» Column:

‘Devil’ surprisingly innovative

By Katy Wagner

Published Sept. 24, 2010

Let’s get one thing straight: M. Night Shyamalan did not direct "Devil,” nor did he write “Devil.” Shayamalan did nothing more than have an idea and produce it. But film reviews don’t usually have a hell of a lot to do with producers, so if you’re looking for cheap and useless Shyamalan bashing, look elsewhere. This, for better or worse, will be an actual critique of a decent, if unfulfilling, thriller/horror film.

Horror and thriller films do not need to have a larger-than-life plot. Sometimes simplicity is the name of the game, and that is exactly where "Devil" starts, with five strangers mysteriously trapped in an elevator. When the building staff and the police force fail to break open the elevator, the five strangers begin to die -- one by one. Then it is a race against the clock to find out who is causing the mayhem before the last body drops.

Director John Erick Dowdle could very well be considered the saving grace of “Devil.” Dowdle is best known for writing and directing 2008’s shamefully underrated “Quarantine.” When it comes to the elevator scenes, Dowdle makes some stunning choices. Tight close ups and total blackouts jar the viewer into an unsettling spot on the edge of their seat. He pushed standout Logan Marshall-Green into a raw but nuanced performance. It is in these sweaty, frenzied scenes that “Devil” hits its stride. Unfortunately, this glimpse of brilliance is quickly eclipsed by the shortcomings of a safe script.

The ultimate downfall in “Devil” is when, less than halfway through the film, the filmmakers got scared of their own gimmick. Instead of committing to a “Lord of the Flies”-esque supernatural thriller, we are forced to watch the superfluous characters outside of the elevator. It would have taken a lot of guts and faith for the film to take place solely inside the elevator, but at least you could have commended them on the effort. Playing it safe only crippled the film and left the audience with an underwhelming twist that had nothing to do with the devil in the elevator.

They spent such a painstaking amount of time to make us squirm with claustrophobia, but that all melts away the second we, the audience, are allowed outside of the elevator. If we are supposed feel the same sense of tension as the characters, we need to be treated like them. Every time we move out of the elevator, the film changes from a taut human drama with supernatural tendencies to a needless police drama with supernatural tendencies.

Still, to laud Dowdle once more, the unnecessary scenes are as slick and swift as the elevator scenes are innovative and chilling. The film might flirt with superfluous plot lines, but it is always engaging. Although “Devil” might not have delivered exactly what it set out to do, it is still entertaining enough to get in the Halloween state of mind.