Down

A stray lightning bolt strikes the Millennium Building in New York City, triggering abnormal behavior in the three express elevators. The first signs are small, like a guard's flashlight being crushed as doors misbehave, hinting at a systemic electrical fault. The incident sets off a chain of eerie elevator malfunctions throughout the building.

The elevators overheat just as a group of pregnant women are stuck between floors 21 and 22. The extreme heat prompts labor, leading to two births, while the others are hospitalized as the crisis continues. Emergency crews scramble to manage the emergency under mounting pressure.

Reporter Jennifer Evans is assigned to write a report on the escalating elevator incidents. She starts interviewing witnesses and compiling data as the situation unfolds, signaling the start of a controversial investigation. Her involvement foreshadows a battle over what caused the disaster.

METEOR technicians Jeff McClellan and Mark Newman inspect the elevator systems and conclude that nothing is technically defective. Jeff's stubborn stance toward acknowledging a problem creates friction and stalls progress. The duo's disagreement adds tension to the investigation.

A blind man and his guide dog disappear inside the building, heightening the sense that something malevolent is at work. Security teams widen their search as more strange events occur. The disappearance deepens the mystery surrounding the elevators.

Two guards stumble upon the dog's corpse hanging from a shaft support while one guard's head is crushed between doors. The grisly discoveries confirm a dangerous force operating within the building. Investigators scramble to understand how the elevators could cause such violence.

Evans interviews Newman, who bluntly states that 'Nine people out of ten make it out of an elevator alive.' The remark infuriates his bosses and the police, triggering a public relations firestorm. Evans takes the controversial statement back to her report as tensions rise.

A roller skater is sucked into an elevator in the parking garage and shot up to the 86th floor, where he dies on impact. The media later labels the death a suicide rather than an accident caused by the malfunctioning elevators. Authorities struggle to explain the extreme ascent.

Evans presents a videotape showing the roller skating incident; the elevator ascended floors in under two seconds, far faster than normal. The undeniable timing anomaly confirms a malfunction, prompting a deeper look into possible sabotage. In parallel, investigators learn about Gunther Steinberg, who had worked on organic computer chips using dolphin brains and was fired.

The next morning, Milligan, still suspicious, discovers Jeff McClellan's body in an elevator shaft. The grisly find intensifies pressure on METEOR and the police to explain the ongoing disasters. Investigators review the evidence as public concern grows.

Police release a story claiming Jeff was a terrorist behind the incidents to reassure the public that the threat is over. The narrative protects officials from scrutiny while Evans pushes for a transparent investigation. The public begins to doubt the official version as more anomalies surface.

Another elevator cabin shoots to the top floor at terrifying speed, the floor tearing away and killing everyone aboard. The incident reaches the President, who labels it an act of terrorism and vows a full response. The disaster escalates the political stakes of the building crisis.

A terrorism unit is assembled inside the Millennium Building to extract any remaining terrorists. Jennifer and Mark resolve to uncover and stop the mastermind behind the attacks. The investigation shifts from malfunction to deliberate sabotage.

Mark infiltrates the building and discovers a large bio-chip brain in an elevator shaft. Steinberg tries to sabotage and take hostages, but Jennifer escapes when Steinberg fails to recognize a superior. A tense confrontation ends with Steinberg pulled into the shaft and Mark destroying the brain.

Sometime after the crisis, Mark and Jennifer leave the hospital only to find themselves trapped in an elevator as a setup for a romantic overture. They share a moment amid the danger, transforming the threat into a personal connection. The film closes on their uneasy, complicated bond.