good back-story, and good acting

Excellent but underrated film

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

The overwhelming suspense does not detract from the moment-to-moment tension and indeed frees you to enjoy the film's technical accomplishment. The director, Massimo Coglitore, came to prominence in 2003 with your short film in 35mm ''Deadline,'' which similarly discovered new visual and stylistic possibilities. Coglitore also directed ''Uomo di carta,'' a Pirallendiano short movie and the TV movie "Noi due" a comedy love story where the look and atmosphere of that picture were so fresh, so persuasive, and so well matched that the logical instability of the story almost didn't matter. ''The elevator'' or "3 minutes" with its small cast of characters, and severe constraints on time and space, is a less grandiose undertaking. Aside from brief scenes at the beginning and the very end, the whole thing takes place on a single set in a single night. But its challenges were clearly attractive to the director, and his camera sense and assured pacing make it an above- average thriller. The director has mastered the traditional syntax of cinematic suspense: the shifting points of view, startling cuts and slow camera movements that work subliminally to fill us with dread and anxiety. But he also uses computer- assisted techniques to amplify the effects, extending what the camera can do. Vote 10!!!.

As a critic I indulge myself by scoffing at loopholes in thrillers that could not exist without them. I guess I'm seeking the ideal of a thriller existing entirely in a world of physical and psychological plausibility. "The elevator" is about as close as I'm likely to get. Yes, there are moments when I want to shout advice at the screen, but just as often the characters are ahead of me. They also ask the same questions I'm asking, of which the most heartfelt, in a thriller, is "why didn't we do that?" The movie, directed by Massimo Coglitore and written by Mauro Graiani and Riccardo Irrera, embraces realism almost as a challenge. The movie resembles a chess game; the board and all of the pieces are in full view, both sides know the rules, and the winner will simply be the better strategist. Once we sense "The elevator" isn't going to cheat, it gathers in tension, because the characters are operating out of their own resources, and that makes them the players, not the pawns. The shot combines physical and virtual camera moves, a reminder that Coglitore is a visual virtuoso. He's also a master of psychological gamesmanship.

The Elevator has superb lighting, an innovative use of cinematography in only a few locations and superb acting that is able to hold your attention from the first to the last frame. It jumps right to the inciting incident within the first few minutes, and the bloody fight between the protagonist and the antagonist is heavily suspenseful until the last scene. The superb dramatic action is well synced with the careful psychological crafting of the camera shots, always giving the audience a different look of the scene, even though the characters are at the same place.James Parks and Caroline Goodall are truly amazing at their parts. Overall, The Elevator is truly remarkable for being a smaller budget feature, filmed in the United States by an Italian producer Riccardo Neri and the Italian director Massimo Coglitore.

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.