Video asks, 'What would you do if you saw a murder in an elevator?'


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SALT LAKE CITY — All you're trying to do is get up to your apartment after a long day of work. The elevator to your floor opens, and there's a man being strangled to death.

What would you do? Call the cops? Fight? Run away?

That's the question a marketing firm endeavored to answer with their viral video campaign in support of the new Colin Ferell movie "Dead Man Down."

Hidden video cameras were set up in the elevator and lobby of an apartment building in New York City. A man pretended to murder another man by strangulation, and the cameras capture the reaction from the stunned residents.

Responses, at least those shown in the video, ran the gamut: Some simply stared in horrified amazement; some immediately tried to stop the attacker, including an elderly mand and a man wearing Army fatigues; some tried to beat the attacker with whatever they were carrying; one man even started to record a video.

Whatever it has done, the video has certainly started a conversation, variously about what people think they would have done, or about what a cruel prank the whole thing was.

"This was extremely interesting, but it seems very dangerous for the guy pretending to be a murderer," said YouTube commenter Anton V. "Some people jumped him; who knows what would've happened if someone had a gun or set those dogs on him?"

#poll

Another common reaction was condemnation of the man who took a video, with a large percentage of commenters stunned that he would record such a thing. A few praised him for possibly trying to gather evidence.

Some though the entire video was out of line.

"This is neither funny or clever. We live in a violent society and this could have been a real life situation and though it is no surprise it is sad how many people did nothing," said commenter Steve VanderHart. "For their sake its a wise choice to pick NY. If they would have chosen a place that has "Right to Carry" law the guy with the rope might have been at the end of his."

What do you think? Was the video out of line? Will you see the movie? What would you do? Tell us on the comment boards or on Facebook.

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David Self Newlin

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