Blacklisted American director Jules Dassen, found new success in France with the fantastic crime noir Rififi. Taking it's cues from The Asphalt Jungle and serving as a direct influence on a number of films (including Le Cercle Rogue) Rififi is a dark, intricate look at a robbery and the affects it has on the men involved. The most well known sequence is the half hour heist scene that occupies the middle portion of the film. Dassen filmed the whole thing without sound and displaying a level of intricacy that inspired numerous copycat heists in reality. Those copycat's, along with the level of violence on display during the films second half, got Rififi banned in more than one country. The years have been kind to the film as well. It feels as fresh today as I suspect it did in the 50's and it's influence on heist movies is incalculable.
Rating: 5
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