This strangely-christened French film noir was released in the U.S. as Grisbi. Jean Gabin stars as a racketeer known by the Runyonesque nickname of Max the Liar. Seeking out the finer things in life, Max intends to pull one last job and retire. After stealing a fortune in gold, our "hero" is faced with a crisis of conscience when his best friend (René Dary) is kidnapped and held for a huge ransom. Somehow Max manages to turn the tables on the abductors, but his dreams of a life of ease explode
in his face. Up-and-coming leading lady Jeanne Moreau plays a pivotal role as the femme fatale who leads Dary into the hands of his kidnappers. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
It's Gabin's show all the way, anticipating the melancholy, atmospheric gangster pictures of Jean-Pierre Melville that started to appear a couple years later.
Jacques Becker, who did such a fine job in painting the turn-of-the-century apache milieu in Casque D'Or, brings the same care and psychological overtones to a film on the modern racketeer element.
The acting is consistently good. M. Gabin is, of course, an old hand at bland toughness. Rene Dary and Paul Frankeur, as two colleagues; Jeanne Moreau and Dora Doll, as two unlucky ladies, and Lino Ventura and Denise Clair... are sordidly convincing.
The film is often confusing, especially during the first half, but Gabin and Ventura are well cast as hoods and Moreau is as appealing as ever as an underworld temptress.
The DVD features a fabulous restoration of the movie, new English subtitles and interviews with various actors and filmmakers associated with the movie.
an excellent crime story. gabin plays a solid lead and scala is sexy in her limited role in a film that caught me by suprise. only loosely a heist film, it is fairly similar to much of melvilles great work. im glad i bought the film because i know i will rewatch it many times.
April 27, 2009
danny d
Super Reviewer
There are more worries in the life of a gangster besides money. There's love, loyalty, friendship, and the most implacable killer of all: time itself, the way it undermines and vanishes every human being no matter how strong or resolute he/she used to be.Jean Gabin plays the elegant and charismatic Max, an aging
criminal mentor who finds his way to retirement full of bumps. After pulling out the heist that Max thought would end up his occupation for good, Max's best friend Riton tells his girlfriend (a very young Jeanne Moreau) about their last job. Unfortunately, this leak of information given by the incompetent Riton leads to his kidnapping by Max's competitor Angelo (Lino Ventura) who will demand their last job's loot for ransom. It will all be decided in a tense and masterfully shot gun battle.An engrossing masterpiece with phenomenal direction, acting and cinematography.
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