The Devil’s Own (1997)
51%RT Audience Score: 41%
Awards & Nominations: 1 nomination
The Devil’s Own is a film that attempts to tackle the complex issues of morality and political conflict, but ultimately falls short due to its lack of clear direction and pacing issues. While the star power of Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt is undeniable, their charisma can only do so much to compensate for a muddled plot and inconsistent character development. The film’s attempts to present itself as a weighty and important piece of cinema are ultimately undermined by its lack of focus and relevance to the plot. In the end, The Devil’s Own is a forgettable and disappointing entry in the political thriller genre.
The Devil’s Own is a movie that tries to be about Something Important, but ends up being about nothing much at all. It’s like when you order a fancy dish at a restaurant and it looks great, but then you take a bite and it’s just meh. The only saving grace of this movie is the charisma of Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt, but even that can’t make up for the slow pacing and lack of direction. It’s a shame because the premise had potential, but in the end, it’s just another forgettable political suspense film.
Production Company(ies)
DENTSU Music And Entertainment, Nibariki Nippon Television, Network
Distributor
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Columbia Pictures, Columbia Tristar
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Clogherhead, County Louth, Ireland
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong brutal violence, and for language
Year of Release
1997
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:SDDS Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 50m
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Language(s):English, Spanish
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Mar 26, 1997 Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 22, 2001
Genre(s)
Drama/Crime
Keyword(s)
starring Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt, Margaret Colin, Rubén Blades, Treat Williams, George Hearn, directed by Alan J Pakula, written by Vincent Patrick, Kevin Jarre, drama, crime, mystery & thriller, R rating, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Duane Byrge, David Ansen, Carol Buckland, Ruthe Stein, Roger Ebert, James Berardinelli, Dennis Schwartz, Joe Leydon, Tim Brayton, Bill Chambers, Rob Gonsalves, produced by Lawrence Gordon, Robert F Colesberry
Worldwide gross: $140,807,547
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $262,476,653
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 560
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 28,623,408
US/Canada gross: $42,868,348
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $79,910,067
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 861
US/Canada opening weekend: $14,274,503
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $26,608,828
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 515
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $90,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $167,767,278
Production budget ranking: 181
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $90,342,679
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $4,366,697
ROI to date (est.): 2%
ROI ranking: 1,389
Brad Pitt – Rory Devaney, Francis Austin McGuire
Margaret Colin – Sheila O’Meara
Rubén Blades – Edwin Diaz
Treat Williams – Billy Burke
George Hearn – Peter Fitzsimmons
Director(s)
Alan J. Pakula
Writer(s)
Vincent Patrick, Kevin Jarre
Producer(s)
Lawrence Gordon, Robert F. Colesberry
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
1 nomination
Academy Awards
All Critics (40) | Top Critics (11) | Fresh (14) | Rotten (26)
A beguiling but ultimately leaden tale of moral conflict.
April 2, 2020
Duane Byrge
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
Fortunately for us (and for Pakula), Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt are bona fide movie stars: their charisma is a considerable compensation.
February 28, 2018
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
While this film runs almost two hours, it seems longer because of the pacing.
January 5, 2018
Carol Buckland
CNN.com
TOP CRITIC
June 18, 2002 | Rating: 3/4
Ruthe Stein
San Francisco Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
The film should make it clear whether it considers the Brad Pitt character to be a hero or villain. My best guess is, he’s a villain given a moral touch-up because he’s also a movie star.
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 2.5/4
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 2.5/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
An engrossing but disappointing big-budget political suspense film, that never becomes exceptional.
March 26, 2016 | Rating: B-
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
The good news is, The Devil’s Own doesn’t live down to its reputation.
July 19, 2014
Joe Leydon
The Moving Picture Show
Presents itself as being about Something Important, whereas in fact it is really about nothing very much at all.
January 26, 2010 | Rating: 4/10
Tim Brayton
Antagony & Ecstasy
Finally just another schoolmarmish prestige piece touting America’s moral superiority
July 16, 2008 | Rating: 2/4
Bill Chambers
Film Freak Central
What’s left is a lot of moral grappling, not all of which has one iota of relevance to the plot.
July 30, 2007 | Rating: 2/5
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com
A cobbled-together mess of conflicting tones.
September 18, 2005 | Rating: 2/4
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com…
Plot
A thriller about an IRA gunman who draws an American family into the crossfire of terrorism. Frankie McGuire is one of the IRA’s deadliest assassins. But when he is sent to the U.S. to buy weapons, Frankie is housed with the family of Tom O’Meara, a New York cop who knows nothing about Frankie’s real identity. Their surprising friendship, and Tom’s growing suspicions, force Frankie to choose between the promise of peace or a lifetime of murder.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels database for The Devil’s Own.
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