Review: THE DEVIL HAS A NAME Tells an Interesting Story and Features Solid Performances
I was given the opportunity to watch the film The Devil Has a Name, an interesting fictionalized story based on true events in the recent past with the farmers who live in central California. While the farmlands there are major agricultural sources for the United States, in recent decades oil companies have used adjacent land as dumping ground for their waste, ruining much of the rich soil it runs into.
In the film, David Strathairn plays a recently widowed almond farmer who is beginning to learn of the devastation that is being brought to his land when a young man who he has known since he was a kid (Haley Joel Osment) shows up to offer him a laughable offer on his farm on behalf of the oil company, run by Kate Bosworth’s character. The farmer and his friend (Edward James Olmos) team up with a lawyer (Martin Sheen) to make a statement and get him his fair share. There are threats made, as well as carried out, and you see the effects of greed, lies, and corruption, as well as the danger the farmer faces in going up against a much bigger opponent.
Each of the performances in the film feel very rich and nuanced, and the story feels familiar, as we have heard of the true devastation heaped upon working class farmers like this in the past. The characters are each motivated by something different, and each story weaves well within the others. The film was directed by Olmos and written by Robert McEveety. The main cast is supplemented by Pablo Schreiber and Alfred Molina.
The Devil Has a Name was well done, and although slightly predictable at times, it tells an interesting story and showcases solid performances from its cast. The Devil Has a Name is in theaters, On Demand, and Digital today.
