Why the Devil didn't work The continuation of the charming and slightly sinister film of 2021 from the same brothers-directors Manetti turned out to be more dynamic, while losing the remnants of the former charm. Why did that happen? Let’s try to understand the details.
Reason 1. Style, editing, directing
I’m always amazed at how directors buckle the sequels of their own films. The cinematic style of the first film with taste and without excessive pomp paid tribute to the style of action films of the 60-70s, such as Fantomas and James Bond. In his long plans, you could find artistic idea, immersion in characters, tension.
In Devil 2 with a completely different tempo of the plot and even the music, the long plans look like a clumsy montage, which left unnecessary tails of scenes. I keep silent that adventurous retro music in the spirit of Ocean's Friends is absolutely not suitable for such lazy gluing. And the stylization this time either lame, or completely abandoned in favor of ease of shooting.
Give this movie material to Christopher Nolan or Guy Ricci, and they'd cut candy on the editing table, but alas! And yes, it may be taste, but the music interfered, not helped the narrative. There would be classic Hollywood film scoring, with accents of percussion, with fast arpeggios and stockcatos, with lyrical leading violins and Zimmerov's room rooms ... But again, alas!
Reason 2. Actors' play
Good old "I don't believe it!" I use Stanislavsky very carefully and rarely. But I can't do without him. I was terrified of Monica Bellucci! I didn’t believe that the seductive Miriam Leone, this Lady Gaga on top of the maximalist, became so primitive in such an important plot for her character! I know that Giacomo Gianniotti, that true Batman or Superman, could have done more if the director wanted to! Moreover, the type Giacomo is better suited for the role of a thief-adventurer than the actor from the previous film (the actor in the lead role was replaced, yes). Although, probably, an actor with natural eyes, would give a larger palette than Giacomo in lenses. There is a claim to casting, although next to Miriam they looked very good.
In general, I don’t believe in what I see, but the actors play in the sequel to the cult Italian comic so tightly, so flatly, without desire, without passion, why? Why? It could have been their finest hour! It's inexplicable.
Claims were not caused except that Valerio Mastandrea and his detective Ginco, as well as Alessio Lapice, who in the second act becomes the main character and pulls the story on himself, puffing off professional acting skills for everyone.
Reason 3. Characters
Like many viewers, I am not familiar with the comics on which these films are based, perhaps the original Devil is not so cruel, or maybe he really is the embodiment of a criminal genius, a real evil, not a romanticized thief and murderer. But his cold psychopathic cruelty, shown in both films of the Manetti brothers, prevents the viewer from empathizing with him.
Why is he killing? If he's that good, he can outsmart stupid cops without killing them, can't he? The viewer is not used to empathizing with notorious scoundrels and hopeless psyches, read Linda Seger, gentlemen screenwriters!
But the sequel problem is even deeper.
If in the first film the characters were given time, they were revealed in detail, they surprised and intrigued, this time each of the characters broke out of the center of attention, lost in an unconcentrated narrative and was not written deeper than banal motives. Bad! Motives are the base, and there must be something else around them.
This was something inconclusive and sometimes ridiculous romantic line of detective Ginko and the Duchess, which did not affect anything in the plot from the word at all, and therefore, according to the harsh logic of drama, was superfluous.
Reason 4. History
This film could be a crisis of trust for the Devil and Eva Kant, it could explore their feelings, their differences, their confidence and disappointment in each other in a deft play of pretense, illusion and truth. But, again, alas... they were pushed to the background, and everything that happened was reduced to attempts to show the action, and the creators of this film somehow forgot about the story, about the heart of the film, about the dramaturgy (after all!).
It was a disappointing movie, if you expect anything from it.
Still, you can't see it. The story of Ava and the Devil continues. Is it interesting to watch the maniacal killer thieves, which the directors admire, as if holy heroes are a matter of taste? But to understand Italian pop culture, you can watch this movie.
And hopefully, if they do the third part, it will take into account the mistakes of past films.