As you may have guessed, I have long since lost interest in finishing this post, but it would feel extremely unbecoming of me as a writer to just leave this hanging indefinitely, so here it is: My analysis of Devil's Advocate and conclusion to the topic of "it was all just a dream" twist endings.
As I said before, I hate "it was all just a dream" twists and, as I said before, I love the movie Devil's Advocate. Anyone familiar with the movie would see this as a contradiction. I do not.
Keanu Reeves' character is a small-town attorney who has never lost a single case. The clients he defends are never convicted, no matter how evidently guilty they are or how heinous the crime. This forms the core of the protagonist's character: He helps bad people get away with doing bad things, not because he's a bad person himself, not because he wants to get rich, and not because it's his job; he does it because it's what he was born to do. Throughout the movie he struggles to balance his conscience with his calling, or, more accurately, his destiny.
Word of his accomplishments reaches a law firm in New York city and he gets recruited into their criminal law department to continue to practise his craft at a higher paygrade. Bit by bit, through surreal moments, uncanny dialogue and the protagonist's Bible-thumping mother's rantings, we learn that there are supernatural elements at work. The protagonist's morally dubious decisions made in the pursuit of the perfection of his art start to catch up with him, tearing at his psyche while sinister forces gather around him. Finally, it is revealed that his charismatic, Rennaissance-man boss (Al Pacino) is the devil himself, using the law to further his goals of spreading evil and taking souls. Moreover, he's the protagonist's father, and wants his help to end the world and wage war against god.
It's an offer the protagonist can't refuse, so he refuses the only way he can: By killing himself. The devil, distraught by the loss of his son and determined to see his plan through, one way or another, winds back the clock. The protagonist lives again and finds himself back in his home town. Now able to do things differently, he decides to listen to his conscience in the application of his talents.
The final twist - which is absolutely essential - is that the devil is still watching him, looking for his chance to use him again.
The whole story, from start to finish, is gone. All of it. This is the greatest sin a writer can commit. So why do I love it? Well, it's because the story isn't actually about the protagonist moving to New York and practising law. It's about his internal ethical struggle and the way in which the devil tries to exploit it for his own ends. The protagonist resolves his internal struggle - character arc complete! But that final twist tells us that the devil is still after him, and that means that their conflict isn't over yet.
The real story in this movie is about the protagonist's relationship with his father: Even though everything else was reset, that was not. And even though the story is never actually resolved, we get a sense of resolution from the completion of the protagonist's character arc.
There you have it. Devil's Advocate's story structure may not be technically perfect, but the execution IS technically flawless....If that makes any sense.
That seems like a really weak ending after making you all wait so long, but I guess it will have to do. As always, I welcome comments!