Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

writtenbymkm-583-902097 I'm not sure it makes sense to review a film over a hundred others have already reviewed, but I'm doing it anyway, mainly because I really disliked it and evidently that puts me in small company. I'm not anti-French films. One of my favorite films is Jacques Tati's "Mon Oncle," which I can enjoy over and over. I really like several of Francis Veber's movies. But I intensely disliked "Rififi," for several reasons. It's supposed to be a "heist" film, but except for the admittedly remarkable actual heist sequence, most of the film is about extremely obnoxious gangsters, hatred, revenge, and cruelty. Also, SPOILER ALERT HERE, I just really hate it when movies resort to "a kid in jeopardy" to drum up suspense, danger, etc. I didn't like it in "The Man Who Knew Too Much," and I didn't like it here. To me it's just a cheap shot. Finally, and I guess this is another SPOILER ALERT, the movie's ending was just way too much of a downer for a so-called heist movie, I'd even call it infinitely depressing. Having the kid wave his toy gun around in the final sequence, was that supposed to be somehow symbolic? Give me a break. So, with apologies to all those who loved this, I really hated it.

Richie-67-485852 Excellent foreign film of a robbery and all that goes with it too. You are in the movie courtesy of the way it is filmed. No sound, or dialog is used during the heist giving one a sense of everyone knows what to do and when so why talk? Do what we are supposed to be doing here and then, let's get out as quickly as we can. That's where we join them. We get to the thrill of the caper first hand, imagine ourselves in the money, and it is a matter of time until we all get our shares. If it was that simple we can only hope. The wild card? Human nature and the unforeseen. Nicely filmed, paced and the movie manages to hook us using more than the heist or the money too. The characters pull you in and we hope for a good ending but then, the word "good" is subjective. Suspense, glued to the screen type movie watching, have some popcorn to diffuse the tension, definitely a tasty drink and at least two snacks. Good job all involved and thank you for this gem

Spondonman This is the classic examination of the Perfect Robbery by and starring Jules Dassin, influenced by The Asphalt Jungle and the French-type connection between The Lavender Hill Mob and Dassin's later own Topkapi, albeit a little more earthy. Dassin gets to glorify the gangsters a little, but the end moral remained the same.A rather craggy looking guy gets out of jail and is immediately embroiled in a new bank heist, as part of a gang of four well-oiled thugs and hoods and their molls, all of them all too human. The robbery is meticulously planned and executed in almost complete silence and is totally absorbing in its ballet-like intensity. Cesar made only one error but it sure let down Tony, Jo and Mario along with the real baddies in the long run, however he didn't let us the viewers down because it makes for another absorbing last half hour, if a little savage at times. 45 year old Jean Sevais who played Tony was the only true hard boiled individual in here, the rest were either soft boiled or punks – at one point Jo's wife goes moralistic speculating out that poverty stricken youths who stay honest were the real tough guys. There's some marvellous character acting by all of the main protagonists, amidst the gloomy atmospheric splendour of a rainy and damp Paris.It's as simple as it gets, and as beautiful – sure, it's certainly of its time as is everything but it's wearing very well and is still supreme entertainment.

Turfseer The director of 'Rififi', Jules Dassin, was down on his luck at the time he was asked to get involved with this gritty film noir. Dassin was a successful American director of film noirs up until the end of the 1940s when he was suddenly blacklisted during the days of the Senator Joe McCarthy witch hunts and barred from working in the United States. Speaking during a 2000 interview featured as part of the Criterion Collection's DVD extras, Dassin remarked that he was paid very little to direct 'Rififi' as the cast and crew also worked under an extremely low budget.'Rififi' is a very atmospheric film noir, shot intentionally under low light conditions. The plot revolves around a gang of jewel thieves led by Tony "le Stéphanois" (played by Jean Servais, a successful French actor in the 30s, whose career was in in decline at the time, due to alcoholism). Tony, just out of prison on a five year bid for a prior jewel heist, is approached by former pal, Jo, who proposes that they accept mutual friend Mario's plan to steal some jewels from a window display case of a prominent Parisian jewelry store. The plan is initially rejected by Tony who is preoccupied with his former girlfriend, Mado, who has taken up with a tough guy nightclub owner, Pierre Grutter. In the first of a number of scenes, craftily infused with a palpable, violent edge, Tony beats Mado up for going with this other guy.With Mado now out of his life, Tony decides to accept Mario's plan but instead of a simply 'smash-and-grab' of the jeweler's store window, he proposes knocking off a safe in the apartment above the jewelry store. Mario's friend, the Italian-speaking Cesar (played by director Dassin himself) is brought in to complete the team. The gang goes through a rehearsal before committing the crime itself. This mainly involves de-arming the sophisticated alarm system. I'm not sure if we needed all the pre-heist rehearsals, particularly because much of it is repeated during the actual heist itself (I'm thinking particularly of the spraying of the fire retardant foam into the alarm box, which appears to be rather redundant and anti-climactic).Nonetheless the bulk of the heist scene is particularly noteworthy due to its having been shot without any dialogue. Also quite remarkable is the way in which an umbrella is utilized to prevent the alarm from going off, during the burglary. To my surprise, this was actually based on a crime involving a travel agency break-in, dating back to 1899!After the heist is committed, the plot takes a few other clever twists and turns. The gang is undone by the simple greed of Cesar, who pilfers a small diamond ring for his girlfriend. Grutter and company get wind of this, and end up murdering Mario and his girlfriend (another shocking scene of violence in the film), in an attempt to extort information from Jo, as to the whereabouts of the very expensive jewels, taken from the jewel company's safe. I wonder why, however, Grutter's gang failed to ransack Mario's apartment, before giving up on trying to find the jewels.After Tony finds a tied-up Cesar (captured by Grutter), he reluctantly murders him in revenge for violating the 'code of silence' between thieves. It's said that this represented Dassin's feelings toward colleagues who betrayed other colleagues during the blacklist era.The plot races toward its inevitable conclusion after Grutter kidnaps Jo's son and holds him as ransom for the jewels. Tony tells Jo to sit tight while he tracks down the kid. But Jo can't wait and meets Grutter with the cash they got from a fence for the jewels. Inevitably Grutter kills Jo and is about to make off with the jewels when Tony shows up (somehow Mado had heard that Grutter had swiped Jo's son and knew where he was). With information provided by Mado, Tony indeed tracks Grutter down and after being seriously wounded, shoots and kills Grutter (why Grutter doesn't make sure Tony is dead, before attempting to make his get away), seems a bit far-fetched. Despite his crimes, Tony performs the great sacrifice by driving Jo's son all the way back home, before he expires, with a suitcase stuffed with millions, in the backseat.'Rififi' has all the ingredients of an engaging, taut, film noir. Particularly notable is the great on-location cinematography, sure-fire editing, very believable performances by some lesser-known actors as well as director Dassin's determination not to tone down the violent scenes in order to mollify a few prurient filmgoers. 'Rififi' suffers from a few flat notes including the long-winded 'heist rehearsal' as well as a number of (aformentioned) questionable plot contrivances, that don't always add up.Overall, 'Rififi' is a pretty, solid noir. Jules Dassin was said to have regretted only the use of the song that bore the film's title. Dassin didn't want to use any music at all but was somehow talked into using the out of place song 'Rififi'. The title translates as 'rough and tumble'—a rather trite allusion to the overall atmosphere the film engenders.