Director: Dick Maas
Year: 2002
Country: USA/Netherlands
Alternate Titles: The Shaft
Genre: Supernatural
Plot:
Called in to investigate an accident, elevator repair specialists and a reporter catch on that something isn't right, and as more accidents continue to plague the building, they do some investigating on the story where they piece together what went wrong and save the people trapped inside.
Review:
There wasn't all that much to like about it, but what was there was enough to like. One of the better aspects found here is the fact that the premise of this is actually kind of interesting and original. This is a new one involving the haunted section of the building, and that is what gives this one some great scenes of this one attempting to support the idea of taking this seriously in the first half, which is a surprising aspect and is certainly needed quite badly. This far more realistic and straightforward setup towards such a potentially goofy storyline is quite enjoyable, which is enhanced by the action scenes that come in later in the film, which are quite well filmed and are actually quite interesting. From the series of malfunctions and incredibly vicious accidents that are logically played out in terms of what a potential elevator mishap can occur, as well as throwing in some ingenious supernatural-based activity that can't possibly occur in real life, to an elevator shaft, which is furthered by the fact that the gore is pretty plentiful and has some cool deaths spread throughout here.
The cast here is quite appealing and helps to sell this goofy premise. James Marshall plays Mark Newman, the repairman caught up in the middle of the supernatural actions. Initially, the jaded worker who's complaining about the dullness of the job gets more than he bargained for with the sudden influx of accidents and becomes a handy figure to have around once we get to the more action-based requirements in the latter half. Reporter Jennifer Evans, played by Naomi Watts, is initially shown as the busy-body reporter only out for the story, but is a lot more likable as time goes on. Spunky, ruthless, and intuitive enough to spot the connections in the storyline about what's going on, she is quite fun, and this is a fine role for her, even without really stretching her abilities all that much. His partner, Jeffrey, played by Eric Thal, is given quite a fine range here with a duplicitous character. While given the kind of supportive best friend role that makes him seem like a fun cohort to the proceedings, his double-turn later on doesn't make much sense, and he is given a chance that doesn't make sense, so it's a little odd, but overall, he has a lot to like. Guided along by a thrilling action-packed finale in the shafts of the building, where the race to stop the machine is coupled with the antics of the authorities tracking him, these are what hold this up over its few minor issues.
There is one thing about this movie that really drags it down a notch. The film follows a constant cycle of killing someone off, conducting an investigation, only to then come across another accident, and then repeating ad nauseam. It gets frustrating as it keeps happening, and we know that something is wrong and it should be an easy find for those involved, yet it continues to be an unknown factor to the authorities to find out, making this section of the film pretty discouraging. Another factor that really didn't sit too well as the fact that there are at least three different explanations given for the cause of the accidents, and all three have their evidence to back them up but it just seems like a bunch of different reasons culled together to be the official explanation and no one was willing to part with any of them so they were just mixed in at different points along the way. It would've been much easier to just pick one of them and stick with it. For such a cool premise, there is little to no real tension in the film. There was no real moment that was all that suspenseful over anything else. This really needed some scenes of tension to get a sense of fear towards the elevator. Alongside the goofiness of the situation, never really given much of a thought, these are the film's issues.
Overview: ***/5
With a little more work on fixing the screenplay, this could work in terms of being a solid enough effort, but as it is, it's too much of a disappointment. It could be worthwhile if you're looking for something similar or can get over the few minor issues, but if not, then this is something to be ignored in favor of other elements.
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