In the past, several courtroom dramas have walked us through the trials and tribulations of lawyers who struggle to draw the line between what’s wrong and what’s right. ‘The Devil’s Advocate’ treads a similar path but does this with a supernatural twist. The film’s star-studded cast, which includes Al Pacino, Keanu Reeves, and Charlize Theron, perfectly delivers, and as you may expect, Al Pacino easily steals the show. But apart from the stellar performances of its cast, what grabs your intentions is the movie’s well thought out atmosphere and carefully created sets. The richness in its sets serves as the perfect symbolism for its core theme—vanity. So let’s take a look at all the original locations that capture the essence of the movie’s themes.
The Devil’s Advocate Filming Locations
The production of ‘The Devil’s Advocate’ was initiated in New York on October 28, 1996. And before its filming wrapped up on February 8, 1997, its production was moved to several different locations including Florida and New Jersey. Throughout its runtime, the movie features several courthouses, churches, and even lavish homes. Along with that, it also walks you through several streets of New York. So let’s further explore the exact locations where all the different scenes of the movie were filmed.
New York
One of the most striking locations in the movie is John Milton’s grand apartment. The production designer of the movie, Bruno Rubeo, was asked to give it a sexy and free appearance. Later on, Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves were also asked to feel the vibe of the room and make their own necessary improvisations to its overall mise-en-scene. This dazzling apartment is located at 94th Street at Fifth Avenue, Carnegie Hill, Manhattan. In the film, Keanu Reeves‘ character Kevin later becomes the defense attorney for Alexander Cullen. Although featured only for a few brief moments, even Cullen’s apartment easily grabs your attention. You’ll be surprised to know that it is Donald Trump‘s personal home located at Trump Tower – 725 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan.
The scenes in the movie that depicts offices were all shot at the Continental Club in Manhattan, and the Continental Plaza. However, the water that is shown right outside Milton’s office was only created through visual effects and does not actually exist in real life. Later on in the movie, there’s a scene where Eddie Barzoon dies while jogging. This scene was shot in Central Park, Manhattan. Meanwhile, the scene in which Kevin’s wife goes shopping with the ladies and starts losing her mind was filmed Yohji Yamamoto’s – 103 Grand Street, Soho. Midway through the film’s runtime, there’s a scene where John tests Kevin’s commitment to the job and walks him through a district where several Chinese stores can be seen in the backdrop. This, as you might have guessed, was filmed in Manhattan’s Chinatown.
Several churches in New York were also used during the movie’s filming. Some of these include the Church of the Heavenly Rest, where Kevin’s wife tells him that Milton raped her; Manhattan Church of the Most Holy Redeemer is where Milton dips his finger in holy water and boils it; Central Presbyterian Church was only photographed for Barzoon’s funeral. Mary’s suicide scene near the end of the movie was also filmed in an actual hospital known as the Bellevue Hospital – 462 First Avenue, Manhattan.
The Devil's Advocate
Filming Location New York
Taylor Hackford's horror thriller, filmed mainly in New York. Starring Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino, and Charlize Theron.#keanureeves #woah pic.twitter.com/wtRcFqSyyI— Janja Poklukar (@PoklukarJanja) April 12, 2020
Florida and New Jersey
After the film’s production was completed in New York in March 1996, it was moved to Florida in July 1997. Several scenes, especially the ones depicting Howard’s business, were filmed in Jacksonville, Florida. Apart from that, other filming locations in New Jersey and Florida included Gainesville, Florida, and Bergen County Court House – 10 Main Street, Hackensack, New Jersey.
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