Rififi [1954] [DVD]

Jules Dassin’s grandaddy of heist films, still the best, and in an excellent Criterion presentation, 27 Sep 2007

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C. O. DeRiemer (San Antonio, Texas, USA) –

  

  

  

Place tough guys into something like a Greek tragedy, put things under the control of a great director, and you may come up with a movie as excellent and nerve-wracking as Jules Dassin’s Rififi. This is the grandaddy of all modern white-knuckle heist movies, with it’s famous 32-minute silent break-in and safe-cracking. Few movies since have even come close to the original.

Tony le Stephanois (Jean Servais) is a middle-aged, weary, hard-boiled crook. He accepts a code that includes murder for squealers. He’s just served five years in prison because he wouldn’t squeal on Jo le Suedois (Carl Mohner). Suedois is almost like Tony’s son. Jo is a big, tough, good looking guy. He’s just as much a crook as Tony, but he’s a family man, too, with a small son he’s named Tonio. Tony is Tonio’s godfather. Mario Feratti (Robert Manuel) is a happy, good-natured crook who is always on the lookout for a big score. Caesar le Milanais (Jules Dassin, using the name Perlo Vita) is an Italian safe cracker, something of a dandy with a weakness for lush women. The four of them pool their talents to break into Mappin et Webb, an exclusive jewelry store in the heart of Paris.

Think of the movie as a three-part journey that first takes us into Tony’s and Jo’s milieu, then leads us step by step through the break-in and robbery, and finally let’s us see what happens because of one foolish mistake.

We get to know the four men, especially Tony and Jo. These guys are hard men. As we see them sort through whether or not they can actually do the robbery, we come to like them in a way. Especially with Tony, we recognize a weary man, stoic, broke, now looked down upon by others and two-timed while in prison by his girl with a rival who owns a nightclub. Tony is a man who doesn’t hesitate to whip the woman with his belt, and yet can buy with his last francs a stuffed penguin to give to his godson. The four plan the break-in meticulously, timing everything from the night watchman on his rounds to the two cops on their early morning beat.

Then the four have forced their way into an apartment above the jewelry store. For the next 32 minutes not a word is spoken in the film. We watch these men work together, professionals good at their job, breaking through the floor of the apartment into the store below, canceling the alarm systems, step-by-step using a hand-powered machine tool to cut their way into a large safe, then making their way out. But one of them gives into temptation and sets up the murderous consequences.

When a rival, Pierre Grutter (Marcel Lupovici), puts two and two together to link Tony and the others to the heist, he moves in with ruthless efficiency. The last third of the movie suddenly is brutal and inevitable. The weakness of one person, the futile bravery of another, the kidnapping of young Tonio, the relentless determination by Tony to find the boy and deal out retribution leads to one nerve-wracking scene after another.

Rififi is a crime movie with real power behind it. Among the elements which make it work so well is Dassin’s use of Paris. Almost all the outdoor scenes are shot in cloudy overcast or in rain. Streets are wet; trees have shed their leaves. He gives us real neighborhoods, not picture postcards. Jean Servais, especially in the last third of the film, epitomizes the brutality and despair of the situation. Servais at the time of the movie had not worked regularly for several years. He was an alcoholic and wasn’t trusted to complete a major role. His eyes have heavy pouches. There are deep, tired lines around his mouth. I don’t think he smiles once in the film.

And what does “rififi” mean? It’s explained in a song sung in the nightclub. It’s the old “rough and tumble” of the tough guys…rough sex, taking what you want and pay back.

The Criterion DVD transfer is immaculate. Black and white has never looked better. Dassin wanted the movie shot in shades of grey and Criterion has done his vision justice. There are two interesting extras. One is a series of written production notes. The other is a video interview with Dassin made in 2000 when he was 91. Both offer insights into Dassin’s blacklisting by Hollywood and how Rififi came about. Dassin is well worth listening to. If you like great crime movies, or just great movies, you can hardly do better than Dassin’s Brute Force made in 1947, Night and the City made in London in 1950 right after he was told not to return to Hollywood, and Rififi made five years later when he was dead broke and was unable to find work after Night and the City.

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