Rififi (1955)

Rififi (1955), directed by Jules Dassin.

Famous heist film. "240 million stolen!" cries the newsboy. "Biggest take since the Sabine Women!" The title means something like the fighting or rumbling the tough guys do.

After 5 years Tony is out of prison, no longer young and with a cough. After playing cards and losing his money all he wants is to beat his ex with a belt. That probably wouldn't have been allowed in an American film of the period, nor the see-through nightie another woman wears.

He joins three others in a jewelry store robbery. Director Dassin is their safecracker. As in The Asphalt Jungle (1950), too much eye for the ladies is the downfall of the plan.

The heist itself is long, silent and business-like. After they have the loot another gang brutally intervenes. They kidnap a child and offer a swap. Tony will get the kid back, no matter what, but he isn't paying for him.

Criterion DVD.