Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Down Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 3, 2017

Dick Maas' "Down" a.k.a. "The Shaft" (2001) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Blue Underground. The supplemental features on the disc include an exclusive new audio commentary with writer/director Dick Maas and stunt coordinator Willem de Beukelaer; behind-the-scenes footage; original promotional materials for the film; and more. The release also arrives with an 18-page illustrated booklet featuring film critic Michael Gingold's essay "Going Down a Similar but Different Path" and technical credits. In English or French, with optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Tight spot

Dick Maas had a bigger and better known international cast and a substantially larger budget to work with when in 2001 he set out to remake his atmospheric chiller The Lift. And there is no denying that Down looks like a ‘bigger’ project, but it is a prime example of why most folks are very skeptical when remakes are announced and usually dismiss them – because they very rarely improve anything, and almost always end up breaking what previously worked well.

This time the killer elevator is in one of New York City’s biggest attractions, the Millennium Building, and is creating even more serious problems. I’d rather not describe them to you as some of the material that actually works well in this remake is the one where the elevator comes alive, so I would just say that like in the original film after a few bodies are discovered the management finally contacts the elevator company and two technicians are promptly dispatched to figure out why the ‘accidents’ keep reoccurring. The younger, single and more disorganized of the two, Mark Newman (James Marshall), then hooks up with the young, single and beautiful newspaper reporter Jennifer Evans (Naomi Watts) who just like him senses that there is more to the official story that the building’s management has been dispatching to all major media outlets. Eventually, Mark and Jennifer discover that some very intelligent but slightly loopy engineer who used to work for the military named Gunter Steinberg (Michael Ironside) might know something about the elevator’s dangerous behavior. Before they can put all of the scattered pieces together, however, the elevator goes on a massive killing spree and the authorities seal off the building. In the ensuing chaos Mark and Jennifer somehow manage to enter the building and proceed to deactivate the elevator, but Gunter meets them there with an entirely different plan in mind.

Down might have been a lot fun to shoot, but it is a very odd remake that almost completely loses the great atmosphere from the original film, which basically made it special. The horror element here is essentially a ruse that allows Maas to produce a series of conventional action sequences that are common for big-budget Hollywood productions. The key relationship between the technician and the reporter is also revamped and now mirrors what the buddy cop films typically like to promote -- a lot of colorful exchanges and ‘smart’ jokes that are used to build the chemistry between the ‘partners’ until they finally figure out who are the bad guys that they need to go after and take them down. So despite being primarily a Dutch production Down very much looks and functions like a conventional Hollywood action film.

It is difficult to tell if Maas, who also wrote the script, might have been influenced by the various Die Hard films but at times it sure looks like he was aiming to deliver a similar dose of high-octane R-rated action. The writing is of very different quality and so is the end product, but there is something about the ridiculous exchanges that pretty much moves the film into the it-is-so-bad-it-is-actually-good category.

Aerosmith’s classic track “Love in an Elevator” is heard a couple of times throughout the film.

Down Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.24:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Dick Maas' Down arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Blue Underground.

The release is sourced from a brand new 2K master which was overseen and approved by director Dick Maas (I believe at approximately the same time when the 2K master for The Lift was completed). Obviously, Down is a more recent film, but I think that it looks simply magnificent in high-definition. The new master boasts outstanding delineation and depth; color balance is also excellent, supporting great and healthy primaries and plenty of beautiful nuances. There are no traces of annoying digital tinkering. From start to finish the film has a very consistent organic appearance that actually becomes even more striking as you move to a larger screen. I started viewing the film on one of my TV sets and then finished it on my projector and thought that it looked even better, with the darker footage in particular having the type of solid depth that a lot of older masters lack. Image stability is excellent. Lastly, there are no distracting encoding anomalies to report. Great technical presentation. (Note. This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Down Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are four standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit), English Dolby Digital 2.0, French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit), and French Dolby Digital 2.0. Optional yellow English SDH and Spanish subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I viewed the film with the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and was rather impressed with it. It has plenty of oomph and virtually all of the action footage where the elevator goes crazy is very impressive. During the outdoor footage -- see the skaters -- balance is also excellent. So I would think that the audio was fully remastered during the restoration process because the end product is top-botch.

Down Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailers - three original trailers for Down.
  
  1. Theatrical Trailer - in English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).
  2. Teaser Trailer One - in English, not subtitled. (1 min, 1080p).
  3. Teaser Trailer Two - in English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• Trailers - a gallery of original promotional materials for Down from around the world (posters & ads, German lobby cards, original stills, behind-the-scenes stills, storyboards, and video & soundtrack covers). The gallery was compiled by Gregory Chick. (1080p).

• The Making of Down - this archival featurette presents some raw footage from the shooting of Down, as well as in-progress concept art, set designs, and special effects. In English, not subtitled. (10 min, 480/60i).

• Behind-the-Scenes Footage - presented here is the original, unedited behind-the-scenes footage from Down. In English, not subtitled. (152 min, 480/60i).

• Behind-the-Scenes Footage - in this new audio commentary, writer/director Dick Maas and stunt coordinator Willem de Beukelaer discuss the production history of Down at length, with various specific comments about interior designs and elaborate sets that were done for entire sequences. There is also plenty of technical information about the special effects and the working conditions in Holland, the casting process and the interactions between the international cast and Dutch crew, the film's reception in Holland and overseas, the tone of the film and specifically the balance between comedy and horror/drama, etc. The commentary, which is moderated by David Gregory, was recorded exclusively for Blue Underground.

• Booklet - 18-page illustrated booklet featuring film critic Michael Gingold's essay "Going Down a Similar but Different Path" and technical credits.

• Cover Art - reversible cover art.

Down Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Dick Maas' English-language remake of The Lift is so over-the-top that I think it makes a lot of sense to place it in the it-is-so-bad-it-is-actually-good category. There is a total disconnect between its supposedly creepy story and the spirited exchanges that essentially attempt to transform it into an action comedy. Whatever the initial intent might have been -- and from some of the comments from the new audio commentary that is included on the release it is pretty obvious that Dick Maas also agrees that a few of the actors were either a bit too enthusiastic or basically making a different film -- now the film actually has a weird way of working but for all the wrong reasons. In other words, it is great to see very late at night, though on the morning after you are almost certainly going to question that persistent voice in your head that convinced you that it was worth staying with it until the final credits rolled. Blue Underground's Blu-ray release of Down is sourced from a top-notch new 2K master that was supervised by director Dick Maas. RECOMMENDED.