Down Movie Review

The Shaft [Down] (2001)

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Written by: Dick Maas
Directed by: Dick Maas
Starring: James Marshall, Naomi Watts, Eric Thal, Michael Ironside, Ron Perlman
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
When the elevator in New York's Millennium Building start to malfunction and behave erratically, an elevator mechanic and reporter discover the sinister cause.

Verdict
From shaky logic, to flat out wrong physics, stiff acting, and even worse dialog this movie fails across the board. Convoluted explanations about dolphin brains could be substituted for the catch all of voodoo, which is hinted at in the movie. It's a lot like a bland '80s action movie, and it should embrace its own ridiculousness. Being campier and sillier would help, though I'm not sure anything could save this.
Skip it.

Review
Any movie that starts with gratuitous nudity, you immediately have to question the quality. There's an inverse proportion. The more the nudity, the worse the movie. If that's the only hook you can muster, my pending experience is immediately questioned.

The logic is immediately questionable. A lightning strike seemingly brings an elevator to life and it's bent on killing. That's a silly premise, but it works if you embrace the silliness. This movie does not embrace it. It needs to be over the top, and at times it felt like a B movie, but then it would attempt something boring.

The elevator seems sentient. Voodoo is hinted at later in the movie, and that would be better than the real answer which is a dolphin brain processor that can learn and replicate. The mad scientist Steinberg, who of course is German, for whatever reason wants to experiment on elevators. His story is the most intriguing thing in the movie. I wish this movie focused on him. He was kicked out of the military despite testing this technology and finds himself at an elevator company. The owner knows what he's doing, but why? Are they hoping to corner the sentient elevator market? Why would you hire this man? Was Steinberg up front about his intentions or did he start this project after being hired? Is this the only job Steinberg can get that allows him to tamper with a computer processor?

The elevator follows no rules. It can travel insanely fast when needed, can produce blinding lights, spontaneous combusts, and even raises all the windshield wiper arms on cars. Despite all that's wrong with this movie, my biggest issue is the trap door elevator floor. Elevators just aren't made like that. The floor doesn't just drop out. It's such a cheap way for an effect. I won't even get into the speed versus elevator shaft length.

The source of the elevator's power is bewildering because it follows no reason. Events get more implausible by the second. At first I was wondering aliens, then voodoo is hinted, and the ultimate answer is laughable.

Elevator tech Jeff teams up with a reporter, the only ones willing to get to the bottom of the case. They do a lot of nothing as the movie is padding time.

This was Naomi Watts role before her breakout in Mullholland Drive. Based on this movie I wouldn't have guessed she's a good actress. I don't know if it's her, the movie, or the director. The director wrote this remake of his own film from 1983. The original is regarded as a good horror movie. While I haven't seen it, I wouldn't guess it based on this experience.