Rififi
July 17th 2008 23:06
Jules Dassin's classic "Rififi" still echoes through cinemas, especially when the glitzy Hollywood crime genre has exploded into major theatres, most notably with the "Ocean's 11" remake and sequels.
At its heart, is a gloriously silent robbery sequence, where the thieves meticulously break into a jewellery store, silencing the alarm and cracking the safe. Not a word is uttered, and the smallest sounds echo on film, jangling our nerves like a cat's claw on taut piano wire. This is over 50 years after the release of the film, where we've seen countless movies of thieves fooling cameras and motion detectors, dancing around laser beams - and the simple show of Jean Servais filling up the alarm with fire extinguishing foam fills me with a childish glee.
It's been a hit among critics for years, and Roger Ebert wastes no time gushing over the film, praising it for it's sense of an arching storyline. Ebert notes that most modern heist flicks would fill the third act with the suspenseful robbery, but "Rififi" aims for more impact.
After all, this is a film about "brawling among men", and after the robbery, we see the real consequence of living like a criminal, entering a world where there are no morals. It's the women that suffer in this movie, as they are forced by the culture to be dependent on men: men for money, men for protection, men for shiny things and attention.
Yes, where "Rififi" shines is that the same men, who are meant to protect the women and children, who are meant to be strong and sturdy in the face of opposition... these same men fall like bricks as the world begins to tumble. Bruce Lee advocated people to 'be like water', despite the rough and tumble nature of his movies; Eastern philosophy often advocates the power of being 'soft', as the tree that bends in the wind is likely to survive a strong storm.
"Rififi" is one of those films that is uttered on the tips of tongues, in retrospectives and director commentaries, but it's not a film that's commonly seen. It should, though, and in an ideal world, "Rififi" would play on endless loop on TV, its contribution to modern cinema unforgettable.
I say: Excellent on all counts. Perhaps slow for the modern viewer, but wracked with tension.
See it for: Jules Dassin plays the role of a safecracking Italian...
| 68 |
| Vote |
Shared on
Subscribe to this blog
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Knew you would soak Riffifi up, it's such a shame Jules Dassin was blacklisted, but this film proves he made the most of his Hollywood expultion.
Comment by David O'Connell
Screen Fanatic
I've seen 2 other earlier Dassin films made in the US that are also first class - Brute Force with Burt Lancaster, and even better, the amazing noir Night and the City, a true classic of its type.
Comment by Cibbuano
20/20 Filmsight
Science News
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
David, I'm keen to see his other films... Brute Force, especially!