Don't Touch the Loot

Max and Riton are ageing gangsters who are trying to 'retire' after their latest big heist. Early on in a night club scene, Max intimates he would rather go home and sleep as he is tiring of night-clubbing and the late hours. Riton, his best and oldest friend, is trying to stay youthful, although unknown to him, he is getting cuckolded by a younger man right there at the club.

The bond between the friends is insoluble, even though they grouse inwardly about each other. If you ever had a lifetime friend, you will instantly connect with these two - you will just know the link. Anyway, without giving too much away, another crook wants to muscle in on their windfall with an undeserved split via the extortion route. That's all I can tell you, but get the DVD.

Max (played by the great Jean Gabin) has a secret pad, and to avoid trouble, invites Riton to stay overnight. These two are such old friends that, in a scene as humorous as it is tinged with melancholy, Max produces a pair of pajamas and a toothbrush for his old pal (remember sleepovers with a friend?).

The film takes a while to get underway, and all the action is toward the end of the picture, but you can overlook the pacing as it is an unforgettable homage to friendship and advancing age. Adding to the generational disconnect is the use of obsolete slang, as when Max calls someone 'Daddy-O' (Actually, it must have fit better in its initial release in 1954, but seems completely out-of-date now).

"Touchez Pas Au Grisbi" plays like a film noir/buddy picture and is thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining, Film buffs may recognize Jean Moreau as Riton's unfaithful girlfriend.

It would be nonsense to give an order of merit to the three cinematic masterpieces by director Jacques Becker. However, personally I love "Touchez pas au grisbi" even more than "Casque d'or" or "Le Trou". In "Touchez pas au grisbi" we find all we can ask from a Becker's film: splendid black-and-white cinematography, evocative, romantic atmosphere, brilliant script, stunning excellence of the actors' job. But here we get more: a tough, perfectly written gangster-story, swift pace and action blended with an outstanding psychological design.

The movie is mainly a story of friendship and honor. We have two old pals, two aged gangsters close to retire: Max (Jean Gabin), smart and clever, well aware that their best years are over, and Riton (Rene Dary), naive and rash, unable to accept the end of their youth, even dumb if you want, but extremely brave and devoted to his friend. Max is constantly grumbling against Riton and the troubles he causes. He scorns Riton's courage... brains and good sense, that's the important thing... But when it's the time for action, we see how deep and touching their friendship is, how ready they are to sacrifice themselves for each other. In other words, there are circumstances when only courage and honor count...

According to his usual style, Becker describes the world of criminals as a weird parallel of the world of "decent people". To be a gangster appears a job like another: a day at the office. See Max's poise and professional way, when he negotiates the value of the "grisbi" (the swag) with the receiver. And when Max is going to face a last-blood gang-war, he quietly leaves a large sum of money to a trusted bar-maid, in case of need "... to tip somebody (i.e. police or judges)... to fix possible problems... you know better..."

Inside a story narrated in the most understated way, Becker inserts unexpected explosions of violence. Take the owner of the Night Club, another old pal of Max's and Riton's. Poised, always silent, short, fat, with thick glasses, he seems the less harmful person. Yet, suddenly, and without a single word of comment, he starts to brutally beat a thug from a rival gang. And, with the machine-gun, he shows himself even tougher than Max and Riton.

Of course, the movie also offers a Gabin's trade-mark scene, when he slaps everybody, men and women as well. Great stuff: toughness mixed with sense of humour. Gabin's performance is at the highest level reached in a glorious career.

What else to add? "Touchez pas au grisbi" is a fantastic masterpiece. Moreover, I guess that this film is good for all tastes , which probably can't be said for other Becker's cinematic gems.

The middle age bon-vivant Max (Jean Gabin) is a former gangster and close friend of his partner Riton (René Dary). 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 (Jeanne Moreau) is tired of him and has found a new lover to support her, Angelo (Lino Ventura), 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?

"Touchez pas au grisbi" is a classy French-Italian production with a great story of honor and friendship. The pace is capable to detail a scene like, for example, Max and Riton brushing their teeth without being boring. Max is an interesting character and it is delightful to see his reactions and tranquility towards any situation, his code of honor and his face in the end after receiving the phone call with the bad news. It is also impressive how beautiful and sexy the actresses are. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Grisbi, Ouro Maldito" ("Grisbi, Cursed Gold")

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.

This masterpiece of French noir exemplifies the depth of friendship and honor between thieves in this classic. The protagonist and his partner could not be more different, but through the years they have developed a friendship beyond mere love, a friendship cemented in the trenches of criminal warfare and not to be trifled with. The plot's treachery is utilized to effect as the polar opposite of this eternal bond, a bond which is best elucidated with some of the more mundane aspects of life. This bond is also compared with the superficial love between the sexes, where men love their woman only during the act of love. The acting was sublime, with heavies Jean Gabin, Lino Ventura, as well as some mightily proportioned women to grace the eyes. The direction and camera work were wonderful, and the score was the perfect compliment to the darker side of life. Genruk' Evil Eye Reviews