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:

JEAN GABIN - King of the Paris Underworld!

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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:

Touchez Pas au 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

According to Daniel Cauchy ("Fifi"), his character was originally supposed to remain in the car until the classic showdown between Lino Ventura and Jean Gabin. He was commuting by air between another film being shot in Paris and this one, but director Jacques Becker thought it would be more expedient to have Gabin's character throw him out of the car before that.

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Goofs

At the end of the movie, we can see a newspaper about Angelo's death. Written in french, there are one misspelling in the text. In the third line : "sur LA bas coté" => correct spelling is "sur LE bas-côté".

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Quotes

Fifi: [after being thrown out of the car] You leaving me here? How am I gonna get back?
Max: [laconically] Try hunting snails, Daddy-o.

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Connections

Edited into Histoire(s) du cinéma: Une vague nouvelle (1999)

User Reviews

Gangsters In Their Pajamas

For fans of American gangster films, Jacque Becker's TOUCHEZ PAS AU GRISBI may seem like a radical departure from the violence and excess of films like THE GODFATHER and GOODFELLAS. It's a quiet film about quiet men, living out their golden years in a dignified manner. Much of the film is spent watching Max (Jean Gabin) as he dines with friends, cavorts with his mistresses and listens to his favorite tune on his old record player. The amazing thing about the film is that there's never any question that Max can be a dangerous man. There's a famous scene where Max and his long-time partner Riton (Rene Dary) eat pate, set up their sleeping quarters, dress in their pajamas and go to sleep without exchanging a word. There's an amazing, soft tension playing through this entire scene. Riton has screwed up a business deal, as he has done many times in the past, and Max is getting fed up. I was reminded throughout this scene of the famous line from GOODFELLAS about assassins coming as friends. This certainly would have been the right time for Max to whack Riton, if that were what he wanted. But he doesn't, because honor and loyalty are important aspects of Max's life, and he will protect his friend even though their big retirement job may be jeopardized. Max is, quite simply, the least Americanized gangster in film history, and he's a remarkable character. Jean Gabin solidifies his reputation as the greatest French film actor of all time through subtlety, nuance, and natural charisma. The film itself is painted with the rich black-and-white brush strokes of the best film noir, and truly succeeds in transporting the viewer to another place and time. A genuine, under-appreciated masterpiece.