Fresh out of jail for good behavior after serving a 5-year sentence for a diamond heist, Tony Stephanois (Jean Servais) looks for ties to his previous life including former girlfriend and love, Mado (Marie Sabouret). As he looks for her, Tony is so dedicated he even turns down an offer from his nephew, Jo (Carl Mohner), and a low-level but easygoing hood, Mario (Robert Manuel), to take part in an easy heist of a jewelry store. But when Tony finds out Mado quickly hooked on with another man soon after he was sent away, the veteran thief agrees to take part in the job but with some new demands. This won't be some smash and grab job, they're going after the big diamonds in the store safe. So recruiting a safecracker from Milan, Cesar (Jules Dassin), the four begin to plan the perfect heist.
Filmed in black and white, director Jules Dassin, doing double duty as director and actor, creates an atmospheric setting for his heist picture with on location shooting in Paris. He takes his time, in more ways than one, developing the story. What I've enjoyed about some of these older heist movies is that they were allowed to build and develop. So often now, movies have to get right to the heist and getaway with all its inherent action. But Dassin shows in detail the preparation and planning as the quartet case the jewelry store from an adjacent apartment and figure how to take out an alarm system that goes off with the slightest vibration or sound. It builds the tension, and then makes the actual heist more nervewracking because as the viewer we know what's coming.
The build-up is great, but the heist is something I'd never seen before. It starts about 45 minutes in and last almosts a full half-hour as Tony and Co. work their way into the jewelry store and then work on the safe. What's so impressive about that? Not a word is spoken the whole time, instead the sound of tools or nervous breathing from the four serving as the soundtrack. You can watch it in four different parts, one, two, three and four with the actual heist starting midway through the first link and continuing into the next three. I'd recommend just watching the whole movie, but the heist alone is worth it.
Another positive of non-Hollywood movies is that lack of a need or desire to make everything a happy ending with the nice little bow to finish things off. I loved the new Ocean's Eleven with George Clooney and Brad Pitt, but it wasn't exactly dealing in reality. Rififi is unsentimental, always dark, and more than a little narcissistic at times. The heist proves to be the easy part with the selling of the diamonds proving to be the most difficult. Human nature comes into play as a local mafioso, Pierre Grutter (Marcel Lupovici), and his two brothers catch wind of the heist. Nothing comes easy for Tony, Jo, Mario and Cesar, and the ending is anything but neat or tidy.
The casting is good, especially Servais in the lead. Tony is cynical and beaten down by his past and with one last heist looking to hit it big. There's a humanity to his character that comes across well with his great-nephew, Jo's son Tonio. He's got a hard edge to him, but in his interactions with the little boy he opens up and is always spoiling him with presents. Mohner as Jo is the young thug trying to get into the business who puts his family at risk with his work, and Manuel as Mario is a strong counter to the others. He is always ready with a laugh but is also prepared when the work starts. Dassin as Cesar gets to play the loverboy, the Italian safecracker always trying to impress the ladies.
Really one of the best heist/caper movies around, and one fully deserving of its reputation. Check out the trailer that's been dubbed into English and plays up the sex, of which there's very little, and violence, a few shootings late. The trailer does have some spoilers and hints at the ending so be forewarned going in. Don't be scared by the subtitles, Rififi is one of the best.
No comments:
Post a Comment