The Devil's Contract

Authors: Pat
Location: New York

“The Devil's Contract”

Directed By Sam Mendes
Written By Andrew Nichol and Dan Futterman
Based Upon The Short Story "The Devil And Tom Walker" by Washington Irving
Music By James Horner
Produced By Steven Spielberg, Steven Soderbergh, Johnny Depp

Principal Cast:

Ben Affleck (Tom Walker)
Johnny Depp (The Devil)
Jennifer Aniston (Sara Walker)
Peter Gallagher (Barnie Maxwell)
Rob Lowe (Kendall Hubbert)
Brendan Gleeson (John York)
David Thewlis ( Quincy Burtwood)
Rachel Griffiths (Wendy)

Tagline: "Sell your soul, get rich, and die. That's the Devil's contract"

Synopsis: Sam Mendes' modern retelling of the classic Washington Irving short story, "The Devil's Contract" follows the life of a Boston financial advisor who makes a deal with the Devil to get rich. Tom Walker (Ben Affleck) is a disrespectful, cocky, unsuccessful H&R Block employee who steals from his clients and cheats on his wife (Jennifer Aniston) out of spite. His boss (Peter Gallagher) thinks that his presence in the company is leading to its demise and his best friend (Rob Lowe) has been sleeping with Tom's wife. One day Tom decides to drive into the backwoods of Massachusetts and crashes his car into a swamp. In that bog, Tom encounters a man (Johnny Depp), who claims to be the Devil, tells Tom that he will make him rich beyond his wildest dreams under one condition. Tom must give up his soul to the Devil and be ready to go to Hell whenever Satan sees fit. Tom agrees to the contract and is given the lost treasure of Captain Kidd, which makes Tom a billionaire and friend to some of the most upscale citizens of Boston (Brendan Gleeson, David Thewlis) while falling for a high-class hooker (Rachel Griffiths). But Tom soon learns that fortune isn't everything when greed pulls him into the darkest depths of humanity.

What the press would say:

Sam Mendes latest dark comedy "The Devil's Contract" is based upon a short story by Washington Irving , which tells the tale of a man who makes a deal with the Devil and has to pay for it. Ben Affleck plays Tom Walker, an H&R Block employee with a greedy disposition and disregard for his wife's (Jennifer Aniston) feelings. He meets the Devil (Johnny Depp) and agrees to sell his soul for Captain Kidd's treasure. What results is a struggle between morality and money that provides a stunning look at Tom Walker's life while giving numerous scenes to make you laugh. Affleck and Aniston are great as the feuding couple but Johnny Depp deserves best-in-show awards as the scheming Devil who makes Tom very happy and eventually takes him to Hell.

Awards
Best Picture
Best Director-Sam Mendes
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Actor-Ben Affleck
Best Supporting Actor-Johnny Depp
Best Supporting Actress-Jennifer Aniston
Best Supporting Actress-Rachel Griffiths
Best Cinematography
Best Art Direction
Best Original Score
Best Original Song-"The Devil Went Up To Boston"