Directed by:
John Erick DowdleScreenplay:
Brian NelsonCinematography:
Tak FujimotoComposer:
Fernando VelázquezCast:
Chris Messina, Logan Marshall-Green, Jenny O'Hara, Bojana Novakovic, Bokeem Woodbine, Geoffrey Arend, Jacob Vargas, Matt Craven, Caroline Dhavernas (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Five strangers in Philadelphia begin their day with the most commonplace of routines. They walk into an office tower and enter an elevator. As they convene into this single place, they are forced to share a confined space with strangers. Nobody acknowledges anybody else. They’ll only be together for a few moments. But what appears to be a random occurrence is anything but coincidental when the car becomes stuck. Fate has come calling. Today these strangers will have their secrets revealed, and face a reckoning for their transgressions.
Slowly, methodically, their situation turns from one of mere annoyance to sheer helplessness and abject terror. Terrible things begin to happen to each of them, one by one, and suspicion shifts as to who among the five is making it all happen…until they learn the unspeakable truth: one of them is the Devil himself. As those on the outside try in vain to free them, the remaining passengers realize that the only way to survive is to confront the very wickedness that has led them to today. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (10)
Devil isn't hurting for tension, the question marks also pile up successfully, but it's still difficult to quiet that little voice in your head that says that everything could have been much better. The unappealing characters may be intentional; the disappointment with the climax definitely not. Suddenly, there are a surprising plethora of logical inconsistencies, and what was supposed to be a nerve-wracking thriller turns into only a mysterious one-off film.
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Devil certainly does not lack a dark and mysterious atmosphere, which grows thicker and thicker throughout the film. On the other hand, however, I felt that much more could have been made of it. It could (or should) have been more gripping and intricate - then I might have considered a higher rating. I thought the five were well chosen and the misfits complemented each other well. All in all, a pretty good horror thriller that is shrouded in some mystery, but it's nothing memorable.
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The classic problem of Satanic horror films (why does the lord of all evil give such a shit?) is of course present. Fortunately, it's made up for by fairly decent direction and very good cinematography. Plus, with this film, I realized after Cloverfield that the MPAA is becoming more tolerant of violence.
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Devil certainly isn't a catastrophe and can even be considered decently above-average within its genre. However, it is important to emphasize that horror has long been a genre of popular entertainment, which is largely composed of ultra-low quality video productions and semi-amateur attempts by various hopefuls, so the average is somewhere else in terms of filmmaking quality compared to other genres. The basic plot works reasonably well - if, of course, we generously overlook the crucial error in logic on which the story is built, as well as a few smaller logical leaps. But if we were so narrow-minded about every horror film, what would be left of the genre in the end? Thanks to the sounds and editing, the film occasionally achieves a decent atmosphere. However, it suffers from the fact that it takes a different direction than the viewer expects. It creates the idea of an intimate psycho-horror, where in the claustrophobic atmosphere of an elevator cabin with no escape, passengers gradually realize that one of them is not who they claim to be, leading to paranoid mutual accusations and increasingly ominous signs of an inevitable end. However, the film develops differently and sets up a different, less effective, game. If the devil came into the world because of this kind of event, then it is a disgraceful waste of his talent, because a similar effect could be achieved by a demon of the third category somewhere from the depths of hell's basement. Overall, it is a B-movie with average acting performances and unused potential. Nevertheless, I have no problem giving it three stars. Overall impression: 55%.
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A sympathetic genre film that doesn't quite utilize its idea right, but it works a treat in a darkened movie theater with excellent sound. The question of "Who could it be...?" will probably end up being the right guess for a lot of people, but given the runtime, it works quite well, although the camera spends a lot of time flying around the building rather than in the incriminating elevator. The ending is questionable, but it's still based on a simple story... and Shyamalan's head. Regardless, Dowdle has talent.
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Gallery (56)
Photo © Universal Pictures
![Devil - Lobby Cards](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/160/712/160712135_b4681f.jpg)
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