When the express elevators in the Millennium Building, one of New York's most famous landmarks, start to malfunction and behave in erratic ways, elevator mechanic Mark Newman is sent out to find the cause of the problems. His investigation meets unexpected resistance and not everybody seems to be happy with his involvement. After a gruesome and deadly incident, in which a blind man falls into the shaft and a security guard is decapitated, the police start an investigation. They are however not very successful. Mark is determined to find the cause. He is joined by a female reporter, Jennifer, who is looking for a juicy story. Together they try to unravel the secrets behind the mysterious behaviour of the elevator that seems to have a life of it's own. When things get worse and death toll rises, The Government, fearing terrorists are involved, seal off the building. What at first looked like a routine job turns into a horrifying nightmare in which Mark has to face an enemy whose blood thirst is only met by it's unpredictability. An enemy that is determined to fight off any intruder looking for the dark secret that lurks inside the belly of the building. An enemy that has to be feared. An enemy that has to be taken …….DOWN. This gets 2 stars instead of 1 because the production values were surprisingly good for such an otherwise poorly made movie. Terrible dialogue and plotting, and a story that…well, you just wonder why anyone put the amount of money into this movie it obviously took to produce it.<br/><br/>Several named actors (Dan Hedeya, Ron Pearlman, Edward Herman) try manfully in their scenes to make the wordy dialogue work, as does a then little known Naomi Watts. I'd say I feel sorry for Ms. Watts, having to take roles like this while her best friend (Nicole Kidman) is doing Moulin Rouge! and other top films, but fortunately Naomi more than landed on her feet a year later with Mulholland Dr., which made her a star. We all have to pay our dues, I guess - this was part of Watts', and even Kidman had BMX Bandits in her past… Yep, it's a remake. More American, which means more expensive and more unknown American actors must bite the bullet. Technically speaking, the movie is very impressive, however it has made for T.V. feel to it until it really starts going. This movie gathers horror cliches used better in other films and displays them as if you don't expect a quick scare. Overall, the plot is intriguing. What IS going with all these unexplained elevator accidents? When in doubt, take the stairs.
Jaymiflann replied
295 weeks ago