The Devil Is In The Details
The Devil All The Time is a slow-burn drama that takes elements from both Western and thriller genres to produce a well-acted, chilling tale.
If you’ve finished streaming this one and are looking for alternatives – fret not! We’ve combed through the archives and saved you the hassle with our top 10 picks.
Of course for all the movies we’ve reviewed, we’ve also added a handy link so you can check out our full thoughts on that and see if it’s something you want to invest your time with.
So without further ado, we present 10 movies to check out when you’ve finished watching The Devil All The Time.
No Country For Old Men
When it comes to slow burns, No Country For Old Men revels in its moody atmosphere and captivating build-up. The story here revolves around a hunter who stumbles upon a drug deal gone wrong and more than two million dollars in cash. Instead of reporting this, he instead takes off with the money.
Unbeknownst to him though, the cold and calculated Anton Chigurh is hot on his heels and desperate to get the cash back. Throw in a Sheriff hunting Anton and what you get is a game of cat and mouse between these three characters.
This is a moody, uncompromising picture and while some may be a little disappointed by the ending, there’s enough here to make for a solid watch.
Hell Or High Water
Set against the dry, barren wasteland of dusty Texas, two men rob a bank and drive off into the hot sun with a bag full of money. Hot on their trail is Texas Ranger Marcus Hamilton who’s always one step behind the two men but slowly catching up.
Hell Or High Water takes the classic “cops and robber” trope and adapts that for a modern-day Western tale. It’s a pretty simple film in truth but it’s a perfect example of how to take a simple concept and flesh that out into something that feels very new and exciting.
You can read our thoughts on Hell Or High Water in our review here!
Pulp Fiction
Much like The Devil All The Time, Pulp Fiction is one of those films that follows multiple protagonists with complex and interesting back-stories. Here though Quentin Tarantino’s intertwining four-tailed thriller does an excellent job capturing the mood and tone of the time period.
While Jules Winnfield and Vincent Vega take the lion’s share of the limelight as two hit men retrieving a briefcase, Butch Coolidge’s character is just as intriguing, delivering a surprisingly funny, surprising and shocking tale that certainly stands the test of time.
Winter’s Bone
A surprisingly un-Hollywood-like picture, Winter’s Bone is a harrowing and bleak tale set high up in the Ozark Mountains.
The protagonist here is teenager Ree who hunts down her drug-dealing Father while struggling to keep her family intact without falling apart. This unconventional picture plays out almost as a coming-of-age story but there’s a lot of important themes here too making for a really powerful and well written drama.
Cape Fear
Cape Fear is a well written 1991 thriller ripe from the mind of Martin Scorsese. The story follows the psychotic Max Cady who’s released from prison after 14 years.
With a serious chip on his shoulder, he seeks revenge on Sam Bowden, a man who happened to be at the public defender’s office back then when he was convicted.
The tone and overall mood of this movie absolutely revels in paranoia and claustrophobia, held up by Robert De Niro’s fantastic performance as Cady. Much like Devil All The Time, these moments are simply captivating and the entire movie boasts a lot of decent acting throughout.
Boys Next Door
1985 thriller Boys Next Door is a movie centered around two men – Roy and Bo – who leave their small town for a short road trip to LA. On the way though, violence consumes them and the pair leave a trail of bodies in their wake.
This bubbling pot of violence is ultimately what the movie revolves around but it also dives into the idea of teen angst being released in a very ugly and brutal way.
Similar to the psychological issues Willard dealt with in Devil All The Time, Boys Next Door is a really powerful movie that’s as captivating as it is shocking.
Wise Blood
If you’re looking for another example of how religion can be used for both good and bad purposes, look no further. Wise Blood is a very divisive film that’s likely to be a love/hate affair. If you fall on the former’s side though, you’re sure to have a good time with this one.
The story revolves around a down-and-out Southerner called Hazel Motes who becomes a preacher and starts up a church movement. To give much more away would be to spoil the film but suffice to say Brad Dourif absolutely knocks it out the park with this one.
Frailty
Frailty is a gritty 2001 thriller and another movie that examines the power of religion. This time though the story revolves around a mysterious man who arrives at the offices of an FBI agent and recounts his childhood.
Specifically, he talks about his religious father who received visions telling him and his brother to destroy people who were demons.
This haunting tale is captivating and incredibly pacey too, never letting up with its suffocating tone through large stretches of its run-time.
Unforgiven
Unforgiven is a real classic Western and it’s easy to see why. The story is gripping from start to finish and there’s a lot of interesting characters at play in this excellent screenplay.
The basic premise gravitates around a retired gunslinger named William Munny who reluctantly takes on one last job, with the help of his old partner Ned Logan and a young man, The “Schofield Kid.” I won’t give much more away but this movie is definitely worth a watch.
Wind River
Set in the frozen tundra, Wind River is a slow burn mystery which builds slowly before its explosive, climactic ending.
The film opens to a Native American woman running in the frozen wilderness before collapsing in a pool of her own blood. What follows is a methodical investigation to try and work out who the culprit is and bring them to justice.
It’s a haunting story and accompanied by an equally unsettling musical score that grips every part of this one. The slow burn elements take on its own identity pretty soon though, branching out to explore the social and economic woes the Natives of the wasteland are faced with.
This is another decent mystery though and certainly worth a watch.
You can read our thoughts on Wind River in our review here!
So there we have it, our 10 Movie picks to keep you busy after watching The Devil All The Time on Netflix.
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!