It can be a little silly at times, but for the most part- Devil is a perfectly crafted and brilliantly claustrophobic psychological thriller that is bound to keep you guessing till the very end. That's right, in the same year Shyamalan gave us his very worst film, he also provided help for the screenplay of some of his best, or at the very least, better works. The film is intriguing from the getgo- a murder mystery unfolding into a claustrophobic nightmare gone wrong. It does a brilliant job of capturing the tension on the screen, especially through the great cinematography throughout and a clear direction of tone. What I feel the film does so well however, is being able to balance fantasy and realism to an unsettling degree- knowing the audience won't quite know where the film will take us and building on that to a large degree to keep us guessing. The acting, for the most part, isn't anything special. Somewhat mediocre performances from some of the main elevator gang- although Logan Marshall Green and especially Chris Messina do bring their all to the characters at hand- even though they can seem a bit shallow at times. In the end, Devil is a well crafted and tension building thriller that is able to balance its horror in a very unique and brilliant fashion. It may not play all its cards right, but it does still prove to be a chilling ride- as well as a true masterclass in budget filmmaking.
My Rating: 8.5/10.
My Rating: 8.5/10.