Z-View: “Rififi”… Means Trouble
The Pitch: “Hey, Jules Dassin the director behind American films such as “Brute Force” and “The Naked City” has been blacklisted in America. I bet we could get him on the cheap to make a low-budget heist film!”
“Let’s do it!”
The Tagline: “Rififi …means Trouble!”
The Overview: After returning home after a five-year stint in prison for a jewelry heist, Tony le Stéphanois is recruited by his old crime partners for a hit and run heist on a jewelry store. Tony declines, but later counters with a bigger plan… against all odds they’ll pull a robbery that will get them millions if they’re successful and dead if they’re not. Before it is over one of the crew will betray them. A child will be kidnapped and both the cops and gangsters will be after them.
The Good:
- The planning for the heist. It’s interesting how the characters work out their elaborate plan where any mistake – any sound – could cause it to go sideways.
- The heist itself – around 30 minutes without dialogue. It’s tense, brilliant film-making.
- The fact that the robbery isn’t at the climax of the film. It would be the endgame in a normal film. In “Rififi” it is the catalyst for a bigger story.
- The characters in this film are perfectly cast.
- The director’s stylistic choices. I love this movie! “Rififi” is a classic!
The Bad:
- What happens when Tony finds out his girl has taken up with a mobster.
- How a foolish mistake [to impress a dame!] causes everything to unravel.
- What happens [even when you are sincerely sorry] for breaking “the rules.”
The Ugly:
- Even the best laid plans…
Rating: 5 out of 5
