1958 French new wave noirRating: 16/20
Plot: Julien and Florence have planned the perfect crime, meticulously planning the murder of the husband in order to escape into the happily ever after and do each other. Unfortunately, a rope is forgotten, a car is stolen, and Julien winds up trapped in an elevator. Florence panics, and the teens get themselves into a little bit of trouble at a motel. Oh, snap!
Cool little movie with Miles Davis honking with some Frenchmen for the soundtrack and claustrophobic settings (not just the obvious title elevator) dripping shadows and dread. The thriller's tight and the story's punchy, irony so thick you can shoot it with a gun. The ending won't be spoilt, but there's a great interrogation scene that made me laugh a little bit despite the tenseness. Delightful!
I can't believe you used the word delightful again. That's it, you're getting a thesaurus for Christmas.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of things to like about this film. Malle has a lot of style, I liked the cinamatography, and I especially liked the smokey Jazz score. Sadly, about 10 minutes in the movie asked the me to swallow three things that kept me from ever fully buying into the rest.
1. This is a very intelligent, experienced man (I was impressed with the planning and execution of the crime). How could he possibly forget the grapling hook (how was he going to get it down, by the way)?
2. There is no way anyone without brain damage would leave their convertable running with the top down and the keys inside on a busy Paris street. No way.
3. What are the odds that the thieves would drive by the woman just as the top was dropped, leading her to draw the worst conclusion?
I know it's just a movie, but jeez.
I liked the leads, the elevator stuff was kind of suspensful, and the ending was very good, but I can still only give this flawed film a 14.