About The Devil All the Time
The Devil All the Time (2020) is a sprawling Southern Gothic crime epic that weaves together multiple dark narratives across two decades in postwar Ohio and West Virginia. Director Antonio Campos masterfully adapts Donald Ray Pollock's novel into a tense, atmospheric thriller about faith, violence, and the cyclical nature of corruption. The film follows Arvin Russell (Tom Holland), a young man determined to protect his loved ones in a town where preachers, criminals, and law enforcement are all morally compromised.
The ensemble cast delivers powerhouse performances, with Tom Holland showing remarkable range beyond his Spider-Man persona. Robert Pattinson is particularly chilling as a manipulative preacher, while Bill Skarsgård, Riley Keough, and Jason Clarke create equally disturbing characters. The film's nonlinear storytelling reveals how seemingly separate lives intersect through violence and desperation, building toward inevitable confrontations.
What makes The Devil All the Time compelling viewing is its unflinching examination of how trauma begets trauma, and how characters use religion to justify their worst impulses. The cinematography captures the oppressive atmosphere of the rural setting, while the deliberate pacing allows the tension to simmer until explosive moments of violence. This isn't a film for the faint-hearted, but for viewers who appreciate complex character studies within a crime thriller framework, it offers rich storytelling and memorable performances that linger long after watching.
The ensemble cast delivers powerhouse performances, with Tom Holland showing remarkable range beyond his Spider-Man persona. Robert Pattinson is particularly chilling as a manipulative preacher, while Bill Skarsgård, Riley Keough, and Jason Clarke create equally disturbing characters. The film's nonlinear storytelling reveals how seemingly separate lives intersect through violence and desperation, building toward inevitable confrontations.
What makes The Devil All the Time compelling viewing is its unflinching examination of how trauma begets trauma, and how characters use religion to justify their worst impulses. The cinematography captures the oppressive atmosphere of the rural setting, while the deliberate pacing allows the tension to simmer until explosive moments of violence. This isn't a film for the faint-hearted, but for viewers who appreciate complex character studies within a crime thriller framework, it offers rich storytelling and memorable performances that linger long after watching.


















