Rififi [VHS]

"Rififi" has been long-awaited as a Region 2 DVD release, and the wait is well worth it. P>The plot is the classic "retired master criminal plans one last job" one; but "Rififi" has things going for it. there are the production values: the real locations, the luminous black-and-white photography (deliberately done on grey winter's days to get the atmosphere just right), . You will not notice the passage of time whilst you wait on the edge of your seat for this to go horribly wrong.

Secondly, there is the snapshot the film gives us of 1950s Paris - grimy cafes, cobbled streets, coffee so strong you could stand a spoon up in it and the only thing missing is the pungent whiff of Gauloises or Disque Bleu. In short, probably my DVD of the year!

Place tough guys into something like a Greek tragedy, put things under the control of a great director, and you may come up with a movie as excellent and nerve-wracking as Jules Dassin's Rififi. This is the grandaddy of all modern white-knuckle heist movies, with it's famous 32-minute silent break-in and safe-cracking. Few movies since have even come close to the original.

Tony le Stephanois (Jean Servais) is a middle-aged, weary, hard-boiled crook. He accepts a code that includes murder for squealers. He's just served five years in prison because he wouldn't squeal on Jo le Suedois (Carl Mohner). Suedois is almost like Tony's son. Jo is a big, tough, good looking guy. He's just as much a crook as Tony, but he's a family man, too, with a small son he's named Tonio. Tony is Tonio's godfather. Mario Feratti (Robert Manuel) is a happy, good-natured crook who is always on the lookout for a big score. Caesar le Milanais (Jules Dassin, using the name Perlo Vita) is an Italian safe cracker, something of a dandy with a weakness for lush women. The four of them pool their talents to break into Mappin et Webb, an exclusive jewelry store in the heart of Paris.

Think of the movie as a three-part journey that first takes us into Tony's and Jo's milieu, then leads us step by step through the break-in and robbery, and finally let's us see what happens because of one foolish mistake.

We get to know the four men, especially Tony and Jo. These guys are hard men. As we see them sort through whether or not they can actually do the robbery, we come to like them in a way. Especially with Tony, we recognize a weary man, stoic, broke, now looked down upon by others and two-timed while in prison by his girl with a rival who owns a nightclub. Tony is a man who doesn't hesitate to whip the woman with his belt, and yet can buy with his last francs a stuffed penguin to give to his godson. The four plan the break-in meticulously, timing everything from the night watchman on his rounds to the two cops on their early morning beat.

Then the four have forced their way into an apartment above the jewelry store. For the next 32 minutes not a word is spoken in the film. We watch these men work together, professionals good at their job, breaking through the floor of the apartment into the store below, canceling the alarm systems, step-by-step using a hand-powered machine tool to cut their way into a large safe, then making their way out. But one of them gives into temptation and sets up the murderous consequences.

When a rival, Pierre Grutter (Marcel Lupovici), puts two and two together to link Tony and the others to the heist, he moves in with ruthless efficiency. The last third of the movie suddenly is brutal and inevitable. The weakness of one person, the futile bravery of another, the kidnapping of young Tonio, the relentless determination by Tony to find the boy and deal out retribution leads to one nerve-wracking scene after another.

Rififi is a crime movie with real power behind it. Among the elements which make it work so well is Dassin's use of Paris. Almost all the outdoor scenes are shot in cloudy overcast or in rain. Streets are wet; trees have shed their leaves. He gives us real neighborhoods, not picture postcards. Jean Servais, especially in the last third of the film, epitomizes the brutality and despair of the situation. Servais at the time of the movie had not worked regularly for several years. He was an alcoholic and wasn't trusted to complete a major role. His eyes have heavy pouches. There are deep, tired lines around his mouth. I don't think he smiles once in the film.

And what does "rififi" mean? It's explained in a song sung in the nightclub. It's the old "rough and tumble" of the tough guys...rough sex, taking what you want and pay back.

The Criterion DVD transfer is immaculate. Black and white has never looked better. Dassin wanted the movie shot in shades of grey and Criterion has done his vision justice. There are two interesting extras. One is a series of written production notes. The other is a video interview with Dassin made in 2000 when he was 91. Both offer insights into Dassin's blacklisting by Hollywood and how Rififi came about. Dassin is well worth listening to. If you like great crime movies, or just great movies, you can hardly do better than Dassin's Brute Force made in 1947, Night and the City made in London in 1950 right after he was told not to return to Hollywood, and Rififi made five years later when he was dead broke and was unable to find work after Night and the City.

American director Jules Dassin's classic French-made heist-thriller "Rififi" (1955) has, at long last, arrived on DVD in the UK. The film itself needs little introduction. No written review could fully do justice to its brilliance! So, how does "Rififi" hold up on DVD? Well, the picture quality is disappointing, but only because it has so many good things going for it: The black and white images (described as being "fully restored" on the back cover) are razor sharp, with solid blacks and excellent greyscale. On the other hand, the picture is let down by being somewhat unstable (for example, "jumps" occurring everytime the film "cuts") and containing more than its fair share of print damage (including specks, scratches and "cigarette burns", all of which can easily be removed using modern digital restoration technology). Normally, given the age of the film, we could forgive the DVD these faults (The film is certainly much more than just watchable) but in the light of Paramount's near flawless restoration of "Sunset Boulevard" (1950), viewers have come to expect more from vintage material. The audio is French Dolby Digital mono and receives no complaints from me. "Rififi" is hardly the type of film which could benefit from a 5.1 or DTS remix (Indeed, the film's centrepiece is played out in complete silence). English subtitles are included (Although the fact that they cannot be removed may aggravate some). In addition to the restored feature, the disc also includes some 67 minutes of bonus material: A theatrical trailer (made using a badly dubbed English language print of the film), an interview and Q and A session (conducted at London's National Film Theatre in 1983) with director Jules Dassin, and a photo gallary. The interview and Q and A session do tend to drag after a while, with information and anecdotes overlapping on several occasions. Still, we should be thankful that they were included at all in an age where far too many DVDs list "Interactive menus" and "Scene access" as "Special Features". All in all a very nice little (emphasis on little) package. Since a 2 disc Special Edition of the film (comparable, say, to Warners "Singin' in the Rain" release) is almost entirely out of the question owing to the nature of the film, I would strongly recommend UK residents pick up a copy of this DVD.