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Best movie ever!

Absolutely the worst movie.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

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

A group of professionals with their own unique skill sets assemble in Paris to pull of a big heist only for the plan to fall apart when one of them betrays the team for their own selfish desires. Sound familiar? It should, it is a LOT like Ronin. I have no doubt that Frankenheimer and Mamet took a lot of inspiration from this movie 43 years down the line. I think I even recognized some of the locations.62 years is a life time in Metropolitan terms, and the Paris you see in Rififi is far, far removed from the litter-strewn, graffiti covered, overcrowded dump of a city that exists today. For this alone it is worth a watch but the slow burn of the group coming together, meticulously planning their heist, and the 32-minute silence of the heist itself is extremely suspenseful stuff. It loses a little in the final act though, which I do believe could have been about 8 minutes tighter.Jules Dassin made Rififi after being exiled from the US and blacklisted as a Communist (they were not ALL "good old days") and the movie is as masterfully executed as the heist it portrays, which is kind of odd as Dassin's own character in the movie is the reason why it goes sour. The moody black and white photography, real world streets, noir atmosphere make the film a classic in its own right. It's just a shame that not many people would give a chance due to being subtitled.

The film is saved by a couple great sequences and a even greater ending. But the problem is the rest of the plot, which contains a dull narrative that we've seen hundreds of times since. Sure, subsequent films might be indebted to this, or other similar films, but that doesn't take away the fact that there are no surprises in this hard boiled crime caper for a modern audience. Another problem is the pacing which adds to the dullness. There are a couple sequences that stand out. The robbery sequence which is almost entirely silent and goes for what seems like twenty minutes, is very effective. Another sequence being a character driving a car after being injured, which uses a frenetic camera and chaotic music to intensify it. I'd recommend it to film buffs exclusively.

Despite hearing about the movie for years,I have for some reason have never got round to seeing US director Jules Dassin's visit to French Film Noir.Shortly after finding the title on Netflix UK,I found out that superb film maker Robert Hossein had a co-starring role,which led to me deciding that it was finally time to riff on Rififi.The plot:Coming out of jail after 5 years, Tony le Stéphanois meets fellow gangster Jo le Suedois, (who Tony took the jail time for) who gives Tony the offer of joining him on a heist.Originally turning the offer down,Tony soon discovers that his girlfriend Mado has left him for their mutual friend Pierre Grutter.Beating Mado up for "betraying" him,Tony changes his mind and accepts Jo's offer,on condition that they don't do a smash & grab,but go for the prime cuts in a jeweler's high-security safe. View on the film:Leaving the US over refusing to testify to the House of Un-American Activities Committee,co-writer/(along with René Wheeler & Auguste Le Breton) co-star/director Jules Dassin crosses the pond with a magnetic confidence. Sketching out the robbery in the first half, Dassin and cinematographer Philippe Agostini rub a rich Film Noir coating over Jo's plans,as blares of traffic and gazes from people walking by inject the movie with an "on the spot" rawness,which is joined by Dassin undressing the gangs hard life backgrounds with night clubs filled with shady lights and shady girls.Trimming any possible sides of needless dialogue, Dassin delivers a magnificently pure cinematic experience,where a stylish tracking shots collect the beads of sweat falling from the nail-biting Film Noir atmosphere,that makes every stage of the operation one which cranks up the tension to breaking point.Covering them all in long Film Noir shadows and fading coats,Dassin follows the fall-out in tense side-shots and rapid-fire whip-pans capturing the crumbled state that the locations and Grutter/Tony's teamwork has fallen into.Stepping out of the big house with Tony "le Stéphanois",Dassin, Wheeler and Breton's adaptation of Breton's own book superbly carves in the mistrust between each gang member,via darting from Tony and Jo's on again/off again team work,to Pierre Grutter going behind everyone's back to show them all who really is in charge.Sitting back as the heist takes place,the writers brilliantly use the aftermath to fully display the Film Noir veins packed with unmasking the true faces of the robbers from the heist,which includes a kid kidnapping! Drilling into events with a supporting role,Robert Hossein gives a very good performance as Remi Grutter,whose craving for heroin stops Remi from seeing the full picture.Taking the role when the actor did not turn up, Dassin gives a surprisingly strong performance as César "le Milanais",due to the focus Dassin casts across César's face flipping the high stakes game that the gang are playing.Being at odds from their first meeting, Jean Servais and Carl Möhner give amazing performances as Tony and Jo,thanks to Servais giving Tony a bruised Film Noir grit,which is neatly counted by the rugged, devilish wit Möhner soaks Jo in,as they discover the Film Noir darkness in the safe with the diamonds.

This is the toughest, most spellbinding and, finally, enervating film I have ever seen. The protagonist, Toni Le Stephanois, as played by Jean Servais is out for a big score - the safe - as his time as a mastermind and tough guy is running out. The meticulous planning and the flawless - almost - execution of the heist had me and I am sure most of the audience wanting the crims to get away with it. And notice that the thieves plan to use their cut to make life better for those they love or care for. Only the rootless Toni cannot give an answer to the question of what he will do with his share. Should the thieves have merely sought to live it up on their ill-gotten gains, we might have wanted them caught. As with all tragedies, we often want the doomed protagonists to somehow be spared. However, it cannot be.Once the real bad guys realize who has done the heist, things can only become more and more brutal. And all that is left is for Toni to repair some of the damage done.Toni's final drive through the streets of Paris as he bleeds to death from a gunshot wound leaves me drained. The subjective camera swirls and jump cuts and the soundtrack oscillates as Toni's visual and aural perceptions move in and out of focus as he struggles onward to redemption.The film is a masterpiece. See it at least once in your life and you will never forget it.Rififi - it certainly is rough and tumble.