The first in the Night Chronicles series
M Night Shyamalan was once a fan favourite, with his original storytelling and intelligent twists mesmerising audiences worldwide. Both an excellent writer and director, his films have starred the likes of Bruce Willis and Mel Gibson. But one day, something unexplained happened and since the release of Lady in the Water, despite still being consistently original, Shyamalan’s films have been forgettable to say the least.
More recently, however, it was announced that he would be producing the Night Chronicles, a series of supernatural thrillers based on concepts of his own making. The films wouldn’t be written or directed by him, but the fact that they were born in the mind of someone who has a portfolio of undeniably fresh and interesting ideas gave them exciting potential.
Devil is the first of this series, and as was expected, it’s not an idea that has been seen in film before. Directed by John Erick Dowdle and from a screenplay by Hard Candy’s Brian Nelson, the main premise is that every so often the devil comes to Earth and takes on human form with the intention of punishing the sinful. A group of people with no connection to each other (besides each having skeletons in their closets) find themselves trapped in the lift of a high-rise office building, and as you can probably guess, one of them is the devil in disguise. The police can’t get to them or hear what’s going on and helplessly watch from a CCTV camera as (similar to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None) they die gruesome deaths one by one with absolutely no explanation as to how or why.
As well as those in the lift, the film focuses on Detective Bowden (Chris Messina). An alcoholic policeman with a troubled past, he is in charge of attempting to understand what’s going on and stopping any further deaths. But when you’re up against evil itself, that’s easier said than done. So is guessing who the devil is for that matter.
Not exactly scary, Devil is suitably jumpy for a supernatural thriller and considering its cast of relative unknowns, acting is consistently of a decent standard. You may go in expecting more than you receive, but what you get is still thoroughly enjoyable. DVD extras include deleted scenes, a look at story development, an analysis of the inspiration for the plot and a promotion piece for other films in the series. These are all incredibly short.
Although definitely not perfect, this is the film that finally restores some faith in M Night Shyamalan as someone who knows the makings of a good story, as absolutely nothing about Devil is predictable. Some might say that twists lack any real punch or ‘wow’ factor, but they still make an impact and are impressive nonetheless. Devil is definitely worth watching if only to prove to yourself that Shyamalan still just about has it, even if he is better off as a producer.
If you’re superstitious or faint-hearted be careful though, or chances are after seeing it you’ll always make sure you catch the lift alone.
Devil is available on DVD and Blu-Ray from 24/01/10
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Tagged in M Night Shyamalan