"Devil" may seem simpler, more superficial than it really is, if you pick it just by the plot summary: five complete strangers end up trapped in the same elevator in a Philadelphia skyscraper. As time passes and the rescue manoeuvres fail time after time, tension arises, especially as we learn about each of their dark secrets. But what seems an incident of bad luck takes a horrific turn as inexplicable violence breaks out and all hell breaks loose: one of the five occupants is the Devil.
The film is very austere in means, resources, and number of characters: aside from the five strangers, there is a detective with his own secrets, two security guards, and a member of the elevator maintenance team, all of whom will work together in order to rescue the five strangers. The story's main motive is to find out which one is the Devil, but if it were that simple, this movie would be one more claustrophobic thriller with more or less violence and blood, more or less action, and more or less character development.
When we learn that the script was written by M. Night Shyamalan, we will realize that there is more to this story than it may seem. In fact, this is -in my opinion- one of the finest, most elegant, most straightforward and less burdened script that he has written. It does not beat about the bush, it does not get entangled in side stories or in purely esthetic values. It does not need to. The story is so strong, and the mystery so appealing, we just keep watching.
The cast is all quite good -I found Bojana Novakovic's work especially remarkable.
What stands out most, to me, is the ending, where it all makes sense, and it made me overlook the minor plot inconsistencies. That's where the film really becomes a parable about good and evil, human nature, freedom of choice, and how a person can be saved or condemned, how fine the line between the two can be. It really made me think, and it stuck with me for a long time after the ending credits rolled.
My rating for this movie is 9/10.
The film is very austere in means, resources, and number of characters: aside from the five strangers, there is a detective with his own secrets, two security guards, and a member of the elevator maintenance team, all of whom will work together in order to rescue the five strangers. The story's main motive is to find out which one is the Devil, but if it were that simple, this movie would be one more claustrophobic thriller with more or less violence and blood, more or less action, and more or less character development.
When we learn that the script was written by M. Night Shyamalan, we will realize that there is more to this story than it may seem. In fact, this is -in my opinion- one of the finest, most elegant, most straightforward and less burdened script that he has written. It does not beat about the bush, it does not get entangled in side stories or in purely esthetic values. It does not need to. The story is so strong, and the mystery so appealing, we just keep watching.
The cast is all quite good -I found Bojana Novakovic's work especially remarkable.
What stands out most, to me, is the ending, where it all makes sense, and it made me overlook the minor plot inconsistencies. That's where the film really becomes a parable about good and evil, human nature, freedom of choice, and how a person can be saved or condemned, how fine the line between the two can be. It really made me think, and it stuck with me for a long time after the ending credits rolled.
My rating for this movie is 9/10.