Rififi

1955 heist movie

Rating: 19/20

Plot: Men have trouble.

Exquisitely executed, just like the nearly silent heist scene at the heart of the movie. Dassin gets great quiet performances, necessary in a movie that focuses so much on the minutia. Dassin himself plays the safecracker, and although it's the performance that threatens to get in the way the most here, it's still a cool character. And Cesar's final scene might have the most impact, partially because of how it's shot (a slowly backing camera) and partially how it reminds me of samurai fiction. The attention to detail in this is the kind of thing that excites me. I just dig that minutia. I love how this thing builds and then almost swoons to this fatalistic ending. You sort of feel that you know where this one's going, but it doesn't matter because you enjoy the trip there so much. Modern crime movies always feel a little cold. With Rififi, you really not only feel for the characters deeply but you sort of identify with them. Very nearly a flawless movie here, and although that heist scene is the one scene that everybody talks about--probably deservedly as it's almost like a little crime ballet in the middle of the movie, thuggish dance sans music--I really liked a car ride at the end, too. This movie was hugely influential. I can't imagine my career as a jewel thief being nearly as successful without this movie.