The Devil All the Time

Starring: Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Jason Clarke, Sebastian Stan, Riley Keough, Haley Bennett, Bill Skarsgård, Eliza Scanlen, Harry Melling, Mia Wasikowska, Douglas Hodge

Director: Antonio Campos

Based on the novel "The Devil All the Time" by Donald Ray Pollock

In this backwoods tale of crisscrossing narratives, we find the faithless Arvin Russell (Tom Holland) grow increasingly more skeptical with new preacher Preston Teagardin (Robert Pattinson), who may be using faith to lure girls like his sister Lenora (Eliza Scanlen) into a lustful trap. Meanwhile, the married serial killer couple Sandy (Riley Keough) and Carl Henderson (Jason Clarke) scour the roads for hitchhikers to murder to satisfy Carl's fetishes. Sandy's brother, Sheriff Lee Bodecker (Sebastian Stan), tries to keep her out of trouble while trying to keep quiet with his own shady dealings that could hurt his shot at re-election.

I like movies like this, especially crime movies, where the narratives crisscross and influence one another. One look at the star studded and talented cast and this felt like it had all the makings of an instant classic. It's hard not to be let down by the finished product which ultimately had no idea what to do with the cast it had assembled.

A lot of the blame can be laid on Campos' incredibly plot heavy script, which he co-wrote with Paulo Campos, that relies heavily on voiceover narration (performed by the book's author Donald Ray Pollock). Narration in films like this work when it is used sparsely or even tied to a central character. Neither of those aspects are true here, with the Campos instead using it here to tell us every character's thoughts and feelings. This over-reliance on narration keeps the characters from really coming alive on screen, despite some pretty shocking and sinister plot machinations, and gives the film an empty feeling. I would have much preferred to let the talented cast...ya know...act. As a director, Campos has made a gorgeous film. Set in the backwoods of 1950's West Virginia and Ohio, the attention to detail and setting keeps the film visually pleasing.

And while the script does the characters no favors, Campos gets some terrific performances from his actors. In fact, the cast keeps the film watchable. Tom Holland is fantastic as the tortured and conflicted Arvin. While it takes about thirty minutes in the film for him to appear (his character is a young boy during that time), Holland keeps Arvin's motivations believable and keeps him the most likable character in the film. The other stand out is Robert Pattinson who, while barely in the film, plays his slimy Southern preacher with an almost maniacal aplomb. When he and Holland finally get to share a scene late in the film, it was spellbinding and easily the best scene in the movie. It really makes you wish these characters, as well as many of the others, had gotten more chances to interact throughout the film.

Despite the efforts of the cast, the script's shortcomings keep this crime thriller from elevating to its potential.

Grade: C-

The Devil All the Time is available on Netflix.