The Elevator

This is obviously not a big movie. It's as low budget as it can be. Now that I watched it, it feels more like a claustrophobic episode of The Twilight Zone.

Movies which don't have the resources to excite otherwise, are often trying to impress with other means like disturbing images or provocative situations.

So... this is a thriller about a mature woman who holds prisoner a well known game-show host inside an elevator. No. It's not a "hostage situation" (if the production had the money for firemen and SWAT teams and negotiators, I wouldn't characterize this as "cheap"). It's more like...well..I won't spoil you...but if you get quickly through the short list of why a 55+ woman could do such a thing...well...soon you will have an idea about what is going on.

But it's not the beginning or the middle of the movie that will impress you. You will get a mental puzzle near the end! What is true and what is not.

Caroline Goodall, the good wife of ...Liam Neeson, Michael Douglas and even Bruce Willis, is the star in this. Despite the fact that she is a trained and experienced actress her performance is only adequate. You get that "crazy" vibe she went for, but in my opinion there was much room for improvement.

Burt Young should had let us remember him from the Rockies. Didn't know James Parks, he is good but he is kind of unattractive to play a wealthy game-show presenter.

Music works well, especially near the end where you will get the actual thrills.

Overall: A Cheap made thriller with OK performances and some plot twists to its last part, but nothing special. If you have time to spare, check it out.

A very strong film, and more than I was expecting for such a super low-budget production.

Jack (James Parks) is an obnoxious gameshow host who lives a fancy lifestyle. One night, he finds himself held hostage in his building's elevator by a strange woman (Caroline Goodall). She ties him up and forces him to play a "gameshow" of her own, with torture porn results.

Considering the majority of the film is set inside the elevator, it manages to sustain this as a suspenseful setting for its 85-minute runtime. The highlight of the film are the two lead performances; as sick and twisted as this woman's game is, just who is in the right and who is the wrong is left ambiguous, and our opinions on the two characters fluctuate throughout. And that's a credit to both actors.

Burt Young also has a minor appearance in the film, though sadly he doesn't appear much until the last third.

THE ELEVATOR takes a very basic thriller concept, but elevates it with good acting and a nice twist ending. It's a chance definitely worth taking.

This is a very underrated film which was surprisingly good.

Given that this is a low budget film (the title is a give away. 90%+ of the scenes happen inside the elevator, which can feel monotonous but the director/script/actors did a good job to keep my attention throughout.) You are made to choose which of the two characters is the foe and which is the protagonist. The movie does a good job in changing your pick through out the movie. And then there's a twist in the end (or a couple). The final shot is also an excellent touch. It gives some sort of relief that everything worked out as intended. Though some can miss it as it wasn't as pronounced.

This movie reminded me of the 1991 movie "Closet Land".

Movies with a minimal amount of actors can sometimes be overwhelming with the lack of on screen charisma, but these actors are powerful enough to draw my attention for the limited amount of time they have to tell their story.

What I like best about this movie is the ending leaves you with the question, "What was said in the middle of the movie?" If you had seen this in the movie theater you would have left with an unanswerable question. Classic move on the writers part, and classic movie for people that like movies.

So I'm trying to figure out if this is really a true story. It's being advertised as a true story. But other reviews say that is a not a true story who is correct? Also who was injected with the pentanol? Did he shoot her or did she shoot herself? I thought the movie was pretty good, a bit suspenseful. One part of the movie that was not convincing, how did she pull him up through the elevator hatch? Any feedback on this movie would be appreciated. The end was a little confusing. Did Jack die at the end of the movie? What had happened to the security guard? Again is this a true story? I would recommend watching the "Golden Glove" that is a true story.