Touchez Pas au Grisbi (1954)

An aging, world-weary gangster is double-crossed and forced out of retirement when his best friend is kidnapped and their stash of eight stolen gold bars demanded as ransom.

Director:

Jacques Becker

Writers:

Albert Simonin (novel), Jacques Becker (adaptation)

Stars:

Jean Gabin, René Dary, Dora Doll

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean Gabin	...	Max dit Max le Menteur
René Dary	...	Henri Ducros dit Riton
Dora Doll	...	Lola
Vittorio Sanipoli	...	Ramon
Marilyn Buferd	...	Betty (as Marilyn Bufferd)
Gaby Basset	...	Marinette
Paul Barge	...	Eugène (as Barge)
Alain Bouvette	...	Le chauffeur de taxi (as Bouvette)
Daniel Cauchy	...	Fifi
Denise Clair	...	Madame Bouche
Angelo Dessy	...	Bastien
Michel Jourdan	...	Marco
Paul Oettly	...	Oscar
Jean Riveyre	...	Le portier de l'hôtel Moderna
Delia Scala	...	Hughette - la secrétaire d'Oscar

Storyline

The middle age bon-vivant Max is a former gangster and close friend of his partner Riton. They have stolen eight gold bars of 12 kg each that worth 50-million francs and Max has kept them hidden for their retirement. Riton's mistress Josy is tired of him and has found a new lover to support her, Angelo, who is a dangerous gangster. Riton has made a comment to Josy about the gold and soon Angelo discovers that Max and Riton have the stolen gold. He abducts Riton to force Max to give the gold to him. Will Max exchange his gold for Riton?

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Plot Keywords:

gold | french noir | heist | paris france | betrayal | 

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Taglines:

From the demi-mondes of Paris...with its pimps, its pushers, its passions, from the world of "RIFIFI" and "RAZZIA"...an electrifying adventure in suspense!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Rialto Pictures

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French

Release Date:

February 1960 (USA)

Also Known As:

Grisbi

Filming Locations:

Avenue Frochot, Paris 9, Paris, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$21,674, 7 September 2003, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$131,548, 12 February 2004

Company Credits

Production Co:

Del Duca Films,Antares Produzione Cinematografica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film debut of Italian ex-wrestler Lino Ventura.

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Goofs

When the submachine guns are removed from the wine box, they are Sten Submachine guns. When they are removed from the car after the ambush they are Sten Guns. When they are finally shot at the retreating gangsters, they have become two different models of Thompson Submachine guns, an early civilian model of a Thompson and a military model (M1 or M1A1) of a Thompson.

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Quotes

Max: That's the trouble with young people - they're so doggone young!

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Connections

Referenced in The Shining (1980)

User Reviews

influential French film noir

The title of this French film noir is slang for "loot". Jean Gabin stars as racketeer Max. 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 (Rene Dary) is kidnapped and held for a huge ransom, the proceeds of this last job. 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.

An intriguing film that inverts many of the film noir cliches. The heist which drives the film's plot has already occurred when the film starts, which has the effect of shifting the film's focus from the crime itself to the consequences of leading a life of crime. The characters are portrayed less like criminals than businessmen, calmly going about the business of earning a living. As a result, the few scenes of violence that occur are more shocking than they would be in a more routine crime film. An intriguing film that clearly influenced subsequent French crime films, especially Jules Dassin's "Rififi" and Jean-Pierre Melville's "Bob le Flambeur".