Devil

Starring: Chris Messina, Caroline Dhavernas, Bokeem Woodbine

Directed by: John Erick Dowdle

Rating: I Liked It

The story here is basic.  It's based off of an old legend that sometimes the devil will appear in human form on Earth to punish non-repentant sinners before they get to Hell.  Out of the five people trapped on the elevator, one of them is the devil.  Soon into the movie, they all start dying.

Outside the elevator we have a growing crew of people attempting to get inside and help.  It starts with the building's security staff, and eventually, it builds to the police and fire department getting in on the act as well.  The longer the bystanders try to get inside the car, the more innocent lives are lost.

The story does a good job of keeping your mind focused on the main mystery - who is the devil - while it builds other mysteries around what is actually happening.  The detective on the case has a grim back story to learn and follow.  The Catholic security guard keeps you focused on the old legend.  A suicide that occurred in the building that morning takes your attention as well.  This is an M. Night Shyamalan film after all...we know there's a twist.

The acting in the movie isn't all that great, but it's not bad at all.  Would it have been better had it been Duval, Pacino, Pitt, De Niro and Clooney in that elevator car?  Yes.  By the way, that would be an awesome movie; however, the actors in the film all hold up pretty well.

The movie moves fast enough for you to feel most of the intensity the characters do, but it's slow enough that you can keep up.  There's not fear of getting lost in this one.  It's very straight forward.

I can't say this is one of my favorites, but it's definitely worth a watch.  Also, the opening shot - which you can see part of in the trailer below - where the city is upside down is pretty trippy.