Rififi (1956)
Moderate violence, moderate drug references
| Director: | Jules Dassin |
| Actors: | Carl Mohner, Jean Servais, Marie Sabouret, Robert Hossein, Robert Manuel, Perlo Vita |
Jean Servais plays Tony le Stéphanois, an expert thief who has just been released from prison. Approached by two of his underworld friends who are planning a smash-and-grab raid on one of Paris’ most exclusive jewellery stores, Tony is reluctant to get back in the game. But when he discovers that his old girlfriend Mado has taken up with another man, he changes his mind. Instead he suggests a more ambitious plan and enlists the help of an expert safe-cracker, Cesare. The robbery is meticulously planned — and results in a stunning 33-minute near-silent heist scene which is one of the most renowned in the history of cinema. Everything looks set to go off without a hitch, but it only takes one error of judgment to bring the whole plan crashing down.
| Status: | Normal |
|---|---|
| Run time: | 118mins |
| Origin: | FRANCE |
| Aspect Ratio: | 1.33:1 Fullscreen |
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Member Reviews (11)
11 Member
Reviews
Da_muir
says
Brilliant genre defining stuff. Did I mention brilliant?
Clouseau
says
Great movie! I can see why it is considered a classic. A must see, if you like heist movies. Excellent!
John N.
says
Not all that compelling despite it being a classic movie. I certainly wouldn't see it again.
Adriaan van Jaarsveldt
says
A cracking heist movie from Director Jules Dassin. In fact this is considered the original of the heist genre. It contains a spellbinding, wordless thirty minutes, during which the robbery of an upmarket Paris jewellery store is shown in great forensic detail. The suspense is terrific. An added bonus is the great looking street scenes of Paris in the 1950s, another movie that allows us a little window into a time long gone. The odd title “Rififi” is French slang, meaning “rough and tumble” and is also the title of a popular blues song of the time, which features in the movie.
Patrick B.
says
filmasart
says
Enjoyable French thriller. The 20 minute silence throughout the heist is strong and unique in film.
David S.
says
This is one of THE classics. The invention of the heist movie and not necessarily improved on since then. See it!
Barry Lloyd
says
Watch this and work out where all the stuff came from that your favourite caper movies used. Masterpiece.
Kevin Spearey
says
Jacques Le Merrer
says
Tony Smith
says
Just possibly the best caper flick of all time! Sure, some of the plot devices seem a bit creaky in 2004, but there are no fatal flaws. The sequence of the actual heist -- no dialogue, only a few muffled sound effects for many, many minutes -- reaches levels of suspense unsurpassed by any director before or since.
It's sobering to realise that if Senator Joe McCarthy hadn't taken it upon himself to persecute anybody in Hollywood politically to the left of Genghis Khan, this movie would never have been made --Jules Dassin would have continued churning out superior B-graders for the Hollwood studios.