DVD review: Devil

Five people are stuck in an elevator; one of them in reality is the devil.

One of the most popular things to do on the internet is taking shots at M. Night Shyamalan. It is so popular that it’s even percolating from the movie circles into the more generic sites.

Now this is not the place nor the time to go into too many details about how Shyamalan was pigeonholed into a very constricting role when the deserved success of “The sixth sense” put so much attention to the famous twist ending and none on his very good classical filmmaking, reminiscent of an early Hitchcock.

Of course I’m not trying to say that he didn’t direct any bad movie, just that they aren’t nearly that bad as the internet likes to describe them. (Yes, even Avatar the last Airbender, casting faux pas notwithstanding)

Onto this movie here we strangely have a return to form and to classic Shyamalan. I say strangely because here he is only producing and creating the concept, with the actual screenplay and direction in separate hands, as part of an ambitious three movie deal with Universal called “The night Chronicles”.

So with only the concept and general direction we have a better Shyamalan than when he is trying to do everything.

The situation is reminiscent of a classical Agatha Christie novel with a confined location and people dying one by one at the hands of one of them. The supernatural overtones are tuned at exactly the right point to add another layer without making it all about the titular Devil.

The direction is competent if not very distinctive. My honest impression was of a journeyman director following orders but I could be wrong.

In the end that’s could sum the whole movie. A nice and interesting effort that develops a good idea in a competent but not very creative way.

Recommended to all the people who think that Shyamalan is incapable of making a good movie.