Based on a story by M. Night Shyamalan (who also acted as producer), Devil takes a basic premise - a group of strangers trapped inside an elevator - and turns it into an absolute nail-biter.
Five people: a security guard (Bokeem Woodbine), a mattress salesman (Geoffrey Arend), a former Marine (Logan Marshall-Green), a young woman (Bojana Novakovic), and an elderly woman (Jenny O’Hara), step into an express elevator in a downtown Philadelphia high-rise. Unfortunately, the elevator stalls halfway up, stranding them.
The building’s maintenance crew tries its darnedest to correct the problem, and before long one of Philadelphia’s finest, Detective Bowden (Chris Messina), is called in to assist, yet it soon becomes apparent that there’s more to this predicament than a simple malfunction.
Even taking into account its sparse 80-minute runtime, Devil is in no hurry to reveal its secrets, and every new wrinkle, every revelation, only adds to the intrigue. Along with its engaging story, Devil features a number of fine performances, with each actor doing their part to bring the tension to a boiling point.
As with most Shyamalan films, you can expect a twist, but knowing one’s coming won’t prepare you for when it finally arrives, and by the time Devil is over, you’ll think twice before getting on another elevator.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
