The upcoming revenge pic DEAD MAN DOWN, starring Colin Farrell, Noomi Rapace, and and Terrance Howard is set to hit theaters later this week and in a very unique promotional twist, brought in the folks at Thinkmodo to stage an “attempted murder” inside an elevator to record the reactions of everyday people who witness it, ultimately asking,”What would you do if you walked into a murder in progress?”
Well, the usual reactions are all here, including the initial shock, but then follow in succession of various follow-up reactions, namely running or fighting (i.e. fight or flight). While some people just scream and dart off, others jump right in to stop the “murderer,” with others getting a big more creative, from draggin the “victim” away or hosing down the “murderer” with a fire extinguisher. The biggest lesson? Don’t be the douche who just stands there and takes video with his phone.
What would you do?
This is some clever and fun marketing, which attempts to expand on the themes of a film, rather than providing the usual fluff we’ve grown accustomed to. I’m not saying we need to stage blowing up a city block to see how people would react to an alien invasion from THE AVENGERS, but some more clever ideas are always welcome.
I’m very interested in catching DEAD MAN DOWN, the English language debut from THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (Swedish version) helmer, Niels Arden Oplev. I love a good revenge tale and it looks to have some refined action sequences. And, Noomi Rapace. Here’s to hoping.
DEAD MAN DOWN opens this Friday, March 8, 2013.