Devil's Own

Director:Alan J. Pakula
Screenplay:Kevin Jarre and Robert Mark Kamen
Story:Kevin Jarre
Starring:Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt, Margaret Colin, Ruben Blades, Treat Williams John's Review

When New York City police officer Tom O'Meara (Harrison Ford) takes a young emigree from Northern Ireland, Rory Devaney (Brad Pitt), into his home and makes him part of his family trouble ensues. What Tom doesn't know about his charming new friend is that Rory has a hidden past and a violent cause which brings him to America. When Tom discovers his new boarder's true identity, the police officer is drawn into a pursuit in which he must try not only to capture the Irish rebel but save his life.

It's be nice if it was that simple, and perhaps as suspensful as the premise seems to make it. The suspense that Alan J. Pakula (All the President's Men, Sophie's Choice and Presumed Innocent) seems to have been good at building in his previous films is apparently gone here. The acting is good, meaning, Harrison is his usual self, Brad does a great Irish accent, but in my opinion he was not nearly passionate enough in his Roll as an IRA millitant. The story was good, not great but good. I think as the audience it would have more sense it we could have related with O'Meara and Devaney's pain. By the end of the film we are supposed to feel the conflict in Ford's character, between being a good cop and having the FBI and Interpol possibly killing his friend. Pitt's pain seems to involve his loyalty to the IRA and that of his new family.

Here's where the problems start to occur. First, what is everyone's motivation. Devaney only lives with O'Meara's family for about two months... big deal. If Pitt's character had perhaps grown up with Ford's family as a child, this movie could have had more feeling and emotion, but it doesn't. This film had so much potential and unfortunately it falls flat, which is very disapointing. I would normally give this film a B- just because Harrison Ford is in it, but even he can't save this film

Grade: C-

Werner's Review

This movie had so much potential. Two great actors. A great director. Hell, it even had 2 separate storylines that could have lead to 2 great films on their own. However, Hollywood was involved in the creation of this movie so I guess that explains why the movie turned out as bad as it did.

Plot:

Keep up with me here since there are really 2 separate and independent storylines in this movie that all of a sudden get thrown together at the end becuase the movie was almost done.

Brad Pitt's story line - Brad plays and IRA terrorist who saw his father killed when he was 8 years old. Ever since then, Brad has been one of the most violent members of the IRA. After his cell gets caught by the British Army at the beginning of the movie (in one of the best stage gun fights I have seen in a long time), Brad decides to go to America in order to buy more weapons (mainly Stinger missles) so that he can exact his revenge upon the British. Brad goes to America and with the help of some sympathisers winds up staying with Harrison Ford's character, who is a cop of Irish decent. While living with Ford, Brad winds up falling in love with the family life that Ford has since it is something that he has never experienced. However, Brad realizes that he came to America for a purpose so he sets out with an Irish friend of his to make an arms deal with Treat Williams. When the deal goes sour, Brad's extracurricular activities with Treat Williams wind up affecting not only his friend's life but also Ford's family life as well. Brad eventually deals with Treat Williams in his own fashion and winds up having to face down Ford's character at the end since he wants to bring Brad to justice.

Harrison Ford's story line - Harrison Ford is a NY cop of Irish decent who still walks the beat with his parnter played by Rueben Morales. Ford agrees to take in Brad Pitt at the request of an old family friend. Ford does not know anything about Pitt's past especially his IRA connections. Ford winds up getting emotinally envolved with Pitt's character since he is like the son that Ford never had. As the two men start to bond together, Ford's professional and personal life begin to fall apart. First, Ford's partner shoots a fleeing criminal in the back even though the criminal is unarmed. Even though Ford winds up lying for his partner in order to protect him, he feels that both of their actions were wrong. This moral conflict forces Ford to reconsider whether or not he wants to remain as a police officer. In his personal life, Ford begins to realize what Pitt has been up to while staying with his family when some Ford and his wife get attacked in Ford's house by some of Treat Williams henchmen. As Ford puts the pieces to the puzzle together, he realizes that he has to stop Pitt himlef before Pitt winds up getting killed by either Treat Williams character or the British Army officials who have been sent to America to hunt Pitt down. At the end of the storyline when both plotlines come together, Ford and Pitt have to deal with each other's character in a final showdown.

The Good:

The acting in this movie was outstanding. Harrison Ford as usual does a wonderful job in his role. He comes across believable as an honest Irish NY cop who tries to do his best every single day. It is a testament to Ford's acting ability that he comes across as natural as he does in this film. Brad Pitt once again shows why he is one of the hottest actors in Hollywood. Early on in his carrer, I did not like Brad Pitt (please ladies, no hate mail). I thought he was just another pretty boy actor. Recently however, my opinon has changed as I have watched Brad Pitt literally become the role that he is playing. It is great to see an actor like Brad Pitt give his all in every movie that he is in.

The directing was also brillant. Alan J. Pakula does a wonderful job in moving the movie along at a good pace any in providing the camera angles and backdrops needed to give the movie life without causing them to become distracting. It was refreshing to see a director who knew what they were doing behind the camera.

Brad Pitt's accent was great. He needed to nail it throughout the movie, which he did, in order to believeble as a member of the IRA. It was nice to see an American actor actually get the accent right rather than allowing his ego to believe that people will accept him no matter what accent he is using (ala Kevin Costner in Robin Hood).

The Bad:

The plot(s) drag this movie down. We really have two separate and distinct plotline going on in this movie. These plotlines really have nothing to do with each other (except for some common characters) throughout the movie until the end when apparently someone felt that they needed to be joined together. Because of this, the movie winds up being confusing to the moviegoer since one is not quite sure just what the interaction of these 2 plotlines really is to be. Had the movie focused solely on either one of the plots then it would have been a good movie since each one was strong enough to stand on their own. However, because the two plotlines were running parallel to each other throughout the movie, something had to give at the end when the writer had to mesh them together in order to end the film. This in turn caused the ending to be very hamfisted in the way that both plotlines are suddenly thrust together in order to reach somesort of climax for both characters. This move by the film was very disjointed and very disheartening to see.

Also, because of the fact that the audience knew that the two plotlines had to be connected in someway, it caused may other side plotlines to make little sense in the grand scheme of the movie. The best example of this is the plotline involving the Rueben Morales character killing the unarmed criminal. In the movie as a whole, this plot line was useless, however, if the movie had just been about Harrison Ford's character it could have been used better in my opinion.

Overall:

I was disappointed in this first team up of two of Hollywood's leading men. Hopefully, both Brad Pitt and Harrison Ford will agree to do another film together. Next time, I hope the writing rises up to the level of their talent. While not a movie I would recommend seeing in the theater, it will probably be a good one to rent if there is nothing else in the video store that catches your interest.

Grade: C
 
 

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