In this stylish, if thoroughly nasty, satanic thriller, Keanu Reeves proves surprisingly animated as Kevin Lomax, a slick young small-town defence lawyer who has never lost a case - even though many of his clients are scumbags and as guilty as sin.

Ignoring the warning from his ultra-religious mother that New York City is 'the dwelling place of demons', the legal eaglet is soon seduced into working for a big law firm whose boss, John Milton (Al Pacino) is a charismatic charmer.

But Lomax's pursuit of excellence soon gives way to an unpleasant ruthlessness.

What is Milton's dark secret? Mystery fans won't need a second guess here.

Pacino gives the Milton role his full bag of tricks, while director Taylor Hackford has several aces up his sleeve and a hatful of visual effects.

The climax is still disturbing, even if the film is becoming progressively more ridiculous at this point.