Review of Suing the Devil

Every once in a while, I think we all should break from routine and rent a movie that doesn't cater to our interests and preferences. That's how I picked up this movie. "Suing The Devil" stars an obscure actor named Bart Bronson playing Luke O'Brien, a struggling law student who launches a scheme to sue Satan, the Devil, the Prince of Darkness, for eight trillion dollars for the evils of the past in order to legally get the money to cover his debts and future. Never mind the shaky reality of this plot, but just as he gets close to pulling off this preposterous stunt, in walks Malcolm McDowell as Satan to defend himself in court. That's really where the movie tales off. McDowell relishes and irascibly enjoys himself playing the Prince of Lies, even over-acting at times, but there's no effort here to resolve the complex mythology of the character. The court scenes are nothing but a Biblical history and psychological study. The plot is light, but fun to watch. What this movie is a light comedy with a heavy fantasy element; the Devil hires the country's most corrupt lawyers and pulls an OJ by creating the most complex court case in all of judicial history. The fact that this movie even resolves itself after so little exposition is a miracle to itself. The movie also stars Corbin Bernsen from "LA Law" as Barry Polk, a TV law correspondent whose only purpose is to explain and narrate the proceedings. It's a nice movie with heavy-handed religious tones in it, but it's definitely worth a see.