This movie is a dependent sequel to Chinatown, and you may be somewhat lost unless you have a good recall. It’s not as sordid as its predecessor but it’s also not as gripping, plodding along vaguely until it peters out at the final solution. It retreads many of the superficial beats of the first film, too, using formula as ersatz meaning.
Closest comparison: It’s like The Long Goodbye by way of Chinatown.
Setting: Noir
Plot: Detective
Tone: Detective
This is a meaty, slow-burn drama that really delivers on its complex moral narrative. Where many films try to convey the complex nature of morality and only end up becoming messy themselves, The Devil’s Own very cleanly demonstrates the complexity if its point. Although there are several action scenes it’s solidly in the drama genre, with most of the runtime simmering in the subtleties of a lie in the family dynamic. It’s riveting to watch the story unfold with actors whose presence alone chews the scenery with the best of the best.
Closest comparison: It has the undercurrents and style of Patriot Games with the down-to-earth simplicity of The Irishman.
Setting: Thriller
Plot: Crime
Tone: Drama
