Suing the Devil

Last updated

Suing the Devil
Suing the Devil.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Tim Chey
Written byTim Chey
Produced byDavid Turrell
Starring Malcolm McDowell
Tom Sizemore
CinematographyTom Gleeson
Edited byTim Chey
Music byDavid Turrell
Distributed byMouthwatering Productions
Release date
  • 26 August 2011 (2011-08-26)
Running time
106 minutes
CountriesAustralia
United States
LanguageEnglish

Suing the Devil is a 2010 Christian thriller film which was released in 2011. It was written and directed by Tim Chey and stars Malcolm McDowell and Tom Sizemore. [1] [2]

Contents

Plot

Luke O'Brien (Bart Bronson), a washed-up salesman turned night law student, decides to sue Satan for 8 trillion dollars. On the last day before Luke files a default judgment, Satan (Malcolm McDowell) appears to defend himself. On Satan's legal team are ten of the world's best trial lawyers. The entire world watches on Justice TV to see who will win the Trial of the Century. In the end, Luke wins the suit after a sensational proceeding. However, the film ends by showing that everything was a dream.

Cast

Production

Filming took place in Burbank, Los Angeles, Darlinghurst in New South Wales, and Sydney.

Release

Suing the Devil was released internationally in Brazil, UK, Canada, Australia, and Nigeria.[ citation needed ] The film was distributed on demand through a variety of services in the US and Canada. [3]

Accolades

The film won the 5-Dove Award from the Dove Foundation, their highest rating for a "family approved" film. [4]

Critical reception

Some critical reviews were negative. For example, Gabe Toro of Indiewire wrote: "The ideas behind the film are laughably primitive, and it's startling to see an actor of McDowell's caliber swept up in them. At the point where Satan begins taking credit for gangsta rap, it's clear that the ignorance that powers this film is borderline dangerous... In short, it's embarrassing on almost every level, poorly written, shot, scored and edited and bereft of a single idea, interesting or otherwise." Toro gave it a letter grade of F. [5]

In a review for The A.V. Club by Nathan Rabin wrote that "[t]hanks almost entirely to McDowell, Suing The Devil is one of the most entertaining evangelical Christian films I've written about for this column. Unlike most godly epics, it has a sense of humor about itself, but the laughs it generates are largely of the unintentional variety. It's sweet, dopey, and strangely touching in its fuzzy but strong-headed conviction that with a whole lot of faith and Jesus' love inside him, a no-hoper of a lawyer could triumph over the ultimate evil." [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Satan</span> Figure in Abrahamic religions

Satan, also known as the Devil, is an entity in Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehood. In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the yetzer hara, or "evil inclination". In Christianity and Islam, he is usually seen as a fallen angel or jinn who has rebelled against God, who nevertheless allows him temporary power over the fallen world and a host of demons. In the Quran, Shaitan, also known as Iblis, is an entity made of fire who was cast out of Heaven because he refused to bow before the newly created Adam and incites humans to sin by infecting their minds with waswās.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malcolm McDowell</span> British actor (born 1943)

Malcolm McDowell is an English actor. He first became known for portraying Mick Travis in Lindsay Anderson's if.... (1968), a role he later reprised in O Lucky Man! (1973) and Britannia Hospital (1982). His performance in if.... prompted Stanley Kubrick to cast him as Alex in A Clockwork Orange (1971), the role for which McDowell became best known.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treehouse of Horror IV</span> 5th episode of the 5th season of The Simpsons

"Treehouse of Horror IV" is the fifth episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons and the fourth episode in the Treehouse of Horror series of Halloween specials. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 28, 1993, and features three short stories called "The Devil and Homer Simpson", "Terror at 5+12 Feet", and "Bart Simpson's Dracula".

"Bart Gets Hit by a Car" is the tenth episode of the second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on January 10, 1991. In the episode, Bart is hit by Mr. Burns' car. Prompted by ambulance-chasing lawyer Lionel Hutz and quack doctor Nick Riviera, the Simpsons sue Burns, seeking extensive damages for Bart's injuries. Hutz and Dr. Nick exaggerate Bart's injuries to earn the jury's sympathy at the trial. Marge wants Homer to accept Burns' proposed settlement instead of asking Bart to lie on the witness stand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Kid on the Block</span> 8th episode of the 4th season of The Simpsons

"New Kid on the Block" is the eighth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on November 12, 1992. After meeting his new neighbor, Laura, Bart falls in love with her, only to later discover that she has a boyfriend, Jimbo Jones, whom he attempts to scare off so that he can have a relationship with Laura. Meanwhile, Homer sues the Sea Captain Horatio McCallister after being kicked out of his all-you-can-eat restaurant while still hungry.

"Marge Gets a Job" is the seventh episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on November 5, 1992. In this episode, Marge gets a job at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant to pay for foundation repair at the Simpsons house. Mr. Burns develops a crush on Marge after seeing her at work and sexually harasses her. A subplot with Bart parallels the fable "The Boy Who Cried Wolf".

<i>Thinner</i> (film) 1996 American horror film

Thinner is a 1996 American body horror film directed by Tom Holland and written by Michael McDowell and Holland. The film is based on Stephen King's 1984 novel of the same name and stars Robert John Burke, Joe Mantegna, Lucinda Jenney, Michael Constantine, Kari Wuhrer, and Bethany Joy Lenz. In the film, an obese lawyer who accidentally kills a Romani woman is cursed by the woman's father to rapidly lose weight.

<i>Happy Campers</i> (film) 2001 film by Daniel Waters

Happy Campers is a 2001 American black comedy film written and directed by Daniel Waters and starring Brad Renfro, Dominique Swain, Jaime King, Emily Bergl, and Justin Long. The film focuses on a group of college freshmen and their experiences as summer camp counselors at the fictional Camp Bleeding Dove. The film is collectively narrated by each of the subjective counselors. It marks Waters' directorial debut, as well as the film debut of Jaime King.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathan Rabin</span> American film and music critic (born 1976)

Nathan Rabin is an American film and music critic. Rabin was the first head writer for The A.V. Club, a position he held until he left the Onion organization in 2013. In 2013, Rabin became a staff writer for The Dissolve, a film website operated by Pitchfork Media. Two of his featured columns at The Dissolve were "Forgotbusters" and "Streaming University".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy A. Chey</span> American film director

Timothy A. Chey is an American film producer, writer and director. Among his films are Fakin' da Funk, Gone, Impact: The Passion of the Christ, Suing the Devil, The Genius Club, Live Fast, Die Young, Final the Rapture, Epic Journey, Freedom, David and Goliath, and Slamma Jamma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawsuits against supernatural beings</span> Civil action brought in a court of law against a supernatural being

Lawsuits against supernatural beings, such as God or the devil, have occurred in real life and in fiction. Issues debated in the actions include the problem of evil and harmful "acts of God".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deals with the Devil in popular culture</span>

The idea of making a deal with the devil has appeared many times in works of popular culture. These pacts with the Devil can be found in many genres, including: books, music, comics, theater, movies, TV shows and games. When it comes to making a contract with the Devil, they all share the same prevailing desire, a mortal wants some worldly good for their own selfish gain, but in exchange, they must give up their soul for eternity.

"Spoken For" is a song by Christian rock band MercyMe. Written by Bart Millard, Nathan Cochran, Mike Scheuchzer, Jim Bryson, Robby Shaffer, and Pete Kipley. "Spoken For" has been described as "haunting", and as having a "strong lyrical hook".

<i>Excision</i> (film) 2012 horror film

Excision is a 2012 American psychological horror film written and directed by Richard Bates Jr., and starring AnnaLynne McCord, Traci Lords, Ariel Winter, Roger Bart, Jeremy Sumpter, Malcolm McDowell, Matthew Gray Gubler, Marlee Matlin, Ray Wise, and John Waters. The film is a feature-length adaptation of the 2008 short film of the same name. Excision premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. Excision played in the category of Park City at Midnight.

The Dissolve was a film review, news, and commentary website which was operated by Pitchfork and based in Chicago, Illinois. The site was focused on reviews, commentary, interviews, and news about contemporary and classic films. Its editor was Scott Tobias, the former editor in chief of The A.V. Club. Editorial director Keith Phipps announced The Dissolve's closure on July 8, 2015.

<i>G-Men from Hell</i> 2000 American film

G-Men from Hell is a 2000 American comedy film directed by Christopher Coppola and written by Robert Cooper, Richard L. Albert, and Nicholas Johnson. It is based on Michael Allred's comic book series Grafik Muzik published by Caliber Press. It stars William Forsythe and Tate Donovan as two violent FBI agents who die, go to hell, and escape back to Earth, where they become embroiled in a mystery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Satanic Temple</span> Non-theistic religious organization

The Satanic Temple (TST) is a non-theistic organization and new religious movement, founded in 2013 and headquartered in Salem, Massachusetts. Established in reaction to the "intrusion of Christian values on American politics", congregations have also formed in Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Co-founded by Lucien Greaves, the organization's spokesperson, and Malcolm Jarry, the group views Satan neither as a supernatural being, nor a symbol of evil, but instead relies on the literary Satan as a symbol representing "the eternal rebel" against arbitrary authority and social norms, or as a metaphor to promote pragmatic skepticism, rational reciprocity, personal autonomy, and curiosity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie McDowell</span> American film director and screenwriter (born 1983)

Charles Malcolm McDowell is an American film director and screenwriter. McDowell made his directorial film debut with the romantic thriller The One I Love (2014). He has since written and directed the Netflix drama films The Discovery (2017) and Windfall (2022).

<i>American Satan</i> 2017 American supernatural musical thriller film

American Satan is a 2017 American supernatural musical thriller film directed by Ash Avildsen, who also wrote the screenplay with Matty Beckerman. It was released in theaters on Friday October 13, 2017, and stars Andy Biersack, Ben Bruce, Drake Bell, Denise Richards, Malcolm McDowell, Booboo Stewart, and Tori Black. The film marked Larry King's final film role before his death in January 2021. It won an award for Best Narrative Feature at the 2017 Oceanside International Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">48th GMA Dove Awards</span>

The 48th Annual GMA Dove Awards presentation ceremony was held on Tuesday, October 17, 2017 at the Allen Arena located in Nashville, Tennessee. The ceremony recognized the accomplishments of musicians and other figures within the Christian music industry for the year 2017. The ceremony was produced by the Trinity Broadcasting Network and was hosted by female singers Kari Jobe and Tasha Cobbs Leonard. The awards show was broadcast on the Trinity Broadcasting Network on October 22, 2017.

References

  1. Soergel, Matt (22 May 2011). "'Suing the Devil' is latest Christian-themed film by former Orange Park atheist". The Florida Times-Union . Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  2. Weber, Katerine (25 January 2012). "'Suing the Devil' Filmmaker Alleges Online Atheist 'Mob Attack'". The Christian Post . Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  3. "'Suing the Devil' to Be Released into 100 Million Homes on Good Friday". Christian Newswire . 3 April 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  4. "Suing the Devil". The Dove Foundation . Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  5. Toro, Gabe (12 April 2012). "Review: 'Suing The Devil' A Genuine Career Low For Malcolm McDowell". Indiewire . Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  6. Rabin, Nathan (9 April 2013). "Malcolm McDowell's smirking Satan makes Suing The Devil ridiculous fun". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 7 April 2017.