“Devil” is the type of film a creative writer like me salivates for. Five strangers are trapped in an elevator that has broken down amidst the numerous floors of a downtown skyscraper. Lots of dialogue in an enclosed single setting. It’s tough to pull off, but when done well it makes for an unforgettable movie.
It’s fitting that the screenplay, penned by Brian Nelson, was derived from a story by the legend himself, M. Night Shyamalan. John Erick Dowdle is the director. I’ve watched and disliked two of his other films, but he isn’t a liability to this one. In fact, the only real complaint I have is the lack of scares. The movie is labeled as supernatural horror. While the supernatural elements can’t be denied, the horror itself is few and far between.
The Elevator
The film starts with a suicide. Someone has leapt to their demise from the top of a Philadelphia skyscraper. Detective Bowden (Chris Messina) is called in to investigate. Bowden has an emotional backstory that he discloses early; Alcoholism in the aftermath of some yet to be revealed tragedy.
Inside the building, five strangers board an elevator for various reasons. The elevator stops in the middle of floors due to an ominous malfunction. Lights go on and off at random. The security camera allows the stranded to hear the security guards, but the guards can’t hear them. Inside the elevator, tensions escalate as one of the five dies mysteriously. Outside the elevator, Detective Bowden works at solving the mystery of who the guilty person is.
That would be a perfect suspenseful film. Thoughts of Agatha Christie, Alfred Hitchcock, and Rod Serling stories can’t be ignored. The supernatural element comes in the form of the titular devil, whom one of the security guards believes to be the culprit responsible for the murder.
The Stranded
Inside the elevator, the five characters are diverse and fleshed out. Each has their own backstory and specific purpose for being in the building that day.
Logan Marshall-Green plays Tony, a mechanic and former Marine. Bokeem Woodbine is a security guard on loan from a temp agency. Jenny O’Hara is a snooty older woman. Bojana Novakovic is a sexy dame in a business suit. Geoffrey Arend is a mattress salesman.
I know Logan Marshall-Green from “The Invitation” where he excels. The “discount Tom Hardy” proves again he’s a capable actor in a subdued everyman sort of role. Bokeem Woodbine is equally impressive. There are no weak links in the ensemble.
The Time
Literally and metaphorically. The film runs for a taut 80 minutes and its high stakes tension from start to finish. And its 2010, the last year before overly invasive technology and rampant smart phone use plague the world. The limited aesthetics of the cameras and monitors help to create a more claustrophobic and ominous atmosphere.
As mentioned earlier, one of the security guards believes it’s the devil causing all the chaos for the day. His thoughts are vomited in an awkward exposition dump that momentarily deters from the fast-paced suspense we had been watching.
The devil angle is where the horror elements arise, but for most of the film are suppressed. I wish the story had stayed within the confines of realism by going less for horror and more for mystery, but alas, it’s not my script.
“Devil” is a fun movie and while not overly horror, can slide into your October viewing in a satisfactory way.
