A lot of fun.

A Brilliant Conflict

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

A group of professionals with their own unique skill sets assemble in Paris to pull of a big heist only for the plan to fall apart when one of them betrays the team for their own selfish desires. Sound familiar? It should, it is a LOT like Ronin. I have no doubt that Frankenheimer and Mamet took a lot of inspiration from this movie 43 years down the line. I think I even recognized some of the locations.62 years is a life time in Metropolitan terms, and the Paris you see in Rififi is far, far removed from the litter-strewn, graffiti covered, overcrowded dump of a city that exists today. For this alone it is worth a watch but the slow burn of the group coming together, meticulously planning their heist, and the 32-minute silence of the heist itself is extremely suspenseful stuff. It loses a little in the final act though, which I do believe could have been about 8 minutes tighter.Jules Dassin made Rififi after being exiled from the US and blacklisted as a Communist (they were not ALL "good old days") and the movie is as masterfully executed as the heist it portrays, which is kind of odd as Dassin's own character in the movie is the reason why it goes sour. The moody black and white photography, real world streets, noir atmosphere make the film a classic in its own right. It's just a shame that not many people would give a chance due to being subtitled.

RIFIFI is an intelligent and brutal thriller. The main protagonist is an old gangster who, after leaving the prison, at the urging of friends, decided to rob a jewelry store. Robbery is quite complicated, but a team of four men is ready. The robbery was carried out successfully. But his team, after the fatal error of one member, becomes the target of a rival gang ...This is one of the few films in which the script, scenery, dialogues, music, characterization and acting are almost perfectly aligned. It's an amazing blend of a cold-blooded crime and human sincerity. I must admit that some scenes, despite the undeniable quality, are too brutal. In this sense, this thriller has overshadowed some of Hollywood thrillers of fifties, which openly emphasized the brutality and explicitness. The story is somewhat predictable, but the human factor is secretive and mysterious. The mere robbery is brilliantly designed. Mr. Dassin created the poetry of motion without human speech. The robbery takes a long time and was carried out in a great atmosphere in which the tension can be cut with a knife. Of course, the knife sometimes "wanders", so any sudden movement or movement of an object is reminiscent of a human scream. I've enjoyed.The main protagonists are sincere and sympathetic (in a strange way). A rival gang is the embodiment of a crime which involves prostitution and drugs. Their performance is menacing and brutal, which is positively affected on the atmosphere of the film.Jean Servais as Tony "le Stéphanois" is the brains of the gang, a stubborn and an experienced criminal, who apparently can edit everything except his own life. Carl Möhner as Jo "le Suédois" is Tony's younger disciple. A handsome strongman who has a wife and a son. He is the protagonist who will have to choose between so desired prey and his own blood. Robert Manuel as Mario Ferrati is amiable Italian who carelessly enjoys with his beauty. The protagonist, who brings serenity in a thriller atmosphere. Jules Dassin as César "le Milanais", is the „director". There is no safe that he could not open. He is a little rascal whose weakness is women.I claim that this movie is one of the best French thrillers of all time.

Despite hearing about the movie for years,I have for some reason have never got round to seeing US director Jules Dassin's visit to French Film Noir.Shortly after finding the title on Netflix UK,I found out that superb film maker Robert Hossein had a co-starring role,which led to me deciding that it was finally time to riff on Rififi.The plot:Coming out of jail after 5 years, Tony le Stéphanois meets fellow gangster Jo le Suedois, (who Tony took the jail time for) who gives Tony the offer of joining him on a heist.Originally turning the offer down,Tony soon discovers that his girlfriend Mado has left him for their mutual friend Pierre Grutter.Beating Mado up for "betraying" him,Tony changes his mind and accepts Jo's offer,on condition that they don't do a smash & grab,but go for the prime cuts in a jeweler's high-security safe. View on the film:Leaving the US over refusing to testify to the House of Un-American Activities Committee,co-writer/(along with René Wheeler & Auguste Le Breton) co-star/director Jules Dassin crosses the pond with a magnetic confidence. Sketching out the robbery in the first half, Dassin and cinematographer Philippe Agostini rub a rich Film Noir coating over Jo's plans,as blares of traffic and gazes from people walking by inject the movie with an "on the spot" rawness,which is joined by Dassin undressing the gangs hard life backgrounds with night clubs filled with shady lights and shady girls.Trimming any possible sides of needless dialogue, Dassin delivers a magnificently pure cinematic experience,where a stylish tracking shots collect the beads of sweat falling from the nail-biting Film Noir atmosphere,that makes every stage of the operation one which cranks up the tension to breaking point.Covering them all in long Film Noir shadows and fading coats,Dassin follows the fall-out in tense side-shots and rapid-fire whip-pans capturing the crumbled state that the locations and Grutter/Tony's teamwork has fallen into.Stepping out of the big house with Tony "le Stéphanois",Dassin, Wheeler and Breton's adaptation of Breton's own book superbly carves in the mistrust between each gang member,via darting from Tony and Jo's on again/off again team work,to Pierre Grutter going behind everyone's back to show them all who really is in charge.Sitting back as the heist takes place,the writers brilliantly use the aftermath to fully display the Film Noir veins packed with unmasking the true faces of the robbers from the heist,which includes a kid kidnapping! Drilling into events with a supporting role,Robert Hossein gives a very good performance as Remi Grutter,whose craving for heroin stops Remi from seeing the full picture.Taking the role when the actor did not turn up, Dassin gives a surprisingly strong performance as César "le Milanais",due to the focus Dassin casts across César's face flipping the high stakes game that the gang are playing.Being at odds from their first meeting, Jean Servais and Carl Möhner give amazing performances as Tony and Jo,thanks to Servais giving Tony a bruised Film Noir grit,which is neatly counted by the rugged, devilish wit Möhner soaks Jo in,as they discover the Film Noir darkness in the safe with the diamonds.

Rififi holds up extremely well for over 50 years. I just need to get something off my chest. If Jules Dassin didn't acknowledge the influence of John Huston's Asphalt Jungle, shame on him. Many film viewers consider Rififi the mother of the heist film, but that's giving Mr. Dassin more credit than he deserves. He does of course deserve credit for a wonderfully made movie, and especially for detailing the plan and action of the caper, using about 30 minutes of film time. Hollywood film makers might not have allowed that, but as a French film audiences are more patient. See the wonderful films of Robert Bresson. I do think, however, that the Dassin picture is a landmark in humanizing the criminal enterprise. Whether that's good or bad is arguable. It certainly reached out to influence the broad tolerance that we have for projects like The Sopranos. It was also a powerful enough film to change public attitude about the unfair treatment given Mr. Dassin and others black listed by the Hollywood establishment.