Elevator to the Gallows
I figured I should start with one of the directors earlier works. This one stood out to me.
I really enjoyed this and thought that the first 10 minutes of this were a masterclass of suspense, wonderment and payoff. I also loved the succeeding scenes where the plot ramped up with escalations. Unfortunately though, some parts of this film got muddy as the pacing went down the elevator shaft, so to speak... There's a lot of meandering in a story that was very interesting on a base level. I think it would have helped if the characters in this behaved slightly different. More natural maybe?
That's not to say that the acting was bad, but more that the choices made in this film seemed to be contradictory of what we have seen the characters act on in previous scenes. I still love this film though because all of the characters are charming and this is probably one of the only few Noir films that I can get behind. I just wish that it had more to it. I also think that I am more forgiving because this was made in France in 1958 and it's very impressive in that regard.
I really enjoyed this and thought that the first 10 minutes of this were a masterclass of suspense, wonderment and payoff. I also loved the succeeding scenes where the plot ramped up with escalations. Unfortunately though, some parts of this film got muddy as the pacing went down the elevator shaft, so to speak... There's a lot of meandering in a story that was very interesting on a base level. I think it would have helped if the characters in this behaved slightly different. More natural maybe?
That's not to say that the acting was bad, but more that the choices made in this film seemed to be contradictory of what we have seen the characters act on in previous scenes. I still love this film though because all of the characters are charming and this is probably one of the only few Noir films that I can get behind. I just wish that it had more to it. I also think that I am more forgiving because this was made in France in 1958 and it's very impressive in that regard.
Mini Review: I really enjoyed this and thought that the first 10 minutes of this were a masterclass of suspense, wonderment and payoff. I also loved the succeeding scenes where the plot ramped up with escalations. Unfortunately though, some parts of this film got muddy as the pacing went down the elevator shaft, so to speak... There's a lot of meandering in a story that was very interesting on a base level. I think it would have helped if the characters in this behaved slightly different. More natural maybe?
Watch the Trailer