.jeri.

Thank goodness for the promptings of IMDb, because I'm so far behind that my memory needed to be jogged! And I can't believe that, since Rififi has been one of the highlights of the last couple months for me. I have hit a block of foreign flicks on my Netflix queue and have noticed a lot of French heist movies showing up as well. Of the French heist movies, I think this may be my favorite. It comes from director Jules Dassin; I haven't seen any of his other movies.

The protagonist is Tony, who comes back into town after a stint in prison. His past leaves him bitter, especially with his old girlfriend, Mado, whom he promptly finds and gives a good beating, especially because she has moved on to a new gangster boyfriend. Tony doesn't look very sinister, but he is certainly resolute about his own moral code.

Tony's old friends approach him about a small job stealing jewelry from a window. He isn't interested in small change and suggests breaking in to the store and robbing its safe. With Mario and Jo and Italian safe specialist Cesar, he works on elaborate heist.

Like Le Cercle Rouge, the heist takes place in tense silence, but this plan is a little more creative, with its use of shaving cream and and umbrella. I loved this entire sequence and how it plays out. The comparison with Le Cercle Rouge end there, though, because in this movie, Tony's enemy isn't the law - it's Mado's boyfriend, who figures out what Tony's up to.

The title of the movie lets the audience know what the men are in for when a nightclub singer who takes Cesar's fancy sings about Rififi and trouble. There's destined to be some unexpected happenings, and I love how they all play out.

As I mentioned, in Rififi, the moral line isn't drawn between criminals and the law. The struggle is less about morals and more about a certain sense of the unwritten rules of criminals, and Mado and her boyfriend have both crossed the line. Another character crosses it significNtly towards the movie's end as well. The themes may not be as deep as those in the solitary Le Samourai or the fateful Bob le Flambeur, but for some reason the character of Tony appeals to me more than either of them. Perhaps it's just because Tony has a sense of integrity within his own criminal world and that he's so dedicated to his job and treats his friends well, or perhaps it's just a straightforward heist movie that delivers well. At any rate, it's memorable and I'm sure I'll be revisiting it one day.