Rififi
(1955)
Rusty: Below are links to reviews and further info from selected film sites. Links surrounded by a solid border lead directly to a page about this movie on that site. Links surrounded by a dashed border lead to a Google search for this exact movie title on that site. You may find it more efficient to open these links in separate browser tabs. Click Show More / All / Default to see more available links or return to the standard default selection. More (or fewer) choices of links can be selected via Options, and you can save your personal defaults (requires login).
Rififi is a 1955 French crime film adaptation of Auguste Le Breton's novel of the same name. Directed by American filmmaker Jules Dassin, the film stars Jean Servais as the aging gangster Tony "le Stéphanois", Carl Möhner as Jo "le Suédois", Robert Manuel as Mario Farrati, and Jules Dassin as César "le Milanais". The foursome band together to commit an almost impossible theft, the burglary of an exclusive jewelry shop on the Rue de Rivoli. The centerpiece of the film is an intricate half hour heist scene depicting the crime in detail, shot in near silence, without dialogue or music. The fictional burglary has been mimicked by criminals in actual crimes around the world. After he was blacklisted from Hollywood, Dassin found work in France where he was asked to direct Rififi. Despite his distaste for parts of the original novel, Dassin agreed to direct the film. He shot Rififi while working with a low budget, without a star cast, and with the production staff working for low wages. Upon the initial release of the film, it received positive reactions from audiences and critics in France, the United States, and the United Kingdom.