So a young man studying to be a lawyer is going through a tough time. His mother is killed by a drunk driver, his life is going nowhere and one day he decides that Satan is to blame for all his problems and the world's problems and decides to sue him. He goes ahead and files a petition in the court. On the appointed date, a man turns up claiming to be Satan(Malcom McDowell). This sets the scene for a courtroom drama between an ordinary and boring young man and Satan himself. There's a hint of satire to this. It could have easily been a biting satire about man using religion as a crutch and a few times in the movie it feels like the director isn't sure how to play the material. Almost like he could have gone in a religious satire direction but pulled back and played this material straight. So what we have is a film that is devoutly and embarrassingly Christian. The Bible is quoted left, right and centre and Satan is a jerk.
The acting is campy at best and plain old horrible at worst. The writing isn't all that hot either and the 2 main leads, Malcolm McDowell and Bart Bronson are bad in very different ways. McDowell plays Satan like a parody. He knows this material sucks and the lines he's mouthing are just plain bad and decides to ham it up all the way. Bronson on the other hand plays it straight and earnest but he's a very poor actor and most times you just wish Satan would smite this sorry loser and get it over with. The supporting cast doesn't have much to do and is uniformly bad in the little that they do have to do. Tom Sizemore as a TV commentator analyzing the trial looks embarrassed to be part of this.
Leaving the entire religion angle aside and just judging this movie on writing, acting and direction I'd say this is bad. The actors are mediocre at best but frequently horrible, the direction feels like its tugging the film in two different directions and the writing is just plain embarrassing.
I'm sure there must be better films out there that show Christianity in a good light. I don't know and I'm not going looking for them. As it stands, Suing the Devil is a pretty bad piece of film making. Only worth watching if you want to see McDowell ham it up in a truly campy display. Otherwise, avoid.
The acting is campy at best and plain old horrible at worst. The writing isn't all that hot either and the 2 main leads, Malcolm McDowell and Bart Bronson are bad in very different ways. McDowell plays Satan like a parody. He knows this material sucks and the lines he's mouthing are just plain bad and decides to ham it up all the way. Bronson on the other hand plays it straight and earnest but he's a very poor actor and most times you just wish Satan would smite this sorry loser and get it over with. The supporting cast doesn't have much to do and is uniformly bad in the little that they do have to do. Tom Sizemore as a TV commentator analyzing the trial looks embarrassed to be part of this.
Leaving the entire religion angle aside and just judging this movie on writing, acting and direction I'd say this is bad. The actors are mediocre at best but frequently horrible, the direction feels like its tugging the film in two different directions and the writing is just plain embarrassing.
I'm sure there must be better films out there that show Christianity in a good light. I don't know and I'm not going looking for them. As it stands, Suing the Devil is a pretty bad piece of film making. Only worth watching if you want to see McDowell ham it up in a truly campy display. Otherwise, avoid.
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