Rififi (1955)

Directed by Jules Dassin.
Starring Jean Servais and Carl Möhner.

In a Nutshell: Thieves pull off one final heist but an old nemesis threatens their success.

One of the things I always find to be interesting when watching old cinema is seeing how the DNA of one particular movie can be ingrained into so many current releases. Rififi has been remembered throughout the years as the first heist film to deal with its thieves’ twisted moral codes. The men who stole were not just common trash, but fully fleshed out human beings with sincerity in their reasons for crime. The film was also notable for its violence and sexual content all of which was groundbreaking at the time (though much is implied).

Rififi stars Jean Servais as Tony le Stéphanois, an aging criminal, recently freed from prison, looking to pull off one last big steal with three other accomplices (one played by Dassin under an alias) before retiring. Though they do not have long to enjoy their swag as a rival criminal tries to bully his way into claiming the bounty for himself. Deceptions are made, people are killed, and even a final act kidnapping is in order. Though never has the scuzziness of underworld politics seemed so elegant. These men are not above jewel thievery, but to betray one of their own, that is criminal.

The film’s centerpiece isn’t even the heist itself, but the heist scene remains the film’s best-shot scene. Roughly a half hour long and containing no dialogue and music, every move by the criminals is done so precisely and so carefully that one could probably rob their own jewelry store after watching this movie. After that, it’s only a matter of time before the gang’s unity collapses under the rival gangster’s power. There are many touches that call attention to the melodramatic approach to the gangster’s downfall (a child’s toy gun, a murder in a theater, the gaudy diamonds presented to a mistress) that try to push the climax into a cheap “crime-does-not-pay” parable. Though the main attraction is still the process and not the outcome, though it is still refreshing that the film can still remain a gripping study on human weakness. Still, Rififi would pave the way for many excellent French noir films. A fine film, and a worthy early addition to the crime genre.