Picture five people entering an elevator headed to whatever destination for whatever reason. These five individuals all have tainted histories, and, by fate, have been thrown into the same elevator. This elevator has a surprise guest looking to painfully send each of them into the afterlife.
Initially, each of the riders turns on one another. Who wouldn't? There is no other reason to believe there is an entity among them, so the conclusion is that one of their own is a murderer.
I don't know if the same dramatic effect would be present without a narrative explanation from Ramirez (Jacob Vargas), a security guard who has apparently figured out what is going on. But once the viewer understands why these five seemingly random people are being brutally slaughtered in the tight confines of a corporate elevator, you almost get nervous about ever riding an elevator again.
You would think that not much could happen in a tight elevator. However, the lights occasionally go out. In the darkness, you hear struggles and other odd sounds. When the lights come back on, someone new has been made a victim. They either fall to the floor with a severely broken neck, stabbed through the jugular vein with glass, or even hung from the ceiling by electrical wiring.
The options for death are not limited and are even exploited during the time
these five characters are fighting for their lives.
Hollywood attaches all the hype for this one to M. Night Shyamalan. Personally,
I just enjoy saying the name, but I was never a huge fan. Most of the films he
has written and/or directed haven't given me much enjoyment except maybe
"Unbreakable" and maybe "The Village."
The great thing about Shyamalan's talent is his ability to provide a shocking
plot twist that either makes or breaks a movie. The one he provides in "Devil"
makes it, I believe. The best thing about it for me is that it wasn't stretched
out with unnecessary drivel. At only 80 minutes, it's not too long and seems to
fit just fine for what it needed to accomplish.
This movie is worth a look. Shyamalan is only the writer I know of who makes the
movie better by having another set of eyes directing (John Erick Dowdle).
3 Buckets
