L'ascenseur

Take a look at the title: Elevator. What do you think this movie will be about? Well, you're probably right. Pretty much the whole film is set in the elevator. If you think you'll like a film that simply and deliberately stays put, then give it a go.

Many comparisons have been drawn to the film 'Devil,' which is also primarily set inside an elevator (the only major difference is that Elevator is not supernatural).

The story is about nine people, trapped in an elevator with a bomb. When you have a film that writes itself into a corner with its location, you need to establish the characters pretty quickly. Here, we mostly have stereotypes. In some ways it's good because we can basically read each and every one of them straight away. In others ways it smacks of lazy writing.

Elevator can best be described as a 'thriller.' However, some may question how 'thrilling' a film can be set inside a box. It's basically about their attempts at escaping. If you think you can stand the whole ninety minutes in a box with them, it may be for you. It certainly won't be to everyone's tastes, but I didn't feel like I'd completely wasted ninety minutes of my life.

"I've been taking this elevator everyday, ten times a day, we all have for six years and it's never once gotten stuck." A group of people on their way to a party for work are starting to pile in an elevator. When the limit is reached they begin the ascent to the top floor. Tensions start almost instantly and when the elevator gets stuck in between floors things get worse. While talking to each other the discover that one of them has a bomb. They now have another reason to try and find a way out, fast. I know not many people do, but I really like these movies that take place in one confined area. There is something tense and terrifying about that. This one is no exception. Much like the movie "Devil" this one takes place in an elevator but instead of being a straight horror movie this one is more dramatic and full of tension. The characters are all interesting and believable. Some of the movie is a little out there, but overall a pretty believable movie. Overall, if you like movies like "Devil" or "Buried" then you will like this one too. I did. I give it a B+.

This film begins in New York with a lavish party being held in the penthouse of a high-rise building on Wall Street. To that effect, the CEO of the corporation holding the event, by the name of "Henry Barton" (John Getz), joins several other people in the elevator to take them to the event. In the elevator with him is his young granddaughter "Madeline Barton" (played by both Rachel Pace and Amanda Pace), along with several employees of who work for Henry Barton. Also included in this group is a stand-up comedian by the name of "George Axelrod" (Joey Slotnick) who is extremely claustrophobic and lets everybody know how he feels about the elevator being too crowded. Being quite mischievous, Madeline decides to play a prank on him by pressing the emergency stop button near the 49th floor. What she doesn't realize, however, is that the gears on the elevator are in need of repair and as a result there is no immediate way to get out of their current dilemma. Even worse is the fact that one of the other people in this group has brought a bomb into this elevator which is set to detonate within 2 hours-and this may not be enough time for maintenance to correct the situation. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this turned out to be a fairly entertaining movie which managed to keep my attention pretty much from start-to-finish. Admittedly, the film could have also used a bit more suspense here and there, but even so it was good enough for the time spent and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

So this gem is now available on Netflix and I recommend it. Well acted and pretty well paced little film about a group of strangers (well a few know each other but I will not say how) that get on an elevator. By interesting means, the elevator gets stuck and from there, the film really takes off as the group is in severe danger.

The cast of characters are perfectly suited for this kind of film. A little something for everyone if you will.

Being slightly claustrophobic myself, I felt the tension in the elevator. The characters really play off each other well (especially the wise-cracking comic and the snotty little girl)and you sense that once you figure out the trouble, that it seems genuine and real. A very short movie (a little over an hour and 15 minutes long), the last 10 minutes really were not needed, I think it was just added to make the length of the movie more industry standard acceptable. A fast catchy beginning sets an early pace that never really dulls.

6.25 out of 10. Good enough for a watch and some popcorn.

Nine diverse people get stranded in an elevator of a corporate building after the head honcho's spoiled daughter hits the emergency button. Soon a person with a makeshift bomb makes his or her devious intentions known.

This movie, while filled with movie clichés, still manages to be somewhat tense and pretty watchable due to fairly competent acting from almost everyone involved (I personally didn't care for either the kid nor Joey Slotnick, the latter I can't recall anything good he's been in). It's not the best movie about people stuck in elevators but it's not the worst either.