The Devil Has A Name Review: An All Star Tale Of Grief And Greed

Release date: October 16, 2020
Running time: 97 minutes
Starring: David Strathairn, Kate Bosworth, Edward James Olmos, Martin Sheen, Alfred Molina, and Haley Joel Osment
Directed by: Edward James Olmos

An ambitious oil executive leaves the whole industry exposed when she attempts to outwit a recently widowed farmer whose water she has poisoned.

This film is inspired by a true story and tries to tell the tale of a town and community ravaged by the oil industry, but also dependent on it.  It is a story that we have heard before, but this film brings to the table an all star cast and some very interesting characters.  David Strathairn, Kate Bosworth, Edward James Olmos, Martin Sheen, and Haley Joel Osment, all bring their A-game to this tale of grief and greed.  And they use those talents to bring to life some fun and complicated characters.  Many of the players in this oil game have multiple motivations and even the farmer who they are attempting to outwit has conflicting emotions throughout the ordeal.  And overall the movie is an entertaining tale that does touch on the harms of endless corporate greed and the business view of risk vs. doing the right thing.  Sometimes we would like to believe that people will just do what is right, but often that can be a calculation based on potential loss to the company.  And the environmental impact of these operations is an important story to tell, and the main motivation behind this movie.  

However, this film bears the hallmark "inspired by true events" and it definitely feels like the movie is taking some liberties with the story.  There are things that occurred during this film that seem like they would have been front page scandals, and I imagine the real story is insidious, but much more measured.  The movie puts the story through the Hollywood translator to make it into something much more sinister and grandiose than the original.  Don't get me wrong, I love when movies are based on true stories because it gives you that much more of a personal connection to the characters and events.  But this movie felt like it took too many liberties with the story itself.  It felt like the drama and intrigue were dialed up several notches for the big screen.  And in the end, it only stated a small part of what happened as a follow up, making me think that this film is a tall tale that has some grounding in facts.  And on top of the story stretching, the movie also uses some CG at times to try and emphasize points, but that end up being distracting.  It cuts from a normal scene to a cartoon-ish CG sequence of what is happening below ground that just didn't hit with me.  It pulled me out of the film when it happened and I wish they had just cut those sequences.  In the end, The Devil Has A Name tells an entertaining and important tale, but I feel like some movies might have told this with less Hollywood flair (such as the fantastic Dark Waters from last year).  

The Devil Has A Name brings an all star cast to tell this inspired by true events tale of grief and greed. 

Rent it.

If you liked this review and want to see more from Watch or Pass, please consider 

following us on our various social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube. 

The Devil Has A Name will be available in theaters, digitally, and on demand on October 16, 2020.  For additional information about the film and to rent / buy it, check it out at the links below.

This site contains affiliate links. //Commerce or this site may be compensated when you click through links on our site.