Shikeidai no Elevator: The 2010 Japanese Film Adaptation
Shikeidai no Elevator (死刑台のエレベーター) is a 2010 Japanese suspense-thriller and crime film directed by Akira Ogata. Released on October 9, 2010, and distributed by Kadokawa Pictures, the 112-minute feature is a remake of the 1958 French film Ascenseur pour l'échafaud (Elevator to the Gallows) directed by Louis Malle.
Production and Background
The film was produced by Mikiko Anzai and Satoru Ogura, with cinematography handled by Atsuhiro Nabeshima. The screenplay credits list Noel Calef, Roger Nimier, Louis Malle, and Kaoruko Kida, reflecting its foundation in the original 1958 French crime drama.
Plot Synopsis
Meiko, the young wife of medical corporation president Takamitsu Temiyako, and Dr. Tokito Takahiko, an employee at the corporation, plot to murder Meiko's husband and make it appear as a suicide. On the evening of the planned crime, Yokohama streets are cordoned off due to a visiting government official. Tokito enters his office on the fifth floor, climbs to the sixth floor via a balcony rope to complete the task, and then becomes trapped in the building's elevator when power is turned off at 5:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, Tokito's car is stolen by two young individuals, Kunie Akagi and Mikayo Matsumoto, who check into a villa using Tokito's identity, leading to an unrelated murder that attracts media attention. The following morning, the elevator resumes operation, and Tokito finds himself the prime suspect in a crime he did not commit as police discover the company president's body.
Cast and Characters
- Michiko Kichise as Meiko Temiyako
- Hiroshi Abe as Tokito Takahiko
- Tetsuji Tamayama as Kunie Akagi
- Keiko Kitagawa as Mikayo Matsumoto
- Sei Hiraizumi as Kentarou
- Ryo as Sakuyoshi Nakai
- Takashi Sasano as Toono
- Mami Kumagai as Makiko Onda
- Tetsushi Tanaka as Senichi Izumi
- Keisuke Horibe as Kouichi Kudou
- Marie Machida as Haruka Namiki
- Koichi Ueda as Police Chief Shinkawa
- Masahiko Tsugawa as Takamitsu Temiyako
- Akira Emoto as Souichi Yanagimachi
