Devil - 2010 - John Erick Dowdle directs.   Stars: Chris Messina, Caroline Dhavernas and Bokeem Woodbine.

There’s nothing quite like South American Folklore mixed with modern, inner-city dimness and angst, and blended together in a 5 x 6 x 8 room that moves quickly up and down a shaft, then gets stuck with 5 people in it, one of whom is the Devil.  Nothing quite like the latest Shayamalan installation in his continuing odyssey of shock and awe, and the surprise ending.  He didn’t direct Devil, John Erick Dowdle did.   But it “came from his mind”, as the advertisement tells us.

I understand that this got laughs at a preview of a sophisticated audience.  Just goes to show you what sophistication does for you, jade and censure.  However, I did find that this installment in what appears to be the first of a “Night Chronicles” was somewhat lackluster in its general effects, yet it still has suspense and appeal.  It definitely had a linear storyline and a speed and direction.  It had all the elements that he usually has, this time with multiple protagonists and the surprise.  It was a surprise at the end not so much for who the Devil was, but because the person of the Devil was so cliche, or abrupt, or “normal”.  I guess it’s what we’ve come to expect, with the multi-phased voice, the black eyes, and such.  Well, it’s still worth seeing if you’re a M. Night fan.  This film definitely had the element of the “teaser”, as did “Lady in the Water”.  Threads of the story are given to us piecemeal as we go along, keeping the interest high and the suspense of what will happen next.  One thing I consistently like about Night’s work is his insistence on not going too heavy-handed with the SFX (Last Airbender notwithstanding).

John Erick Dowdle is part of “the Dowdle Brothers” production company out of LA.  At the time of this writing I do not know about how John was selected to direct this Night film.  I’ll figure that out someday when I have some research time.  The most fascinating thing about this work is the character involvement that was drawn from the actors, and how distinct and powerful they can be.  The casting was directed by Debra Zane and achieved a great match for the roles.    Dowdle makes the characters his story, and they do their acting job very well.  It was also likely that this film was a bit of a bear to make when you have 5 actors in the same space for hours on end.  They probably started to show some genuine anxiety near the end of the shoot, considering the close quarters, or at least close on 3 sides that the camera can see most of the time.

The script was well-written and the timeliness of the editing short and too the point.  No fluff.  I like the directness.  I give this one 3.5 stars for lacking the pizzaz and scope of some of his other works.  Dowdle did a great job with the material he was given.