Touchez Pas au Grisbi DVD, 1953

In 1961, Francois Truffaut wrote of Jacques Becker that ‘he invented his own tempo. He loved fast cars and long meals; he shot two-hour films on subjects that really needed only fifteen minutes.’ All these elements can be found in Touchez pas au Grisbi, a defining French film noir, the pin-striped père of the post-war Parisian underworld thriller.

Jean Gabin stars as ageing criminal Max, whose plans to retire after an airport robbery are dashed by an old friend’s involvement with a nightclub dancer (Jeanne Moreau) and his subsequent kidnap by a rival gang.
What is particularly striking about Becker’s film is its unwavering focus on the quotidian. Apart from its climactic shoot-out, Grisbi is at its best in examining the lifestyle of these high-class truands – foregrounded are the everyday routines of drinking, eating and (of course) smoking. In a memorable, wonderfully naturalistic scene we see Gabin enjoy a light supper, brush his teeth and then neatly slip into pyjamas for bed. A truly masterful noir, the film’s cast is rounded out by the hulking Lino Ventura as Riton’s love-rival.

Pasquale Iannone on 12th July 2007
View all 52 of Pasquale Iannone's reviews