The Devil's Advocate is a 1997 American thriller/horror film directed by Taylor Hackford starring Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino and Charlize Theron, and based on a novel by Andrew Neiderman.

The film's title is a reference to the common phrase "devil's advocate", and Pacino's character is named after the author of Paradise Lost, John Milton. The movie has some minor allusions to Milton's epic, such as the famous quotation "Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven".

Plot summary

Kevin Lomax (Keanu Reeves) is a very successful defense attorney in Gainesville, Florida; he has never lost a case. As the movie opens, Lomax is defending a schoolteacher, Mr. Gettys (Chris Bauer), against a charge of child molestation. During the trial, Kevin comes to believe his client is guilty. During a recess, a reporter speaks to Kevin, saying that "nobody wins 'em all." Kevin still decides to go forward and wins the case after a harsh cross-examination of the young witness (Heather Matarazzo) that destroys her credibility.