The Advocate's Devil (1997 TV Movie) User Reviews

Entertaining TV movie

[ukxenafan1 · 6/10 · 4 February 2007]

As a big SVU fan, I checked this one out for Mariska Hargitay pre-Olivia Benson! As a TV movie thriller, it was quite good fun, although the director's habit of putting the camera at an angle all the time was VERY annoying! The plot is pretty much standard TV movie fare, defence lawyer Ken Olin gets a high profile client off, only to realise he was guilty. Cue the dramas.

For Mariska fans, she has a fair bit of screen time, and isn't JUST the Girlfriend. She's an investigator, although we don't get to see enough of her investigating sadly. The young girl playing Olin's daughter is a bit of a Natalie Portman lookalike, and is annoyingly perky at times.

Good Sunday afternoon viewing on the Hallmark channel!

interesting legal drama

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 4 September 2005]

"Thirty Something" star Ken Olin has certainly had a fascinating career since the series ended. He has become a very successful producer, for one thing. Acting wise, for as nice a guy as he played on the series, he has often been cast as a wife killer. In this movie, based on a novel by Alan Dershowitz, he's an attorney with a run of losses who takes what looks to be a slam-dunk case, defending a basketball star accused of rape. Along the way, it begins to look like the case isn't the winner he anticipated as inconsistencies in his client's story begin to emerge.

As his investigator girlfriend, beautiful Mariska Hargitay gives a warm and honest performance. I first saw Mariska's work when she was a kid on "Falcon Crest" and my opinion of her has never changed. She was a delight then, and she has evolved into a wonderful actress while still maintaining a charismatic presence. Holt McCallany, as the defendant, gives nothing away in an enigmatic performance and will keep you guessing.

This is a film that will definitely hold your interest. Only a lawyer could come up with a plot like this, however. I found it just a little too clever.

Knight in Tarnished Armor

[sol-kay · 7/10 · 9 March 2005]

XX There Are Spoilers XX Disturbing crime/court drama based on a novel by famed defense attorney Alan Dershowitz who also wrote the screenplay about rape deception and finally murder.

Known as "The White Knight" San Francisco Condors basketball star Joe Campball, Hoit McCallany, has it all: talent looks charm and money as well as thousands of star struck young women who would give their right arm to spend an evening with him. One of those lucky ladies Jennifer Dawling, Jessica Tuck, gets that wish and after having a quite and delightful dinner with Joe goes up to his hotel room to spend the night with him.

The next morning Joe is accused by Jennifer of raping and abusing her and is later indited by a grand jury to stand trial. Joe getting defense attorney Abe Ringel, Ken Olin, to defend him tells Abe that Jennifer is trying to get money out of him by dragging his name through the mud and that he's willing to take the stand to tell the truth which is that he's innocent of all the charges that she made against him.

On he stand Joe comes across so truthful and straightforward about the events that happened that evening with Jeniffer that Abe reviles her name, a possible rape victim, in public at a news conference the next day.The trial of Joe Campball is a forgone conclusion with him being found innocent,a verdict announced by a pretty and admiring young woman who's the jury forewoman, and admittedly set free. Everyone in the courtroom, with the exception of Jennifer and her lawyer, feels that justice was done but the person who you would think, next to Joe, would have felt most happy about the verdict didn't.

Abe knew that he unleashed a psycho on society who raped before he raped Jennifer and will more then likely rape again, which he did, and one of his intended victims being his, Abe's, pretty young 17 year-old daughter Emma, Gina Philips.

During the trial Abe found out that Joe is an expert computer hacker and likes to hack into court and police websites checking young ladies who claimed to have been sexually abused and then having their cases thrown out of court due to lack of evidence. Jennifer Dawling was one of those young women.

Joe had found out that these women would not be believed in a court of law, if they chose to press charges against him, because they were already proved to be lairs before so why would not a jury feel that there lying now. Which was exactly what the jury in the case that the state, through Jennifer Dawling, brought against him felt.

Free to do what he wants Joe ends up killing another young women Lisa Lister, Anne Farquhar,who he picked up and took at a local San Francisco hotel-room. Abe seeing this in the TV news, no one in the news or police knows who killed Lisa at the time,and realizes that this is Joe's Modus Operandi. The act that Joe's basketball team, the San Francisco Condors, were playing in SF at the time makes him a prime suspect in the murder.

Feeling terribly guilty for letting Joe loose on an unsuspecting public Abe tries to get him re-arrested by the police with what he knows about him. Still technically being Joe's lawyer Abe feels that he can't betray his client even though his client betrayed him.

Joe in a mad effort to get even with Abe charms his young daughter Emma, who's totally Ga-Ga about him, and takes her to a hotel room to do to her what he did to Jennifer and Lisa and ,as far as we know, dozens of other young ladies before them. With Abe and the police being helpless to stop him.

The movie " Advacate's Devil" is both shocking and engrossing at the same time and will leave it's audience jolted at whats happening on the screen. Both Ken Olin and Holt McCallany are in top form as the lawyer and criminal with McCallany stealing the movie as a chilling Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde type of person and McCallany pulls this off without the use of any makeup at all.

Pretty good

[jewel_9898 · 5 July 2003]

I liked this movie, I usually hate legal drama crap but this one was pretty good. Sadly, in real life pro athletes get off for stuff like this all the time no matter how many times they are accused, and their fans will always be on their side. The guy in this movie was a complete sociopath, it was really scary! I recommend this movie to anyone who likes legal films, and also to any Lifetime movie buff. The only problems I had with the movie: 1) The movie never tells what happened with that girl who got killed 2) Why did the daughter just forgive this woman for having an affair with her father, and why would she suggest they move in together? I mean come on no decent person would suggest a couple move in together!

Other then that the movie is really good! Please watch it!

Theme-What is a person capable of?. Based on a story by Alan Dershowitz...

[MarieGabrielle · 7/10 · 25 May 2006]

This turned out to be a very good movie. The story is intriguing, and I wonder if it must have been based on reality, somewhat. The only problem is there was the big film- "The Devil's Advocate" with Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino- (totally different plot though) so it may confuse the viewer, thinking these are similar films, and thus, not tuning in.

That aside, Ken Olin is excellent in this film, as the defense attorney who must defend basketball star, Joe Campbell (portrayed by Holt McCallany). I have seen McCallany in one or two smaller films, and he was excellent in this. The case which Olin prepares so well, and wins turns out to be a possible mistake. What if the defendant really did rape these girls? What kind of person is he? What is he capable of?.

Mariska Hargitay is also good as Olin's assistant. There is a small role for Deanna Milligan ("Intensity" 1997) and Gina Philips is Olin's daughter, who becomes involved with Joe Campbell (McCallany). While the ending wasn't overly suspenseful, this film addresses the many flaws in our legal system, and psychological issues which cannot be assessed by the courts.

Not worth watching

[newjersian · 1/10 · 10 December 2021]

I couldn't believe that Alan Dershowitz wrote such a cheap, predictable, politically correct, and unbelievable story. The movie itself is OK for the B-rated TV flick. The acting is good, the cinematography is appropriate; the director's work is not bad. However, all this effort is wasted on a very dumb and predictable story that is not worth watching.

Camera Angles???

[takabear85 · 2/10 · 20 September 2013]

This movie seemed good given the actors. It's the camera angles I couldn't take. Like they were trying to tell a story through the angles instead of letting the actors tell the story. Obviously the director didn't have enough confidence in the actors and the script and therefore had the cameramen go to extremes to film this movie. It's horrible. The filming itself is amateurish just because of this. I'm sorry but it's too much for my liking. The camera extremes really take away from the heart of the movie. Then there is the shakiness of the filming. My grandson could have been holding the camera. There are closeups, pull-aways, etc. Like I said, this really takes away from the heart of the movie. If you are confident of the story line and the actors, you do not need to have all these other special features. They really just ruin the film. To anyone who reads this review, think about that if you ever decide to make a movie or a television show.

The jock from hell

[jotix100 · 8/10 · 25 July 2005]

Never having seen "The Advocate's Devil", we decided to take a chance and frankly, it paid off quite well. Thanks to director Jeff Fleckner, the film has a lot going. In fact, the crisp cinematography used in it and the excellent editing makes this a movie well worth a look.

The film is based on Alan Dershowitz's novel, a defense attorney, himself. We are presented with a situation of how a lawyer's bad judgment clouds his vision and gets a client absolved of a crime that seems, in retrospect, too obvious to even get involved in. Abe Ringel (Ken Olin) is retained by jock star Joe Campbell (Holt McCallany) when a young woman accuses him of raping her. In fact, Ringel and his team of investigators seem to have doubts about this client from the start.

Joe Campbell figures he is above the law and can do whatever he thinks he can get away with, even after a tragedy occurs, for which he is not even blamed. It's not until he decides to concentrate on Emma, Ringel's daughter, when everything comes to a head.

The film is interesting to watch because it's not the typical Movie of the Week type. The acting is good and the cast gives an excellent account under the direction of Mr. Bleckner.

"The Advocate's Devil" will not disappoint because the quick pace and credible story.

Saw advocate's Devil on cable

[alexshalom · 8/10 · 27 December 2004]

Saw advocate's Devil on cable in bits and pieces. due to commercial interruption when I usually change the station. but with VHS videos prices generally so low these days, tried in vain to find it for purchase, thus far.

mayhap I will record it when next I find it playing.

my rating is that it appears to be engrossing, well-written (yes, this is THE one from the Dershowitz novel) and well-played. Ken Olin plays the defense attorney. (he starred in 30-something). and therefore was immediately recognizable to me (for the other reviewer's comment)..all around, a seemingly worthwhile courtroom and beyond drama.

Solid legal drama. Recommended even if you're not familiar with laws.

[insomniac_rod · 8/10 · 19 August 2005]

A very good , solid, direct for T.V. movie that I had the fortune to watch on "Cinemax" overnight many years ago.

The movie deals with the hard situation that popular lawyer Abe Ringel is going through after losing several cases in a row.

Things change when basketball superstar Joe Campbell is accused of rape with violence and decides to hire Ringel as his lawyer.

Ringel, along with her clever and beautiful assistant (Rendi), plus another member of his law-firm figure out the best strategy to demonstrate Campbell's innocence and win the case, although they know that Mr. Campbell is in fact a disturbed person that gets excited after insulting and raping women.

Ringel discovers that Campbell murdered an ex-hooker and threatens to present criminal charges against him.

This is where the movie gets interesting on the legal field because it displays topics like the lawyer's professional ethics towards his clients' privacy, rape, testimonies, murder, etc.

Things get bad when Campbell decides to take revenge on Ringel by seducing his sweet and beautiful daughter, Emma. Campbell finds a way to trick her into a hotel room and tries to rape her after telling horrible things about her dead mother.

This movie is very interesting even if you are not familiar with legal concepts, it is also fast paced and manages to keep you entertained.

Watch this movie and you won't regret it because it is a solid drama with likable characters, great acting, and most of all, because it is entertaining and very believable.

Very clever legal drama

[ROK · 26 October 2000]

A very clever legal drama, shown on television but one i would definitely have paid money to see. A Defence lawyer gets more involved in a case than he would like due to his client threatening his daughter.

Excellent performances by all the cast, who i must admit I've never seen in anything else, or atleast i don't think i have. they may have been in something but not impacted on me.

Hire it or catch it on TV, you won't be disappointed.

I loved this movie

[twhitma · 10/10 · 29 November 2001]

I thought that this was a wonderful movie. I missed the first few minutes of it, however and would love to see it again. Mariska is one of my favorite actresses and it was cool to see her playing a different role than Olivia Benson on SVU.

um...

[Maria-s_Georg · 9 March 2004]

Well...I originally wanted to watch this little telefilm; to see some other stuff Hargitay had done. I must say it was werid seeing her with long hair. The whole plot of the story ran like your typical 'lifetime' movie. You know the channel where; "The men are accused, and the women are abused."

Just like all other lifetime movies, this one was predictable. As soon as the Lawyer's daughter left for college I swear I knew exactly what was going to happen. I understand that someone would like to make unique camera shots to enhance their piece. But trust me using dutch angles was not a way to go. It just seemed to make the film worse, and I wondered when they'd stop it.

Besides all of that they never really explained the 'note' that the basketball player found in Rendi's computer. I find it hard that the girl would dismiss it all that easily. In regards to that it wasn't very realistic.

Meh. Thought it was a parody at first. Or a Tubi original

[CranberriAppl · 11 September 2023]

The best thing about this movie is that the story moves quickly. There are no real lulls. Other than that, nothing here is subtle and everything falls exactly into place and goes according to how it needs to for Abe. This movie needs the daughter to be as googly-eyed and dumb as bricks to actually accept a date from this guy. I do not buy that she is so starstruck that she doesn't get that maybe sometimes her DEFENSE ATTORNEY FATHER defends sketchy, and probably not innocent, people. Abe raised an idiot. It's hard to feel sorry for someone who acts so utterly stupid. Did she deserve it? Of course not, but she actively lied and KNEW how her dad would react to her "dating" with a client. She just could not have been that enthralled with this psycho who just beat a r&pe charge. The whole thing is just too smooth. Too clever. Too convenient. It would be more believable if, as I originally thought from the short description, that it was a college athlete for whom everyone ran cover and made money off of. The daughter ignoring red flags for a guy her own age sounds more likely. Joe is an old man to her. Or should be.

I've never read the book (didn't know there was a book), but assuming the bones of this story are the same, is Dershowitz saying that all of this would be totally ok for a lawyer and an off duty cop to do? Fake warrants? Can you violate privilege in a roundabout way? Genuinely asking. Why do this for drama? The guy is obviously a sleaze, but it's just absurd that there are no obstacles to getting what they want when it's the daughter (Emily? Honestly who cares). Joe being a hacker was definitely the MacGuffin I didn't expect. The dude was a psychopath. We're supposed to believe that he would use Naismith as a password and an alias?? I was only 14 in 1997, but The Net came out in 1995. What Angela did in that movie was hacking. Even in 1997, was looking up court cases really considered hacking?

The romance between Abe and Olivia is harmless until the depraved freak reveals to Emma what happened with her mother's death. Why is this here? When the daughter mentioned that Benson was a friend of her mother's, it raised my eyebrows, but why even make it an affair and then expect us to look at their scenes the same? Oh but of course, the daughter speaks for her deceased mother and gives Benson and Abe permission to continue pretending the mom didn't discover an affair. This is ridiculous. Again, convenient.

Abe's daughter understandably struggles with what happened and it has her feeling some kind of way about her father. Abe's demeanor, facial expressions, and mood never change throughout this ordeal. We don't get any sense other than words that he's struggling with what his chosen profession might have indirectly done to his daughter. He hasn't lost anything personally or professionally. The cop helping him for sure got suspended. It would have been nice to hear him question his entire career and whether or not any of his clients were like Joe. There's no reflection, no scenes of Joe by himself lost in thought. Nothing. There has yet to be a scene where he and Benson acknowledge that they had an affair. It's again. Too smooth. I was born in '83, so obviously Thirtysomethings is not a show that would have interested me, so I only have the acting in this movie to go on. Abe's acting is too stoic and constant, so it's hard to get a sense of what he feels. None of the characters feel real in fact.

This definitely feels like a tv movie. Maybe even a 3-episode arc of a 90s courtroom drama. I only turned this on because the title caught my attention on Tubi. I also love how the movie ends w/o the verdict bc how many times have we seen surprise verdicts? Obviously a conviction is the desired outcome, but when everything in this movie is just happening in the protagonist's, it's hard not to be cynical about what's onscreen. I assume Alan D's intention was to make a statement about his profession. Anatomy of a Murder, Primal Fear, The Lincoln Lawyer, and of course, Devil's Advocate are much better takes on the defense lawyer-with-a-crisis of conscience trope. I will never watch this again.

5/10 for being a quick watch.

IRRITATED

[sierrawilliams-05820 · 5 May 2019]

I don't understand why we can't watch this movie what do I have to do I've been trying to rent, buy forever somebody help me