Lyzsi SinclairCinema release review - "Devil"...
Time for another cinema release review, and this time it comes in the form of the first part of M. Night Shyamalan’s “Night Chronicles” – “Devil”. Directed by John Erick Dowdle, best known for “Quarantine” (the Hollywood remake of epic Spanish horror “[Rec]”); the story comes from Shyamalan himself, with a screenplay written by Brian Nelson. Cast include Chris Messina, Logan Marshall-Green, Geoffrey Arend, Jacob Vargas, Bokeem Woodbine, Bojana Novakovic, and Jenny O’Hara.
Chris Messina (“Away We Go”) plays Detective Bowden: a man who after losing his wife and child in a hit-and-run accident, found solace with a serious alcohol addiction. After cleaning his life up - and now 90 days sober - he’s back to the job he’s best at in the Philadelphia police department. However, when he’s called out to a mysterious suicide case, he soon realises that there may be more to see than meets the eye. Meanwhile, five strangers are all boarding an elevator together in the very same business building that Bowden’s victim committed suicide from. Unawares to them, the devil is amongst them; and when weird things start happening and people start dying, it’s not long before Detective Bowden is called in. With tales of the Devil in his ear from the security guard – he has to fight to keep them all calm; find out which one of them is the killer; and struggle with his own religious dilemmas. Can he get to the bottom of what’s happening, save those left alive before it’s too late, and maybe find a little room for forgiveness for himself…?
I’m going to start by pointing out the obvious (something I found myself doing a lot watching this film); despite not listening to the shtick Shyamalan was getting for his more recent films, it’s clear that something isn’t quite working anymore. Known for massive plot twists that have been capable of blowing my mind in his earlier work, it now seems he’s fallen down the route of Hollywood predictability. As I took my seat and began watching “Devil”; I had already worked out the main plot twists, the ending, and which one of the five strangers would turn out to be the devil. I won’t ruin it for anyone, but there is a little clue that can be seen in the costume and props for each character which lets you know which are safe, which is lucifer himself, and which live or die. Whether that was intentional or not, it was definitely one of the cooler aspects of the viewing experience for me, however it didn’t stop the feeling of sheer disappointment by the climax of the film.
A lot of this film seemed lazy and confused. The camerawork was a constant switch between “Peep Show” visuals (A British comedy show staring David Mitchell and Robert Webb); “Blair Witch” shaky cam; and the more traditional steady-cam action capture. The idea of suggestion in horror films can make or break the psychological effect it has on the viewer; but this film simply chose to flicker the lights and plunge scenes into total random darkness. Perhaps if the scenes, sound-effects and amount of time for each ‘blackout’ had been tidied up a bit or constructed a bit better – there may have been a more ominous feel to the film. Again the marketing campaign for this film gave it more hype than it was worth (see my “The Last Exorcism” review). I expected some jumps, some thrills – just something that would get the adrenaline pumping. The only jump I experienced was a mini-jump caused by my focus drifting for a moment, and then the shock of kicking the bag I had under my chair. The film just didn’t have enough power to hold my attention span at all times, and it’s such a shame because it’s a story that had potential.
The acting in this film was Hit and Miss. Chris Messina was solid I’d say as Detective Bowden, but there was no real show of character development, and the subsequent finale scene felt a little forced and contrived. Bokeem Woodbine who played security guard Ben trapped in the lift, made me feel rather uncomfortable at times – which I guess is a marginally good thing as this isn’t a film which you should feel comfortable in. Worst acting of the film award goes to the forensic officer (so awful I forget her name, and fail to see the point in trying to find out), who was barely on screen – but managed to annoy me nonetheless. Did the script writers forget all about respect for the dead or something..?!
As the film drew into its final quarter, the big reveals in plot were unleashed onto the audience. I can honestly say that for each one, I got angrier and angrier, and did all that could not to walk out of the cinema screen. Laziness like that should not be excused, and when you can see something coming a mile away it tends to kill any enjoyment experienced from the film. It wasn’t an overly terrible view, but if you are a sharp cookie you will fail to get anything from the story or plot. I shall be seeing the next one in the “Night Chronicles” series (currently titled “Twelve Strangers”); but after seeing “Devil”, I will go in there only with a sensible and grounded hope for a genuinely entertaining experience.
Failure to scare, tantalise, or shock means that “Devil” receives a just-above-average 6/10. Flix Out.
“Devil” in out in UK cinemas nationwide now - and is rated 15.
Chris Messina (“Away We Go”) plays Detective Bowden: a man who after losing his wife and child in a hit-and-run accident, found solace with a serious alcohol addiction. After cleaning his life up - and now 90 days sober - he’s back to the job he’s best at in the Philadelphia police department. However, when he’s called out to a mysterious suicide case, he soon realises that there may be more to see than meets the eye. Meanwhile, five strangers are all boarding an elevator together in the very same business building that Bowden’s victim committed suicide from. Unawares to them, the devil is amongst them; and when weird things start happening and people start dying, it’s not long before Detective Bowden is called in. With tales of the Devil in his ear from the security guard – he has to fight to keep them all calm; find out which one of them is the killer; and struggle with his own religious dilemmas. Can he get to the bottom of what’s happening, save those left alive before it’s too late, and maybe find a little room for forgiveness for himself…?
Will Detective Bowden be able to save the trapped strangers before something bad happens to them...?
I’m going to start by pointing out the obvious (something I found myself doing a lot watching this film); despite not listening to the shtick Shyamalan was getting for his more recent films, it’s clear that something isn’t quite working anymore. Known for massive plot twists that have been capable of blowing my mind in his earlier work, it now seems he’s fallen down the route of Hollywood predictability. As I took my seat and began watching “Devil”; I had already worked out the main plot twists, the ending, and which one of the five strangers would turn out to be the devil. I won’t ruin it for anyone, but there is a little clue that can be seen in the costume and props for each character which lets you know which are safe, which is lucifer himself, and which live or die. Whether that was intentional or not, it was definitely one of the cooler aspects of the viewing experience for me, however it didn’t stop the feeling of sheer disappointment by the climax of the film.
A lot of this film seemed lazy and confused. The camerawork was a constant switch between “Peep Show” visuals (A British comedy show staring David Mitchell and Robert Webb); “Blair Witch” shaky cam; and the more traditional steady-cam action capture. The idea of suggestion in horror films can make or break the psychological effect it has on the viewer; but this film simply chose to flicker the lights and plunge scenes into total random darkness. Perhaps if the scenes, sound-effects and amount of time for each ‘blackout’ had been tidied up a bit or constructed a bit better – there may have been a more ominous feel to the film. Again the marketing campaign for this film gave it more hype than it was worth (see my “The Last Exorcism” review). I expected some jumps, some thrills – just something that would get the adrenaline pumping. The only jump I experienced was a mini-jump caused by my focus drifting for a moment, and then the shock of kicking the bag I had under my chair. The film just didn’t have enough power to hold my attention span at all times, and it’s such a shame because it’s a story that had potential.
Even a scene with a jump-shock like this failed to get my adrenaline pumping...
The acting in this film was Hit and Miss. Chris Messina was solid I’d say as Detective Bowden, but there was no real show of character development, and the subsequent finale scene felt a little forced and contrived. Bokeem Woodbine who played security guard Ben trapped in the lift, made me feel rather uncomfortable at times – which I guess is a marginally good thing as this isn’t a film which you should feel comfortable in. Worst acting of the film award goes to the forensic officer (so awful I forget her name, and fail to see the point in trying to find out), who was barely on screen – but managed to annoy me nonetheless. Did the script writers forget all about respect for the dead or something..?!
Ben and the other occupants of the lift are being hounded by something terrifying...supposedly.
As the film drew into its final quarter, the big reveals in plot were unleashed onto the audience. I can honestly say that for each one, I got angrier and angrier, and did all that could not to walk out of the cinema screen. Laziness like that should not be excused, and when you can see something coming a mile away it tends to kill any enjoyment experienced from the film. It wasn’t an overly terrible view, but if you are a sharp cookie you will fail to get anything from the story or plot. I shall be seeing the next one in the “Night Chronicles” series (currently titled “Twelve Strangers”); but after seeing “Devil”, I will go in there only with a sensible and grounded hope for a genuinely entertaining experience.
Failure to scare, tantalise, or shock means that “Devil” receives a just-above-average 6/10. Flix Out.
“Devil” in out in UK cinemas nationwide now - and is rated 15.
