Netflix did what it could in 2020 to release new movies from time-to-time. They’re looking to do even better in 2021, but I still have a few I haven’t seen from 2020, so why not go with The Devil All the Time. Tom Holland is a charming actor, and it might be nice to see him something that looks about as far removed from Spider-Man as he can get.
And as a poor fellow from growing up in a rural American community in the 1960s, this may be as far removed from Spider-Man as it is possible for Holland to get.
Holland stars as Arvin Russell, an orphan who grew up with his grandmother, great-uncle, and cousin Lenora (Eliza Scanlen). Arvin has a somewhat contentious relationship with religion following the deaths of his parents. His father Willard (Bill Skarsgard) manhandled his son into praying when Arvin’s mother Charlotte (Haley Bennett) came down with cancer. When that failed, Willard committed suicide by his handmade cross. And if that seems weird, it’s got nothing on how Lenora’s parents died. That one I ain’t sayin’. The one lesson Willard imparted to Arvin more than any other was to always stand up for those he loves, and that’s what Arvin does, even as Lenora is bullied.
However, all is not well in this community. The new pastor, Reverend Preston (Robert Pattinson), is not as devout as he pretends to be. There’s also a serial killer, Carl (Jason Clarke), who picks up hitchhikers, has them pose for photos with his wife (Riley Keough) in lewd pictures, then kills them. And her brother the sheriff (Sebastian Stan) may know about that but needs to keep it quiet for his own politcal career. It’s a mess of bad people in a very small town. The movie has a hint of violence playing underneath it at all times, so it won’t be a surprise when violence happens and Arvin does the one thing he’s always done: protect his loved ones.
This sounds like a movie with a lot going on, and it is. And it all comes out as a rather ponderous movie. There’s a way to make a movie like this, and it involves a lot of energy behind the camera. I would imagine the Coen Brothers or David Fincher could really make something of this material. But director Antonio Campos? Not so much. He has some nice shots strewn here and there, but the movie seems to plod along when it should probably leap.
As such, I couldn’t really get into this. I don’t think any member of the cast gave a bad performance, and the story had a lot of potential, but it ultimately just didn’t work for me. I hope some of Netflix’s upcoming movies are more like The Old Guard and less like The Devil All the Time.
Grade: C+
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