Delayed Reaction: Rififi

The Pitch: It's a heist movie. We're going to show the whole heist. All the monotonous parts and everything. I'm sure people will love it.

Four men commit a jewelry store heist and try not to get caught afterwards.

I was aware of this movie before they mentioned it in the last season of The Americans. Let's just say, that was the last push I needed to make it a priority. And I get why Rififi of all movies is the one they decided to highlight. After all, The Americans is a series which once devoted 15 straight minutes to a bunch of people digging a hole, picking something up, and refilling the hole. It's a show that enjoys process, and few films exemplify that better than Rififi.

The reason why this French film, made by a blacklisted screenwriter, made in the 1950s is still talked about is because of the infamous robbery scene. It's a 30 minute robbery sequence with no dialogue or music. It moves step-by-step through all the phases of the robbery. And it is so much fun to watch. One of my favorite types of movies is "people doing their damn jobs" movies: movies about people who are good at their job, doing that job well. Rififi is certainly one of those movies. I love watching people who know what they are doing. This robbery in Rififi isn't easy. The four men have to plan for everything. The have to execute every step at a high level, and that's still no guarantee of success. Nearly everything goes according to plan, and it's still nerve-wrecking to watch. This is another one of those movies that's been mimicked so much that I almost felt like I'd watched it before.

The rest of the movie I wasn't as crazy about. I liked when they tested the different security systems so we didn't need anything explained when they finally pull off the heist. Some of the street canvassing to show the amount of prep work was fun. I liked the Rififi dance number. Most of the stuff about the ex-girlfriend and the gangster club owner who goes after the men was way too familiar. When compared to the great robbery sequence, all the other stuff felt very disposable.

Verdict (?): Strongly Recommend*

*Even if all you do is watch the heist sequence.