Review of Elevator to the Gallows

(Spoilers) This movie lost my attention in the first act. I continued watching only because of the good reviews. The setup has Julien killing his boss (faking a suicide) in order to run off with the boss' wife. Julien executes the murder at his work where his boss has an office one floor up. Telling his secretary not to disturb him, he goes outside on a ledge and, employing the old hook and rope trick, scales up to the upstairs floor and does the deed. Climbing a rope on the exterior of a building over a crowded Paris street in broad daylight did not convince me that Julien had thought things through very well or, more to the point, the screenwriters had not done their job. But then Julien climbs back down the rope to make his escape. My immediate reaction was, "Wait, you left the rope there." It's not until Julien exits the building and gets in his car that he realizes how stupid he has been and goes back in to remove the rope. It was not at all clear how he was going to do that, but then he got stuck in an elevator on the way up so we don't see that.

Unfortunately this rather implausible set-up establishes the tone for the rest of the movie. A young couple steals Julien's car and in one of the most absurd scenes they dent the Mercedes of a wealthy German couple. The German's reaction is, "Hey, what a hoot, come on in and have some drinks with us." Murders, attempted suicides, mistaken identities, and unbelievable coincidences ensue, leading to a scripted ending.

As much as I like Jeanne Moreau, she does little here beyond walking around in existential despair, occasionally vocalizing how much she loves Julien. She can also walk through a downpour without mussing her hair.

A nice jazz score provided by Miles Davis accentuates the mood of ennui.