:
Jean Servais,
Carl Möhner,
Robert Manuel,
more...
:
Jules Dassin
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: Not Rated
: Criterion
: Classics, Foreign, France, Vintage Noir, Capers, Gangsters, Criterion Collection
: 118 min.
: English, French
: English, French
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Recently Rented By RJones3
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Jules Dassin -- in his second European film after being driven out of the United States during the years of the house Un-American Activities Committee hearings -- directed this landmark caper film about the planning and execution of a nighttime robbery at a swanky English jewelry shop in the Rue de Rivoli. The story concerns a collection of thieves who band together to commit a seemingly impossible robbery. The gang consists of a tough, straight-talker named Tony Stephanois (Jean Servais); a young man under Tony's tutelage named Jo (Carl Mohner; a happy-go-lucky Italian by the name of Mario Farrati (Robert Manuel); and a safecracker named Cesar (the director Jules Dassin under the pseudonym of Perlo Vita) who likes to jiggle the combinations of women in his off hours. The set piece of the film is an intricate 28-minute sequence that depicts the robbery in detail -- all filmed silently without dialogue or music. After the success of the robbery, the gang barely has time to celebrate when a rival gangster, Pierre Gruuter (Marcel Lupovici), decides that he wants a cut of the take. When Tony's gang refuses to cooperate, Pierre kidnaps Jo's son, and the gang has to get tough with their nemesis. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
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| "The" Heist Movie
by talltale
April 2, 2005 - 2:51 PM PST
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3 out of 4 members found this review helpful
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One of the most difficult genres to hold up to scrutiny decades later is the "heist" movie. Which makes RIFIFI all the more impressive. This fifty-year-old film (thanks to Criterion's usual fine job of restoration) looks fabulous and plays with much of the immediacy it must have had when first released. The heist is indeed classic and, to my mind, has not been bettered by movies of the "Mission Impossible" ilk. As usual, it's the characters who command the real respect here. You come to appreciate this little band of crooks, as much for their brand of "honor" and "ethics" as for their various skills and charm. When the violence comes (much of it unshown), it is truly appalling--bearing out again the standard of "less is more," with which so many modern movies simply dispense.
Be sure to watch the half-hour interview with "blacklisted" director Jules Dassin, who comes across as one of the most interesting and compassionate of movie men (particularly in terms of his take on the McCarthy era). Hearing him reminisce about everything from how he was treated post-blacklist to the wonderful film crews he's worked with (he calls them the "aristocracy of the working class") is a delight. Tap the "production notes" section, too, which offers even more good info about the ins-and-outs of making this classic film. Thank goodness for the French, who, unlike the Italians in this case, did not bow to pressure from the US government but instead gave this talented, passionate director the opportunity for a second act--resulting in many more (maybe up and down but never uninteresting) movies! |
| Very best of caper movies
by eifert
July 4, 2004 - 8:50 PM PDT
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8 out of 8 members found this review helpful
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Wow. That's what I said after watching this French masterpiece. The extended break in scene (about a half an hour) without dialog is so suspenseful it hard to watch! The film is worth renting just for that. Throw in an excellent story line, fantastic crime characters and one musical number that comes out of no where. Rififi is for people that love movies.
After making such American noir classics as The Naked City and Brute Force, blacklisted director Jules Dassin went to Paris and put together his masterpiece. Its quite a jem.
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 8.08)
291 Votes
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