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Elevator to the Gallows

Elevator to the Gallows

Crime · Drama · Thriller · 1958

A self-assured businessman murders his employer, husband of his mistress, which unintentionally provokes an ill-fated chain of events.

Movie details

Elevator to the Gallows

“Frantic for life and love, frantic for excitement.”

1958 Crime · Drama · Thriller 1h 32m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.6 / 10

Community rating

A self-assured businessman murders his employer, husband of his mistress, which unintentionally provokes an ill-fated chain of events.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Elevator to the Gallows?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Rififi

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Out of prison after a five-year stretch, jewel thief Tony turns down a quick job his friend Jo offers him, until he discovers that his old girlfriend Mado has become the lover of local gangster Pierre Grutter during Tony's absence. Expanding a minor smash-and-grab into a full-scale jewel heist, Tony and his crew appear to get away clean, but their actions after the job is completed threaten the lives of everyone involved.

Flic Story

Flic Story

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The film story depicts Emile Buisson, following the death of his wife and child, escaping from a psychiatric institution in 1947 and returning to Paris. Buisson, who three years later would become France's public enemy number one, begins a murderous rampage through the French capital.

Innocents with Dirty Hands

Innocents with Dirty Hands

Thriller · 1975

Saint Tropez. Julie Wormser and her lover, writer and neighbour Jeff Marle, plan the murder of her wealthy husband Louis, an alcoholic impotent. She hits him, and leaves the rest of the task to Jeff. Julie finds herself alone the following day, and becomes therefore the prime suspect. Where is Louis' body? Where is Jeff? Is there any secret beyond a door?

Polisse

Polisse

Drama · 2011

Paris, France. Fred and his colleagues, members of the BPM, the Police Child Protection Unit, dedicated to pursuing all sorts of offenses committed against the weakest, must endure the scrutiny of Melissa, a photographer commissioned to graphically document the daily routine of the team.

Caché

Caché

Mystery · 2005

As the host of a literary TV show, Georges begins receiving anonymously filmed videos of his family alongside cryptic, disturbing drawings, but as the tapes become increasingly intimate, they reveal a stalker who has known him for a very long time.

The Killing

The Killing

Crime · 1956

Career criminal Johnny Clay recruits a sharpshooter, a crooked police officer, a bartender and a betting teller named George, among others, for one last job before he goes straight and gets married. But when George tells his restless wife about the scheme to steal millions from the racetrack where he works, she hatches a plot of her own.

Touchez Pas au Grisbi

Touchez Pas au Grisbi

Crime · 1954

Gentleman gangster Max and his partner, Riton, pull off their last, most successful heist and find themselves comfortable enough to retire in the style they enjoy. However, Max confides the details of the theft to his younger mistress, Josey -- who has secretly taken up with ambitious young rival gangster Angelo. Angelo then has Riton kidnapped and demands the stash of gold as ransom, which threatens Max's dreams of the perfect retirement.

Dark City

Dark City

Drama · 1950

Gamblers who "took" an out-of-town sucker in a crooked poker game feel shadowy vengeance closing in on them.

The Big Combo

The Big Combo

Drama · 1955

Police Lt. Leonard Diamond vies to bring a clever, well connected, and sadistic gangster to justice all the while obsessing over the gangster's girlfriend.

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

Crime · 1956

A newspaper publisher, wanting to prove a point about the insufficiency of circumstantial evidence, talks his possible son-in-law Tom into a hoax in an attempt to expose ineptitude of the city's hard-line district attorney. The plan is to have Tom plant clues leading to his arrest for killing a female nightclub dancer. Once Tom is found guilty, he is to reveal the setup and humiliate the DA.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Louis Malle

Written by

Roger Nimier · Louis Malle

Jeanne Moreau

Jeanne Moreau

Florence Carala

Maurice Ronet

Maurice Ronet

Julien Tavernier

Georges Poujouly

Georges Poujouly

Louis

Yori Bertin

Yori Bertin

Véronique

Jean Wall

Jean Wall

Simon Carala

Elga Andersen

Elga Andersen

Frieda Bencker

Sylviane Aisenstein

Sylviane Aisenstein

Yvonne, la Fille du Bar

Court is in session

Put Elevator to the Gallows on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Big-Idea Head

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.