I don't imagine that it's easy to play the devil. How could it be? The devil is seen as the incarnation of evil in a myriad of religions. That's pure evil, something nonhuman, something eternal and eternally vile. How do you find something in yourself, as an actor, to make a role like that tangible?

I'm sure it's hard, but it's been done and done well in a number of instances I can think of. With that in mind, and with a little help from the Rolling Stones, here's the official

SouthCon Top Ten Screen Devils

presented in no particular order:

Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and taste…
Wealth, yes, but taste? I suppose taste is relative. Daryl Van Horne, as portrayed by Jack Nicholson in The Witches Of Eastwick, is a devil that embodies all of the seven deadly sins. Even the unsexy ones, like sloth and gluttony. The "witches," everyday women who are eventually seduced and lead astray by Van Horne, are played by Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer and Susan Sarandon. At first, each of them is repelled by the Devil; Cher tells him "You are physically repulsive, intellectually retarded, you're morally reprehensible, vulgar, insensitive, selfish, stupid, you have no taste, a lousy sense of humor and you smell." But evil is nothing if not patient, and eventually the three women and most all of Eastwick is under Van Horne's grungy spell.

I've been around for a long, long year… stole many a man's soul and faith…
It's kinda surprising that it took Robert De Niro so long in his career to play Lucifer … or, as his character is known in Angel Heart, Lou Cyphre. Yeah, it's a fairly corny name, and the movie is far from perfect, but it has it's charms. Not the least of which is De Niro's imposing and relentless performance as a devil who's … ahem… hell bent on collecting on a debt. As Harry Angel, Micky Rourke gives one of his most entertaining performances. Harry is a private eye hired to track down Johnny Favourite, the man indebted to Mr. Cyphre. But exactly what is owed, and exactly who is Mr. Favorite in the greater scheme of things? It's often predictable but never boring, and Angel Heart's devil, in the form of a bearded De Niro, is always engrossing.

I was there when Jesus Christ has his moment of doubt and pain…
Rosalinda Celentano's androgynous and unsettling version of the Devil in The Passion Of The Christ is really something to behold. This film's vision of Satan represents one more smart casting and directorial decision by Mel Gibson. Celentano is neither really quite the Prince, nor the Princess, of Darkness, and with vocal work by a male actor providing this Devil's voice, it's all the creepier. Brilliant, though. Think about it: What's the devil's job? Collecting human souls. So the devil is going to have to potentially appeal to everyone, regardless of any given person's sex or sexuality. Celentano's performance is captivating, at once repellant and seductive. You can't take your eyes off her when she's on screen, and the devil comes close to stealing the show … much as he/she/it would have liked to have done at Golgotha.

But what's puzzling you is the nature of my game…
A dying Hungarian ship's captain's final words: "He is the Devil… Keyser Soze. The Devil himself." With that, The Usual Suspects transforms from a standard crime-caper movie into something else. Something darker. The police investigating the destruction of a boat at a San Pedro pier have tracked those aboard back to the criminal activity of five New York conmen. How are they involved? Who was their mysterious employer? More importantly, where is he and what does he know about the men who died on the ship? I won't tell you who plays Keyser Soze in The Usual Suspects, or exactly what kind of man he is. The movie wants you to decide that for yourself. So would Keyser.

I rode a tank, held a general's rank…
In the world of South Park, there's one being who's even more evil than Satan himself. Saddam Hussein. In South Park, Saddam is portrayed as a liar, a manipulator, a misanthrope who even mistreats the Devil himself. That's remarkable because South Park was portraying Saddam that way in the late '90's, when everyone in the world had seemingly forgotten the Butcher of Baghdad. Oh, sure, now and then there'd be a random, punative missile strike by Clinton … or a speech about how evil Saddam was by one or more Congressmen or Senators… but only South Park kept waving Saddam's bloody history in our face. It's no wonder that phrases like South Park Republican entered the common lexicon. I have to think that Trey and Matt are probably glad that Saddam is now in Hell, where he belongs, with his girlfriend the Devil.

I watched with glee while your kings and queens fought for ten decades…
And who could enjoy human conflict more than a lawyer? In The Devil's Advocate, Al Pacino plays Satan as, what else? The head of his own law firm. And that makes perfect sense. Nobody has benefited more from the strife, conflict and hatred in this country than our lawyers. In many ways The Devil's Advocate is my favorite movie about Satan and his power to seduce. Theologically, this film approaches themes that other movies about the Devil shy away from. Themes like the real destructive power of lust, the Christian theme of the "death of the self," and the importance of sacrificing those things that are leading you astray, even if it's a career you've worked hard to establish. Of course, Pacino dominates the film, playing Satan with a wink and a nod and chewing on the scenery. But why not? Wouldn't the Devil be a ham, too?

I shout about who killed the Kennedys, but after all, it was you and me …
Ah, self righteousness. It's one of the Devil's most seductive tools. Fans of The Simpsons know that Homer's holier-than-thou neighbor, Ned Flanders, often borders on self righteousness. Now, usually Ned is a very earnest guy … but sometimes he gets on a high-horse and is as prideful and self obsessed as Krusty himself. So it was an ironic but logical twist in one of the Treehouse Of Horror episodes to see Ned as the Devil himself, on Earth to collect Homer's soul, which had been traded for a doughnut. How clever! The devil, living next door to his prey, guarding his claim and disguising himself as an overzealous Christian! It fits. After all, we're told that when we make a prostylite we make him twice as much a child of hell as we ourselves are.

So, when you meet me, have some courtesy …
A little courtesy is all that Lucifer wanted in 1995's horror flick The Prophecy, staring Christopher Walken as the angel Gabriel. A little professional courtesy between a current angel and one of his former colleagues. Theologically, The Prophecy is all over the road. Even in terms of a coherent thread of story, it's not quite right. But it's not entirely awful, thanks in part to yet another fun and commanding performance by Walken. And fans of the Lord of the Rings trilogy will enjoy this early performance by Viggo Mortensen as a Satan who's simply trying to protect his interests as the Host of Hell.

Just call me Lucifer, I'm in need of some restraint…
Personally, I think that Satan works best in films when he's presented as human-like, sympathetic, even likable. After all, that's how Satan would have to present himself. He can't just take souls who resist him, we have to be drawn to him. And who could be drawn to a devil who shows himself to be a monstrous demon with horns and a tail and a pitchfork and everything? Nonetheless, Tim Curry's Lord of Darkness in Legend is my favorite of the over-the-top versions of Satan. For one thing, I'm a big Tim Curry fan. For another thing, look at that guy! Now that's evil! And with good reason. After all, if I had to endure the stiff, painful neck that would come with having to haul those gigantic horns around all day, I suppose I'd be fairly evil, too.

Tell me, baby, what's my name?
Last by not least, here's Mark McKinney as the incompetent, goofy rock and roll version of the Devil from a number of Kids in the Hall skits. I think it was Martin Luther who pointed out that the Devil is very proud and can't abide mockery. With that in mind, Mark's balding and distracted Lucifer is one of the funniest mockeries ever.

Of course, each of these versions of Satan is a bit of a mockery. Even the most serious movies listed above fall short of a serious examination of the nature of evil. Nonetheless, I think that they're each valuable in their own way, if only for the opportunity that they provide for casual reflection. For some of us, if it weren't for casual reflection, we'd do no reflecting at all!

Labels: Entertainment, Politics