The Devil All the Time is a 2020 American psychological thriller set in rural southern Ohio and West Virginia. It is a story that follows a of compelling and bizarre cast of characters across multiple generations and tells a tale of how their lives eventually intertwine. It is directed by Antonio Campos, from a screenplay co-written with his brother Paulo Campos, and based on the novel of the same name by Donald Ray Pollock, who also coincidentally serves as the narrator of the film.
The story of The Devil All the Time begins with Willard Russell (Bill Skarsgård) as he returns from World War II, with a serious case of PTSD. He eventually falls in love with Charlotte (Haley Bennett), who he subsequently marries and has a son with named Arvin (Michael Banks Repeta). The tale primarily revolves around his life as he grows older (Tom Holland) and how it is eventually connected to the rest of the intriguing cast in the story, namely his half-sister Lenora (Eliza Scanlen), her father and fanatical preacher named Roy (Harry Melling) and her mother Helen Hatton (Mia Wasikowska), a corrupt cop named Lee Bodecker (Sebastian Stan), whose sister Sandy (Riley Keough) and brother in-law Carl (Jason Clarke) are a pair of brutal serial killers, and finally a corrupt preacher named Preston Teagardin (Robert Pattinson).
For anyone familiar with the book – The Devil All the Time, they will know that this story is one of great tragedy, violence, and desperation; and the movie keeps true to its source in this aspect; maybe even a bit too well. This level of nonstop brutality may throw some people off watching the movie, but for those that stick around this is a decently well-paced movie with barely a moment of boredom. It also helps that the cast does a tremendous job of portraying the nuances and emotions of each of their respective characters, regardless of the how large or small their role may be. Bill Skarsgård and Tom Holland in particular shine with the latter truly showing his range.
However, as good as the acting and pacing may be, these are quite a few characters and storylines to flush out in a movie that is only 140 minutes long, and unsurprisingly this is the movies suffers most. It feels as though the movie bites off more than it can chew, with some of the characters’ roles and stories being shortened quite a bit to fit the required run time. We can’t help but feel that the story of The Devil All the Time would have been better served as a two-parter or perhaps even a mini-series.
All-in-all though, if you can get past the nonstop misery and brutality of the film, this is one that is worth a watch.
Director: Antonio Campos
Starring: Tom Holland, Bill Skarsgård, Riley Keough, Jason Clarke, Sebastian Stan, Haley Bennett, Eliza Scanlen, Mia Wasikowska, Robert Pattinson