Rififi (DVD, 2001, Criterion Collection)

According to the title song of this movie, the lead character's nickname Rififi means "rough and tumble." That is definitely a designation Jacques Besnard takes seriously as he slaps and punches and bullies his way through women, police and co-horts in blacklisted Hollywood director Jules Dassin's Parisian masterpiece "du Rififi Chez Les Hommes." Dassin co-authored the script, as well as taking on the role of the happy-go-lucky Italian safecracker in the film. "Rififi" is about a recently released convict who is too deeply entrenched in the ways of crime to lead any other kind of life. He gets involved in, and eventually leads a troupe of felons through a well-scripted burglary that takes the group of thieves through the ceiling of a business to crack open a safe and steal jewels. The planning stage of the burglary is extremely precise and exacting, and the tension is felt by the viewer as well. By the time the burglary is happening, the movie has shifted into dead silence. For an interminable period, there is nothing but breathing, sweating, a hand drill boring a hole into a ceiling, a police officer's footsteps.....The intensity offered up by the actors, and enhanced by the cinematography and directing during this sequence with no dialogue is unparalleled in filmmaking. Janine Darcey, Jacques David, and Alice Garan also co-star. The film was released in 1955 and is in French, with English subtitles. While subtitles can be difficult for some, I heartily recommend watching this film, and with the sequence without dialogue, you will be able to give your eyes a rest and enjoy a truly remarkable piece of filmmaking. This film has influenced many other directors, including Stanley Kubrick and Quentin Tarantino. The movie "3000 Miles To Graceland" was loosely based on this film, with the storyline of criminals gathering together for a heist, and the double-crosses that follow taking especially violent turns in a Kevin Costner/Kurt Russell shoot fest. Hang in past the title theme song, which is sung in a nightclub in a song and dance type of style. Unfortunately, the musical number does absolutely nothing to move the plot forward or to prepare the viewer for the intense movie that immediately follows.