Rififi

Star Review

Jules Dassin's RIFIFI remains the quintessential heist movie and is regarded as one of the greatest crime movies ever made. It has been hailed as the inspiration behind such modern classics as “The Usual Suspects”, “Reservoir Dogs” and “Heat”.


Recently released from a five-year stint in prison, respected Parisian criminal Tony, returns to life on the outside only to discover his girlfriend Mado has sold off their home and taken up with a rival gangster. Penniless and with nothing left to lose Tony agrees to assist his former partners in crime, Mario and Jo the Swede, with one last job, on the condition that they change their plans from a quick smash-and-grab on a jewellery store and go for the big score. However, a gang member’s weakness for women soon proves to be the friends undoing and the sighting of a ring from the heist attracts the unwanted attention of a rival gangster.


Among RIFIFI's many highlights is the film's engrossing and breathtaking dialogue-free heist sequence, so meticulously constructed and detailed that Paris police briefly banned the film fearing it could instruct would-be criminals, which in itself amounts to a virtual movie master-class in cinematic suspense.

Matt Buckland on 14th March 2003

View all 10 of Matt Buckland’s reviews

[ Show Film Description ]

Film Description

Fine French film noir acknowledged as the inspiration for many modern-day crime capers and famous for its wordless half-hour robbery sequence. A group of thieves get together for a daring jewel robbery. It's afterwards of course that things go wrong.

[ Show Star Review ]

It doesn’t date an iota – and, in fact, Dassin’s Du Rififi Chez les Hommes makes Guy Ritchie and co. look like small beer indeed. Acknowledged as the forerunner of (an... more >

It doesn’t date an iota – and, in fact, Dassin’s Du Rififi Chez les Hommes makes Guy Ritchie and co. look like small beer indeed. Acknowledged as the forerunner of (and the inspiration behind) many modern day crime capers (including The Usual Suspects and Reservoir Dogs) Jules Dassin's French noir classic remains the quintessential heist movie; this DVD is fully restored with the original French dialogue (anyone who’s suffered the dubbed horror that has circulated in the past will be grateful for that).

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DVD Extras

• Stunning new digital transfer with fully restored picture & sound
• Q & A with Jules Dassin at the NFT
• TV Review & Jules Dassin Interview
• 1955 Original Theatrical Trailer
• Production Stills

Film Details

Cast

Jean Servais, Carl Mohner, Robert Manuel

Technical Details