The Elevator

THE ELEVATOR is a simple made-for-TV suspense-thriller about a group of people trapped in an elevator with a claustrophobic criminal. I have to disagree with the negative reviews on here: the movie is suspenseful and does a good job ratcheting up the stakes. The criminal in the elevator is getting frantic, his accomplice trying to rescue him is willing to murder anyone who poses the slightest threat, and the elevator itself grows closer and closer to total collapse with every minute wasted. The characters, while simple, are well-played by the actors and likable enough to where you don't want to see them dead. The standout is Myrna Loy as an initially irritating but ultimately sympathetic and poignant old woman.

The atmosphere is tense-- you can feel the heat and unstated panic brewing in that elevator-- and the storytelling is very tight. The filmmakers establish all of the characters with economy and do not waste time in getting to the good stuff. While it won't blow anyone's mind, this is an underrated little thriller fans of old-school suspense will enjoy.

The plot of "The Elevator" is incredibly simple. An armed robber is fleeing from his latest job and enters an elevator with several other people (his accomplices use another elevator). The elevator gets stuck...and so it remains for most of the film! This hardly seems like enough plot for a full-length made for TV movie...but apparently some folks thought it was. I suspect it was okayed for production because all sorts of disaster- type movies were the rage in the early to mid-1970s (such as Irwin Allen's "Towering Inferno", "The Poseidon Adventure" and "Earthquake")...and even the dumbest idea seemed like it would work. Plus, they had a couple over the hill actresses who were willing to work...another requisite for such a movie! But these other films had ideas which worked better (not great, mind you) because they weren't confined to one tight space and offered the possibilities of multiple perspectives. Not a recipe for a fantastic film...and a sad waste of Myrna Loy and Teresa Wright. Overall, you could certainly do a lot better than this formulaic and clichéd film. It's not horrible but isn't exactly a shining moment in the history of "The ABC Movie of the Week". It is, however, rather fun to watch near the end as there are several unintentional laughs!

The film isn't what you'd call outstanding, it's average at best but it's still interesting and pretty good to watch. Some of the cast you'll recognize while others you might not recall right off the bat - cast is fine.

The story is a bit predictable and not very suspenseful but there is something about it that kept my interest. It's about a thief and murderer who is claustrophobic and scared that gets stuck in an elevator with others. He has two accomplices trying to get to him but building security will not allow them into the building that is closed to the public. Will anyone survive? This is a good early morning film or one for boring afternoon.

6/10

I agree the movie is of its time - I love the fashions and the snobbery - it's not just Britain that has a class system! But I don't agree there's no suspense. The point of the movie is the claustrophobic atmosphere, it's actually a bit more subtle than you'd think from the blurb.

This film begins with two men, "Eddie Holcomb" (James Farentino) and "Pete Howarth" (Don Stroud), casually entering a high-rise building and taking an elevator to one of the top floors while Eddie's girlfriend, "Irene Turner" (Carol Lynley), waits in her car in the underground basement. Once on the 39th floor, the two men quietly break into one of the office spaces; however, they are spotted by the lone occupant, who is immediately shot and killed by Pete. After quickly moving the body out of their way, they proceed to steal a briefcase full of money that had been delivered there earlier that day and, once it's in their possession, quickly head back into the hall to catch an elevator going down. To their dismay, although Eddie manages to secure a place within the crowded elevator, there isn't enough room for Pete, and so he has to catch another elevator a minute or so later. At first, although he is extremely claustrophobic, Eddie manages to control his feelings of anxiety; however, when the elevator gets stuck between floors, his anxiety turns into a full-blown panic. Meanwhile, Pete also becomes concerned when his elevator arrives before Eddie's--and Pete can get extremely violent when things go wrong. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this film turned out to be an okay movie for the most part, with all of the participating actors turning in solid performances. Admittedly, the made-for-television format hindered it to some degree, but even so, it managed to pass the time well enough, and I have rated it accordingly. Average.