Touchez pas au grisbi
Tags: bleak, violence, suspenseful, murder, romantic

Plot synopsis:
The entire film takes place over the course of three days.
Max, a decent and principled gangster, has dinner at Madame Bouche's restaurant, a hangout for criminals, with his longtime associate Riton, their burlesque-dancer girlfriends, and his protege Marco. A newspaper is seen to mention eight bars of stolen gold. The group goes to Pierrot's nightclub, where the girls perform. Max gets Marco a job as a drug dealer working for Pierrot. After the show, Max finds Riton's girlfriend Josy making out with Angelo, another gangster.
As Max takes a taxi home to his apartment, he is followed by two of Angelo's men in an ambulance. He gets the drop on them and drives them off, though they claim not to be after him. Max calls Riton and warns him not to go with Angelo, who had just asked Riton to do a job with him. Max and Riton go to Max's spare apartment, which Angelo does not know of. Max assures Riton that the bars of gold which the two of them had stolen some weeks or months prior are safe in a special car in the parking garage, but berates him for mentioning the gold to Josy, who had then told Angelo.
The next morning, Max leaves early and takes the gold to a fence. He is told that the money will take a while to procure. He returns to his apartment to find that Riton has left. Max calls Josy's hotel to find that Riton was there, but was recently taken away in an ambulance; presumably the one used by Angelo's men earlier. He briefly and bitterly considers leaving Riton in the lurch, as his incompetence continually hinders Max. Loyalty prevails, though, and he sets out to recover Riton.
Max begins by going to Madame Bouche's restaurant and hiring Marco as backup. They go to Josy's hotel, where they capture Fifi, one of Angelo's thugs on the lookout for them, and interrogate Josy. Learning no useful information, they proceed to Pierrot's and interrogate Fifi, with a bit more roughing-up but not much more success. Angelo telephones and proposes to trade Riton for the gold. Max agrees, and he, Marco, and Pierrot arm themselves, take the gold, and head out in Fifi's car, dropping Fifi by the side of the road.
The initial exchange, on a deserted back road, goes without incident. Riton is returned unharmed, and the gold is given to Angelo. As Angelo's car drives away, Riton warns Max that, though blindfolded, he heard a second car. The second car appears in the distance, and Max warns everyone to take cover. The car drives by and its occupants blow up Fifi's car with hand grenades, killing Marco. They get out to mop up the scene, but are gunned down by Max, Pierrot, and Riton. The three of them get into the non-exploded car and chase Angelo. Riton is wounded by return fire, but Pierrot shoots out the tires and Angelo's car crashes. Angelo himself, the only survivor, stumbles out of the car and pulls out another grenade. He tries to throw it at Max's group, but is shot in the process. The grenade blows up Angelo and sets fire to his car. Max is unable to retrieve the gold from the hotly burning wreck, and they are forced to leave as a long haul truck approaches.
At dawn they are back at Pierrot's, with Riton being patched up by a mob doctor. Max, careful to maintain his habitual rounds to avoid any speculation of his recent whereabouts, takes Betty, his upperclass lover, to Madame Bouche's restaurant for lunch, where all the talk is about the recovery of the stolen gold from the wreck of Angelo's car. Some other diners, fellow crooks, ask Max if he thinks it is true, as the papers say, that Angelo was the thief; Max evades the question. Pierrot telephones to tell Max that Riton has died. Max has the roast beef.

Review: 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Highly influential French noir/crime thriller/drama....shamefully obscure & undeservedly overlooked until now...Criterion DVD finally released in January....actually kinda ruined my evening..I had planned on watching another movie after this one..but I didn't want to let this one out of my head yet,..it was that good.
1954 Paris sparkles in glorious black & white..Jean Gabin & the whole cast, including a very young & relatively unknown Jeanne Moreau, is wonderful..Jacque Becker's direction is impeccable.
The great Jean Gabin stars as Max , an aging gangster, who, along with his longtime friend & partner , Riton , has pulled one last job and intends to retire as soon as it's safe to cash in the millions in gold bullion they have stolen.
Max is an anachronism...his style, moral code, honor & ways are caught up in changing times...a theme that fans of some of the best American Westerns will recognize in this film...It'a an absorbing , character-driven story...leading to a lonely highway with guns drawn ..trying to keep from losing everything.
Montazel in all its splendor.At the center of it all is Max, the older gangster who suddenly begins feeling the toll of his years living dangerously and is contemplating retirement after he, and his partner, Riton, get rid of the gold bars they have stolen from a shipment at Orly airport.
Max and Riton are seen at the beginning of the film dining at Chez Bouche with two younger women, Josy and Lola, who are chorus girls in the night club that seems to be the venue where these characters like to frequent.Things get complicated when Josie tells the newly arrived Angelo about what Max and Riton have and the trouble starts as he wants to get to the stolen goods for his own benefit.
Max's plans for retirement with the proceeds of the sale of the stolen gold will have to wait.The best thing about the film is the uncanny way M.
This film noir influenced a lot of other movies that came after, as Becker's influence inspired future movie makers.Jean Gabin, probably the best French actor of all times makes us like his Max, even though we realize he is a criminal.
Max(Jean Gabin) is a gentleman gangster with a penchant for nice suits and champagne and the brains of the criminal partnership, the other being his long time friend and partner in crime, Riton (René Dary),"the muscle" so to speak of their partnership, together they have just pulled off a substantial heist and are now 50 million francs better off in gold bars.
Max likes the easy life of night clubs and restaurants, he isn't greedy and now intends to retire with his fortune, Riton agrees, but he inadvertently tells his young night club dancer girlfriend Josy (Jeanne Moreau)of his large stash of Grisbi(Loot/Swag), she has been two timing him with the much younger and very ambitious crook Angelo, Josy of course informs him and using this knowledge Angelo sets out to take it from Max. Max suspicious that he is being followed confides in Riton that something is about to happen,he also tells his old friend how he discovered Josy's infidelity, Riton is furious and leaves Max's safe haven to take revenge on his younger adversary.Riton ends up in a trap and is kidnapped by Angelo, demanding Max release the gold as ransom.
Touchez pas au grisbi isn't so much an action crime flic as it is a no action one, we never get to see the heist or the every day violence of the criminal fraternity, Becker's film is much more about the silences between the crimes and the everyday mundaneness of the criminals life, their conversations, their dining habits etc this ploy is all the more effective when the film explodes at its climax with the type of violence you would expect of a typical Crime film.
A forerunner of Dassin's Rififi or more obviously Melville's Bob Le Flambeur, Touchez pas au Grisbi is a fine film that some might find a little dull, but its romantic vision of Parisien criminal lives is still very intriguing and a welcome alternative to the stereotypical hoods of the genre.
Gabin is nothing short of superb as the aging gangster, willing to give up his position and power for the easy life, his relationship with his loyal friend Riton is more like that of a married couple who are still friends after many years together but ultimately wonder why they ever got together, we are only given one glimpse of Max's rage towards his friend in a brief voice over, where Max lets fly at his companions stupidity, that might cost them both their lives and their Grisbi, other than that Max is a cool operator, nothing fazes him, even as the plot thickens and a quick response is required to save Riton's life, Max is just as easy going as he always is, he might just as easily be at home brushing his teeth or folding his pyjamas again, we never quite know what Max is thinking.
The understated pate eating scene is superbly orchestrated by Becker ,there is hardly any dialogue but through gestures and eye movements, we learn an awful lot about their relationship..Touchez pas au Grisbi in the hands of Becker is both elegant and evocative and a pleasure to behold and as French Noir goes its right up there with the best..
Rather, this is the bond of the trenches and the workplace (presumably class and underworld trenches in the case of the protagonists), a theme which has a tremendous atavistic resonance in French culture and history insofar as it reflects a collective male experience extending from the Napoleonic Wars through the Paris Commune down through WWI--the kind of camaraderie for life which predisposed a man to sacrifice all that he holds dear for another man (another instance of this is in Jean Vermillon's 'Gueule d'amour'), and hinted at in a sentimental, nuanced way when Max breaks out the foie gras and a bottle of blanc after his buddy has made a costly bonehead move.
Note also that incredible sigh of utter lassitude that 'Max' (Jean Gabin) heaves as he sits through yet another girly show--or that look on his face as 'Betty' asks him if he loves her (after he's slept with her)--a look which tells us his every thought is on his pal, 'Riton'.
Max is the engaging, attractive character that he is because of his fierce devotion to others, his liberality of spirit (after he leaves a huge tip to the petit-bourgeois owner of the cafe' in the process of recycling leftover wine, the latter remarks, 'We could use more customers like him'), the value he places on his pal's life over the loot, the easy way he has with trusting and receiving the trust of others--all these things are non-commercial values and they suggest a world and way of life alternative to what America has in store for France.
It's so beautiful but bad story about friendship and betrayal between two elderly gangsters, but it is also a story about aging and disappointment.Jean Gabin's performance is the crowning jewel of this gem of a film.
The middle age bon-vivant Max (Jean Gabin) is a former gangster and close friend of his partner Riton (René Dary).
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.
"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 and Riton are ageing gangsters who are trying to 'retire' after their latest big heist.
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..
There's nothing exceptionally profound about the story to "Touchez pas au grisbi", one of Jacques Becker's later films -- but it sets up tons of film archetypes and patterns that later French Noir would emulate.
Jean Gabin plays Max, an aging criminal set to retire with his friend, Ritan, when they're pushed into a state of paranoia by younger gangsters moving in on their retirement loot (their "grisbi").The film is not overtly flashy, but Max is one bad dude, expressed by the way he commands universal respect from his peers, patrons and the younger ladies who surround him.
And to boot, there are some recognizable classic talents in this film, including Lino Ventura and Jeanne Moreau.While not explosive and over-the-top, the story, set-up and exposition of the gangster code are all the result of top-notch cinematic craftsmanship.
As Truffaut stated, this is really more a film about friendship and aging than about gangsters.Jean Gabin is brilliant as Max, the elegant, dignified underworld leader who is growing tired, and wants to retire quietly off his last score.
Now it's all about finding a way to close the books on a career, and still protect his best friend and colleague, who becomes a target when other mobsters want to get their hands on the take.The story itself could be called thin, but Becker fills it with so many telling human moments and details that I was touched and involved.
(This included a French Diplomat who had to ask his wife what something said in French meant-- she knew, but he had never heard the term!)An interesting movie, with strange touches (white hand grenades so they could be seen in the night shots, pause timing to allow dubbing into other languages) and the ability to open a window to the early French gangster film era.
I didn't know Dary, and he does a pretty good job of playing Riton, the less successful and probably partially jealous friend of Max. Of course Riton will royally screw up by boasting his heist to his girlfriend, so that she can tell her own lover that Riton and Max have 96kg of pure gold bars.
However, in a brave move, actor Jean Gabin plays a role of an older man who is simply tired and ready to call it quits on his life of crime.
Gabin was 50 years-old when he made this film and, if anything, looks a good bit older than that--looking more like a man of 60.
Unknown to the other thugs, Max and his friend (Riton) committed a huge heist of 50,000.000 francs in gold a year earlier.
Aside from TOUCHEZ PAS AU GRISBI ("Don't Touch the Loot"), other such French films as BOB LE FLAMBEUR ("Bob the Gambler") and RIFIFI proved that in some ways, even, the French could do Noir better--achieving a certain realistic sleaziness that American censors wouldn't allow.
This is my favorite film.No way do I think it's the BEST film (although it would be on my Top 100)But the older I get, the more GRISBI speaks to me, with its portrait of aging, friendship, subculture...And it touches me - down deep.I went back and purchased DVDs of some of the great Gabin films of the '30s: Pépé le Moko, Le Jour Se Lève, La Bête Humaine.
Gabin himself still doing it, not least of all.We all have to keep doing it when it's the only life we know.Another cliché: sex is rushed and provisional, and the real love exists between two men.But Becker lavishes so much detail and care on the relationship between Max and his friend Riton that the clichés are transcended.Besides, the relationship between Max and Riton is also based on an inequality.
He goes to the mob hangout restaurant with the American babe, he mingles,he plays his favorite harmonica tune on the jukebox one more time.La Vie ContinueA virtuoso performance by Max AND by Gabin.
For those who haven't seen Touchez pas au grisbi, it's the story of an aging gangster named Max (played to perfection by Jean Gabin).
With the help of his partner Riton (also played to perfection by René Dary), Max has just pulled off the biggest caper of his career and is now set to retire.
Instead, Touchez pas au grisbi is about the never ending friendship between two people.
Director Jacques Becker lets the viewer really get to know these two guys so that later on when the pair finds themselves in danger, we feel for them.Touchez pas au grisbi may not be action-packed, but when the violence does come, it's jolting in its abruptness.
While the shootout near the end of the film is an obvious example, there's a moment earlier on in the movie that shows how abrupt and effective the violence in Touchez pas au grisbi is.
It's a scene that's very nicely done.In the end, Touchez pas au grisbi is a true masterpiece that deserves all the accolades it has received.
The movie is a story of friendship that lasts.Max (Jean Gabin)is an ageing gangster, and indeed from early on the weighty and slowing down feeling of age is a daily preoccupation for Max. The opening scene is a view of the day's newspaper announcing that 50 million in gold bullion is still missing.
And as we find out, all know the "loot" is missing and Max is likely to have it, and many will do questionable and murderous things to try to get the info on its whereabouts.Look for Jeanne Moreau as the heartless and duplicitous Josy--she's fantastic.A non-pretentious look at the gangster world with some unexpected and somewhat shocking scenes of violence.Some hilarious translation in the Criterion subtitles like "Those babes are a real health hazard" and "you expect thanks for causing a flap in my hen house".Becker outdid himself in this film--every person in the movie was significant, all direction perfect..
It proves that primary interest is driven by story rather than special effects.Jean Gabin plays Max, a fifty year old man who wants to get out of the crime business after having netted some 200 pounds of gold in a recent heist.
But, not to worry, Max's partner in crime, Riton, leaks the information about the gold to his woman friend Josy (played by a young Jeanne Moreau); Josy deserts Riton and takes up with Angelo, a local drug dealer.
Angelo finds out about the gold from Josy and the game is on as to who will wind up with the loot.Gabin plays Max as the ultimate sophisticated and cool character and Riton is Max's lovable but more impulsive sidekick.
This is a film not really about the events that take place within the narrative, but the moments that define the characters between those events: the mobsters brushing their teeth, sitting and eating, discussing their lives.Jean Gabin stars as another aged, ennui-filled mobster, this time a little older and a little more tired than ol' Pepe le Moko.
Unfortunately the blunderous activities of his partner-in-crime keep him trapped in the usual gangster world of deceit, double-crossings, and danger.This movie fits closely to Becker's attempt to create a film "without a beginning or an end, and with little plot in between." Most of the character development in this movie is implied, though very well.
As stated above, Gabin's performance is somewhat related to the fatigued gangster of such films as "Pepe le Moko", and it's not without its moments of film noir style lighting.Another hugely influential part of this movie is its score, which is actually very minimalistic and reserved.
Here Jacques Becker delivers a gangster flick that is - wait for it - Subtle and Jean Gabin illustrates yet again that in screen acting less is more.
Indeed Becker started something of a trend in French cinema with this entry for the very next year Jean-Pierre Melville weighed in with Bob, Le Flambeur, another underworld-setting film where violence is not of the scenery-chewing type.