Rififi

Year: 1955

Grade: B+

Country: France

Director: Dassin

Review

some spoilers ahead… french crime noir film that does it all. it starts with a beautiful shot of men around a table playing poker, but all we see is the table and the cards in their hands. for some reason it’s a striking image. there are several shots throughout the film that are well composed or beautiful, but the film never relies on its beauty. it’s a noir, but it doesn’t go strictly by the book like double indemnity or detour. it has a style and it does get dramatic, but it employs montage and a fine score, rather than extreme shadows, to heighten the drama. all the actors do a fine job, especially the lead (jean servais). carl mohner, who plays jo, seems to be a french burt lancaster – he’s strong, capable, innocent and good looking. he doesn’t have quite the power of lancaster, but the french are never as good as us so it’s expected. har har. one thing that struck me about this film is it’s sort of a circular noir…much like kubrick’s “the killing.” it begins with the protagonist shortly after he has been released from prison and, like all good noirs, it ends with that which has just escaped. actually rififi takes it a step further because our protagonist dies, whereas in the killing, sterling hayden goes to prison. that said, the killing is a much bleaker film. the caper itself isn’t amazing by today’s standards (it’s no “italian job” or “ocean’s eleven”), but it is certainly fulfilling and builds a good degree of tension. there is even some comic relief in the film provided mainly by robert manuel’s character. a fine film in every respect.