
|
- Antonio Campos
- Paulo Campos
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Based on
| The Devil All the Time
by
Donald Ray Pollock
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Produced by
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Starring
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Narrated by
| Donald Ray Pollock
|
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Cinematography
| Lol Crawley
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Edited by
| Sofia Subercaseaux
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Music by
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Production
companies
| |
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Distributed by
| Netflix
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Release date
|
- September 11, 2020
(
2020-09-11
)
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Running time
| 138 minutes
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Country
| United States
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Language
| English
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The Devil All the Time
is a 2020 American
Southern Gothic
psychological
crime thriller
film directed by
Antonio Campos
, from a screenplay co-written with his brother Paulo, based on the novel
of the same name
by
Donald Ray Pollock
(who also serves as the film's
narrator
). The film follows several characters whose stories
weave together
in two Southern
Ohio
towns during the period from the end of World War II to the 1960s. It features an
ensemble cast
that includes
Tom Holland
,
Bill Skarsgard
,
Sebastian Stan
,
Robert Pattinson
,
Riley Keough
,
Haley Bennett
,
Eliza Scanlen
,
Mia Wasikowska
, and
Jason Clarke
.
The Devil All the Time
was released in select theaters on September 11, 2020, and on
Netflix
on September 16, 2020. It received polarizing reviews from critics, who praised the performances (particularly Holland and Pattinson) but were critical of the film's length and dark tone.
Plot
[
edit
]
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 with a nearby
Luger pistol
. 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, whom they name Arvin.
In 1950, Helen Hatton?whom Willard’s mother, Emma, wanted him to marry?marries Roy Laferty. Roy is a bizarre, albeit charismatic,
evangelical
preacher who pours venomous spiders over his head while giving sermons to demonstrate his faith in God. Helen and Roy have a daughter named 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, coming to believe that he can resurrect the dead. After Helen drops off Lenora at Emma's home, Roy takes Helen out to the woods and stabs her in the neck with a screwdriver. He then tries and fails to resurrect her. A distraught Roy hitchhikes and is picked up by photographer Carl Henderson and his wife Sandy, who met at the same time and place Willard and Charlotte did. Carl and Sandy are revealed to be
serial killers
who pick up male hitchhikers, encourage them to have sex with Sandy while Carl takes photographs, then murder them. Roy refuses to have sex with Sandy, but Carl kills him anyway.
In 1957, Charlotte is diagnosed with cancer. Willard believes he can influence God with fervent prayer to remove the cancer from his wife's body. He prays to God and sacrifices Arvin's dog on a rustic
cross
he had erected in the woods behind his house. Charlotte dies despite his efforts and Willard commits
suicide
by slitting his throat. His death is investigated by Sandy's brother, corrupt
Sheriff
Lee Bodecker. Now orphaned, Arvin goes to live with his grandmother Emma, who has also adopted Lenora.
In 1965, Arvin?now a young adult working manual jobs around town?is given Willard's Luger as a birthday present. He is fiercely protective of high school-aged Lenora, who is bullied by some local
greasers
. One day, their harassment pushes Arvin to attack them mercilessly. Lenora grows close to the new,
self-righteous
Reverend
Preston Teagardin, whom Arvin resents for previously ridiculing Emma. The
ephebophilic
Preston
grooms
Lenora and she becomes pregnant. When she informs Preston, he rejects her. Overwhelmed by the bullying and her pregnancy, Lenora hangs herself, though she briefly reconsiders during the process. After the autopsy, Arvin is told that she was pregnant and deduces that Preston was the father. He follows Preston and sees him grooming another girl.
When they are alone at church together, Arvin confronts Preston about Lenora. He then shoots and kills Preston with the Luger before fleeing. Arvin decides to hitchhike to his childhood home in Knockemstiff and is picked up by Carl and Sandy, whose relationship has become acrimonious. Realizing their intentions, Arvin kills them both in
self-defense
. He finds evidence of their serial killings and takes some of it with him. When Lee finds out that Carl and Sandy were murdered, he goes to their apartment and burns Carl's photo collection to protect himself and his coming re-election.
While investigating their deaths, Lee concludes that Arvin was responsible. He tracks him to Willard's cross where Arvin has gone to bury his dog. Seeking revenge, Lee attempts to kill him with a shotgun. A shootout ensues and Arvin shoots Lee in the stomach. As the sheriff dies, Arvin plants the evidence of Carl and Sandy's killing spree on his body so that their crimes will be revealed.
As Preston's death is also uncovered, Arvin hitchhikes out of the area with a
hippie
headed to
Cincinnati
. As they drive off, Arvin falls asleep and contemplates his future, which he imagines will be very similar to Willard's.
Cast
[
edit
]
In addition, narration throughout the film is performed by
Donald Ray Pollock
, the author of the novel.
Production
[
edit
]
Production for
The Devil All the Time
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 Skarsgard
and
Eliza Scanlen
joined the cast, and
Netflix
was set to distribute the film.
[1]
[2]
Sebastian Stan
was cast to replace Evans, after scheduling conflicts caused him to drop out and personally recommended Stan for the role.
[3]
Additionally,
Jason Clarke
,
Riley Keough
and
Haley Bennett
were announced as part of the cast,
[4]
and in March 2019,
Harry Melling
also joined.
[5]
Saunder Jurriaans and Danny Bensi
composed the film's score.
[6]
Principal photography
began on February 19, 2019, in
Alabama
, with filming locations including
Anniston
,
Pell City
,
Birmingham
, and
Montevallo
.
[7]
[8]
Filming completed on April 15, 2019.
[9]
[10]
Visual style
[
edit
]
Campos stated that visual inspiration from the film mainly stemmed from the visual descriptions that Pollock provided in the novel itself. "The book kind of offers these amazing moments and images, things like, the prayer log, Carl's photographs in the book," Campos stated, "it gets your mind going." The film's visual style is inspired by painter
Andrew Wyeth
and photographer
William Eggleston
. Campos stated that the scenes that were inspired by Eggleston's work were mainly due to how colorful they were.
Appalachia
itself also inspired Campos and company when they were considering the visuals in the film. Campos wanted the film to mirror what Appalachia looked like during the timeline when the story takes place.
[11]
Release
[
edit
]
The Devil All the Time
was released in select theaters on September 11, 2020,
[12]
[13]
and digitally, on Netflix, on September 16, 2020.
[14]
The film was the most-watched on Netflix over its first two days, and third overall in its first five days.
[15]
In November 2020,
Variety
reported the film was the 22nd-most watched straight-to-streaming title of 2020 up to that point.
[16]
Reception
[
edit
]
On the
review aggregator
website
Rotten Tomatoes
, 65% of 219 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's 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."
[17]
Metacritic
, which uses a
weighted average
, assigned the film a score of 55 out of 100, based on 39 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.
[18]
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."
[19]
Ryan Lattanzio of
IndieWire
gave
The Devil All the Time
a "C?" and called it a "colossal misfire, a sweaty mess from start to finish," although he praised Holland and Pattinson's performances.
[20]
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."
[21]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
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
.
- ^
Keene, Allison (January 16, 2019).
"Chris Evans, Tom Holland Lead A-List Cast for Netflix Film 'The Devil All the Time'
"
.
Collider
.
Archived
from the original on September 16, 2020
. Retrieved
February 19,
2020
.
- ^
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
.
- ^
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
.
- ^
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
.
- ^
"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
.
- ^
"Make a Deal With 'The Devil All the Time'
"
.
Backstage
.
Archived
from the original on February 19, 2019
. Retrieved
January 2,
2019
.
- ^
"Locations"
.
latlong
.
Archived
from the original on December 31, 2020
. Retrieved
August 26,
2020
.
- ^
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
.
- ^
"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
.
- ^
"Inspirations behind THE DEVIL ALL TIME"
.
Instagram
.
Archived
from the original on October 1, 2023
. Retrieved
April 30,
2022
.
- ^
Murray, Noel (September 14, 2020).
"Everyone's a sinner in Antonio Campos' moody coal country crime drama
The Devil All The Time
"
.
The A.V. Club
.
Archived
from the original on June 10, 2021
. Retrieved
November 6,
2022
.
- ^
Rottenberg, Josh (September 25, 2020).
"With 'The Trial of the Chicago 7,' Netflix returns to movie theaters amid the pandemic"
.
Los Angeles Times
.
Archived
from the original on September 25, 2020
. Retrieved
November 6,
2022
.
- ^
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
.
- ^
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
.
- ^
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
.
- ^
"
The Devil All the Time
"
.
Rotten Tomatoes
.
Fandango Media
. Retrieved
August 20,
2023
.
- ^
"
The Devil All the Time
"
.
Metacritic
.
Fandom, Inc.
Retrieved
August 20,
2023
.
- ^
Phillips, Michael
(September 11, 2020).
"
'Devil All the Time' review: Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson wrestle with their sins in a bloody Southern Gothic"
.
Chicago Tribune
.
Archived
from the original on September 25, 2020
. Retrieved
September 11,
2020
.
- ^
Lattanzio, Ryan (September 11, 2020).
"
'The Devil All the Time' Review: Netflix and Antonio Campos' Bloated Gothic Profoundly Fails a Terrific Cast"
.
IndieWire
.
Archived
from the original on February 14, 2022
. Retrieved
September 11,
2020
.
- ^
Gleiberman, Owen
.
"
'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
.
External links
[
edit
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Films directed
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TV series created
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