How a 1997 supernatural thriller turned a legal drama into a modern morality play

Music · Published 3 October 2026 · Updated 21 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The Devil's Advocate reimagined the Faustian bargain for the late twentieth century, casting the courtroom as a gladiator arena. By blending Dantean imagery with modern corporate ambition, the film explores the nature of free will, suggesting that the Devil does not force our hand—he merely sets the stage.

Directed by Taylor Hackford and released in 1997, The Devil's Advocate follows Kevin Lomax, a Florida defense attorney who never loses a case. When he is recruited by a prestigious New York firm led by the enigmatic John Milton, Lomax enters a world where his professional success comes at the cost of his wife's sanity and his own moral compass. The film draws heavily from literary classics, with Milton’s name serving as an homage to the author of Paradise Lost. The narrative structure, featuring an office building that mirrors the circles of Hell, is deeply influenced by Dante Alighieri’s Inferno.

The production was a complex undertaking, featuring a $60 million budget and a script that underwent significant revisions to emphasize the theme of free will. Unlike the 1990 novel by Andrew Neiderman, the film introduces the revelation that Milton is Lomax’s father, aiming to produce an Antichrist. The director, Taylor Hackford, intentionally left the supernatural elements ambiguous, suggesting that characters like Eddie Barzoon and Mitch Weaver meet their ends through their own arrogance or poor judgment rather than direct demonic intervention. This approach frames the story as a modern morality play, where the protagonist’s choices are the true drivers of his downfall.

The film’s aesthetic and technical achievements were equally ambitious. Production designer Bruno Rubeo collaborated with international architects to create an ultra-modern office look, while special effects artists like Rick Baker used life masks of Al Pacino to craft the film’s final transformation. The score, composed by James Newton Howard, is punctuated by iconic music, including Frank Sinatra’s 'It Happened in Monterey' and The Rolling Stones' 'Paint It Black'. Despite mixed reviews, the film grossed $153 million and remains a notable example of how cinema can weave ancient theological concepts into the fabric of contemporary legal and corporate life.

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