DVD Reviews

Devil

• Rating:
• Director: John Erick Dowdle
• Starring:
• Details: US/80mins 15A

An interesting concept hamstrung by a shoddy script and uninspired direction, Devil had the potential to be chilling little film if handled right. The problems range from an abundance of stereotypes masquerading as people, lack of atmosphere, to the general mediocrity that occurs when characters are written around a high concept. After that point, unless it's a particularly talented screenwriter, every person on screen is a half-assed caricature of what they could have been.
The film opens with an accented, ominous voiceover from a religious security guard we will meet later. He tells us the in's and out's of what happens when El Diablo himself, The Devil, makes an appearance on this floating rock of mostly water. Someone will kill themselves, and then others will die - he isn't too specific on the final bit. When five people find themselves stuck in the lift of a skyscraper, tensions run high as they become increasingly paranoid that one of them is a killer; said paranoia is reinforced as fact when some of them are killed. But the aforementioned ethnic security guard reckons it's something more supernatural at work, and Lucifer is behind the elevator stalling - well according to his grandmother, anyway.
Film's set, more-or-less, in a singular location generally have to have something special to really stand out; Panic Room had the slick execution of David Fincher, Phone Booth a brilliant performance from Colin Farrell. What Devil has is a concept, and very little more. On paper it seems like a great idea, but centering characters and a plot around that idea proves a lot more difficult. Devil thinks its super smart and a step ahead of its audience, but never actually gives the viewer want it promises, and instead continually cheats i.e. Constantly cutting to dark when something sinister happens.
Chris Messina has popped up in many an indie flick before and equips himself as well with a paper thin role as the cop trying to figure out what's going on. Everyone in the lift is written far too broadly and not one of them acts like a real person. Director Dowdle is obviously trying to get the audience to suspect all, but you just end up hating them and willing the lift to fall and put them (and you) out of their misery.
All of the silliness would be forgiven if Devil was even a bit creepy, or offered some scares. Lights going out and people screaming isn't scary, it's just a lazy way of offing characters, and there's nothing else going on here to make this worth your time.

Review by Mike Sheridan