Suing the Devil

'Suing The Devil' stars veteran film actor Malcolm MacDowell as Satan himself and Bart Bronson as Luke O' Brian, the has-been salesman who becomes a law student, and promptly sues Satan for 8 trillion dollars. A tongue-in-cheek indie take on the classic biblical war between Man and Devil, Luke is a veritable modern Adam: a hip, long-haired, rock music dude who also happens to be a staunch Christian.

Like any true believer Luke's faith is consistently tested. When the movie begins, he is enduring the worst year he's ever survived personally: his wife has a mysterious cough that bespeaks eventual death, his mother is fatally wounded by a drunk driver, and Luke is struggling financially. Luke seizes upon the conviction that his personal woes, indeed those of all humanity, are indicative of Satan's growing power, and the inevitable approach of the End Times.

Solution: Satan needs to be hauled into court and put back into his place - legally. Luke makes his rounds, furnishing big time law firms, strip club owners, and goth adolescents with court documents. Lo and behold, Satan himself appears in court to launch his own defense, cutting a dashing figure in the meantime: tailored black suit, bluesy type shades, and a gallery of magic tricks.

Satan's legal team reads like the darkest Who's Who of dubious legal minds, characters named Miss Scarlet, Mr. In-Yo-Face, Mr. Ice, and Ms. Black. More than his aides, this team represents the secular world's capitalist interest and what is illustrated as its deep distrust of God and religion, thus dramatizing the good vs. evil premise. They represent previous cases which have entailed challenges to cancer research and laws against gambling and tobacco. They are in it to win, and pledge their support to the devil, knowing he will support them eternally.

Comical and lighthearted, 'Suing The Devil' distills complex issues of faith and evil, and makes them accessible and entertaining.