Fresh out of prison, senior gangster Tony le Stéphanois agrees to carry out a daring jewellery heist in the centre of Paris with three associates.
Absolutely riveting from the start, Rififi is based on the premise that four men plan a robbery, prepare for it meticulously, carry it out – and face the fallout. At the film’s core is the legendary 30-minute heist sequence, beautifully choreographed, unbelievably tense, with no dialogue or music. The key characters are wonderfully etched: bitter, cynical and somewhat sadistic Tony; stolid, family man sidekick Jo; sunny, hedonistic Mario; dapper Milanese safe breaker César (played by Dassin himself under the name Perlo Vita). This film noir is pure gold.
