People trapped in an elevator...with Satan! Does it get anymore freaky than that? M. Night Shyamalan conjoured up a suspenseful premise and let Director John Dowdle (Quarantine, Poughkeepsie Tapes) dance with the Devil. The result is a simple but effective thriller that is sure to horrify.An unsettling suicide in the City of Brotherly Love seems to open the gates (or elevator shaft) for The Dark Lord to impose his will on a group of sinners. Police are baffled as they watch from the outside, trying to identify the culprit for these brutal crimes as they occur.
Is Hollywood finally discovering that less is indeed more? Don't be expecting lots of action here--it's a slow burner, taking place almost entirely in one confiscated setting. It's not especially gruesome either, but it's sure to butcher your brain trying to pinpoint the murderer. Many of the kills happen quickly when the lights conveniently flicker.
DEVIL is very well written and acted by a group of up-and-coming actors. It stops well short of the potential shock factor it could have obtained, but it's no slouch in the scare department either. Part one of the Night Chronicles trilogy.
Beginning with the mysterious suidicde from the 35th floor, Detective Bowden (Julie and Julia's Chris Messina) is dragooned to become a sinister force's latest audience as it picks off an ecclectic passengers of express elevator six and to defining the metaphysics of evil after his family's killing at the hands of a hit-and-run driver.
From the disorienting opening sequence to the final narration by Jacob Vargas' Ramirez, M. Night continues to bring his audience through the screen to his world with clarity and stregnth reminding us why we go to the movies. Devil's plot races forward like a controlled explosion, never boring the audience (which, when I saw it, was me.) And while the tale may seem tired, the presentation was not.
I enjoyed Mr. Messina and the Elevator Cast's performances. The terror for the passengers is felt clearly with each time the lights go out and the reactions become more and more irrational and hysterical, just as it would become for any of us trapped in similar circumstances. Mr. Messina's detective follows a clear path from logic to faith which inspires those who have none. I enjoyed his journey and his presence in this picture. I last saw him in Julie and Julia and dismissed his performance in favor of his co-stars. However, after Devil, I will watch more carefully for anything with him in it.
The onion peel, when the connections within the elements of a story unravel to reveal something, was executed routinely but brilliantly. Even I, a jaded film watcher, was surprised when the core came out. This is the mark of a great writer, as M Night is, despite Hollywood's need to define greatness with financial success.
Bravo, guys!! This one's a keeper!!So far, I've liked all of Night's movies so I went into this one expecting some of his trademarks. The plot twist at the end was the big Kahuna, and in this movie, it was there, but I'm sure there were plenty of people who had it all figured from the opening scene. I didn't because I don't try to look that far ahead. I'd rather have the story carry me there. In this case, I was at first surprised, but not shocked after I thought about it. I don't know if that's a bad thing, but it was nothing like the surprises of his earlier work. Maybe because there is expected to be a plot twist, no matter what he does, it is no longer a surprise.
The movie has a decent if unknown cast and takes place in Night's hometown of Philadelphia. I'm guessing the building used doesn't really exist, but either way, the structure looked good.
For anyone with a phobia about being trapped in an elevator, this takes things to the next level with the uninvited guest. During the whole movie, I tried to figure out which character is the real bad guy. From every one of the elevator passengers to the cop to the Hispanic security guard (who I think was narrating the story), they were all suspect. There were plenty of red herrings thrown in to keep things interesting and when we finally find out who the real bad guy is, I was at least a bit surprised, though my wife wasn't. The other twist was with the cop but I don't want to spoil that for anyone else, despite what others may have said in their reviews.
The film didn't get too excessively bloody or gory, and most of that was implied more than shown graphically. In this case, it worked just fine.
I do not regret spending the money on this rental. Recommended for thriller/horror fans.
Read Best Reviews of Devil (2010) Here
DEVILWhen I first heard about this film I was excited because I have always found these types of movies entertaining. M. Night Shyamalan was on board here as a producer and also came up with this I believe so I was interested to say the least. I heard many things about this movie, some good some bad so I had to check it out. After watching this I have to say I liked more than I thought but it wasn't what I expected. I was actually expecting something a little more, scary I guess. But still for a pg 13 film it was good.
A man has committed suicide by way of jumping out of a window of a building; of course the police are called in. while there it seems there is a problem in the same building, an elevator is stuck with a group of people stuck on it. The thing is something wrong is going on, like people getting killed inside the elevator. As the police and security look on from a security camera they try to figure it out and stop what it going on. The thing is an evil presence may be inside that building and it just may be the devil, here to punish the wicked.
The idea behind this film is great and really had me hyped about this movie; I always seem to like these types of flicks. I must say that the atmosphere here is nice but this movie reminds me of the Twilight Zone, Tales from the Darkside, Tales from the Crypt and stuff like that. With that said it feels as short as one of those episodes, really it feels really short. The acting at least is good especially those in the elevator, pretty much every one here does a good job.
This film is far from the best ever and that is a little disappointing, it had the potential to be a classic. Still this is not as bad as some think and is worth a rental at least, it has some good special features so that is always a plus. Also while it may be a little predictable it does not try to over do anything, like that they did that.When a movie can seize our attention during the opening credits and maintain it throughout--well, we're in for something good. An impressive score, ominous but beautiful cinematography and exquisite camerawork transform this movie from "decent" to a very different and enjoyable experience. It strikes me as well-written and well-acted by a team of underrated actors. It's not gruesome or horrifying, but it kept me on my toes and, more importantly, kept my attention continuously. This expanded one-act is a gem in an era where moviemakers place more attention in trailer-editing than movie production. [B+ ]
Folks, let's give credit where it's due. If you skipped this movie just because Shyamalan's name was attached to it then you made a mistake. I'll start by pointing out a key difference between this Shyamalan movie and all others: Shyamalan wrote it but did not direct it. All of his other movies, which admittedly went downhill after The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, were both written and directed by him. I'd also like to point out that the ideas for all of his movies had the potential to be great--really great. But for any movie you need not only a proven director, but the right director for the movie in question. I think they got the director right on this one: John Erick Dowdle, who directed Quarantine, the American adaptation of the Latin phenom [REC].
The movie opens with a cautionary tale about the Devil, who occasionally gathers a group of ill-fated humans to torture them one by one before stealing them away to Hell. Cut to the opening credits we see an impressive metropolitan cityscape showcased in a distorted, upside down view to set a mood of unease--or excitement for movie thrill-seekers. The score, as if architected to accelerate heart rates, complements the visual overtones well. I am immediately on my toes, waiting to pick out the wolf-in-sheep's-clothing before a single hits the screen.
The characters include a bereft, alcoholic detective who doubts his ability forgive, two elevator-surveillance security guards, two attractive twenty-somethings (a man and a woman), a floor security guard, a testy old woman, and a well-dressed mattress salesman. The game starts when we see the latter five step onto the elevator. From this moment on, a talented movie analyst might be auditing each character's wardrobe for red or anything "diabolical". But red is found on the attire of a few of them, as well as hints of red on the fabric walls of the elevator, one character's hair, the lit buttons and the digital floor number display. Nothing is obvious, which makes random suspicions free game!
Interspersed with the director's attempts to bait us into snap judgments as to who is "the Devil" are elevated shots of the city, some with views looking straight up or ominously down the side of their reflective, windowed surface and others shuttling through the elevator shaft. The devout, Latin security guard (who has been doubling as an effective narrator) chimes in with his theological fears or additional details to the story which opened the movie. As tension rises, we are left to wonder if the five on the elevator are the only people gathered by the Devil, or if the detective and surveillance security were carefully chosen as well.
Suspicions shift readily and regularly. We periodically learn new details about the characters which could be hints or red herrings. Expressions of fear, accusation, anger and disgust festoon the faces of our elevator players. In screenwriting they say that you don't put a gun on the wall in Act One unless it's going to fire in Act Three. Let's just say it feels like this wall belongs to the NRA president.
This movie was fun and unique. As serial-moviegoers isn't that what we want? Something different and enjoyable? Something that doesn't feel like a recycled idea with a new director and different actors? If you feel the same way, then give Shyamalan a mulligan and try this movie out!
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