Tom Holland is a different kind of avenger in The Devil All the Time
The Devil All the Time could have just as easily been adapted from a story by Euripides or Sophocles, but instead, it is based on the novel of the same name by Donald Ray Pollock. Director Antonio Campos, along with his brother, co-wrote the screenplay based on Pollock's work, all about the intertwined lives of the inhabitants of Knockemstiff, Ohio.
From the get-go, the Greek-like tragedy unfolds as the narrator (a Greek chorus, if you will, voiced by Pollock himself) details how the citizens of Knockemstiff are stuck on a track they can't see, laid out by God. No matter what they do, their lives are informed by that plan, and the generational trauma they inherit from their ancestors.
What could be more reminiscent of a Greek tragedy than that? Though it wasn't something Campos thought of as a reference point, he told Digital Spy, "it has those elements."
Getting someone to sit down and watch a two-and-a-bit hour film like this might seem like an impossible feat, but it was made more enticing with its cast: particularly Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson.
(We feel compelled to mention that the cast is entirely white, which is off-putting and problematic. The narrowness of the story, while engrossing, doesn't make room for diversity that wouldn't come off as tokenistic; a much bigger problem to solve within the industry and a subject worthy of its own article separate to this review.)
Holland's Arvin is, perhaps, the biggest "actor" (not literally, but rather narratively) in the film, the only one who seeks to break out of the prescribed relationship to God, and the trauma (Sophocles might call it a curse) inherited from his father. This sense of pre-ordained tragedy permeates the film, especially Arvin's story within it.
It is also Holland who is the most compelling to watch, in part due to his sheer amount of screen-time but also because of the subdued intensity he lends to the character. He goes from placid and contained to explosively violent in what seems like seconds, and the quiet empathy the character has for his aunt and 'step-sister' make him more than just the avenger of his family's woes.
Then there's Robert Pattinson, whose genteel southern accent is more miss than hit, but whose skeeviness is palpable through the screen. He, like everyone else in the film, are victims of their own personalities, intrinsic to which is their relationship to God.
The world of The Devil All the Time is populated by a lot of really bad people, but they're all compelling and multilayered which is what makes them so fascinating to watch. Even as they do the worst things possible, or make fateful mistakes, you are invested in their outcome – whether it's good or bad.
If you aren't of a mind to enjoy a good Greek tragedy, you'll still find the film compelling. The Devil All The Time may not be full of high-speed twists and turns the way you'd expect, but if you stick with the lax pace, the slow-burn reveals are worth the wait.
The Devil All the Time is now available to watch on Netflix.
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