The Devil All the Time (2020)

Director: Antonio Campos
Stars: Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland, Bill Skarsgård 
Runtime: 138 minutes

Synopsis: Sinister characters converge around a young man devoted to protecting those he loves in a postwar backwoods town teeming with corruption and brutality.

Performances: 9/10
Screenplay: 4/10
Editing: 5/10
Cinematography: 8/10
Score/Soundtrack: 7/10
Enjoyment Factor: 5/10

Verdict: Four years ago, a relatively unknown director graced us with "Christine", one of the finest and most overlooked films of 2016. Antonio Campos immediately became a name that was constantly on my radar. And I couldn't contain my excitement when, a little over a year ago, it was announced that he was returning to his directing duties by helming a Netflix original starring none other than Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson. As days went by, my anticipation for "The Devil All the Time" grew bigger as more and more of this generation's brightest up-and-comers joined a project that I had a feeling was going to put many names deservedly on the map, including Campos'.

But maybe the leap from a contained biopic to an all-star period piece was too big for the director to handle. Because what I strongly believed was going to be an award magnet turned out to be an underwhelming mess barely saved by its appearance. The performances are great across the board, with Tom Holland even delivering the most interesting one of his young career, and the use of a 35 mm film allowed to capture the era in a pretty immersive way. The score, although a bit repetitive, was also utilized appropriately to inject some emotion into the thriller.

But it's the scope of the narrative that sank its potential. The overabundance of storylines and unnecessarily convoluted timeline never allowed the narrative or characters to fully develop and denied its religion-based themes to properly mature. It was the equivalent of a 6 to 8 episode long limited series crammed into a 2-hour long, poorly structured movie. Campos attempted to stitch the whole thing together to make it comprehensible by using the laziest, most frustrating tool available to him: exposition in the form of narration.

"The Devil All the Time" had its moments, but they're unfortunately rare. I would've checked out much sooner if it wasn't for the performances, cinematography, and convincing set designs. I can't say that I loved it nor that I hated it, it's just one of those movies I'll likely forget about in the near future.

FINAL GRADE: 5/10