Touchez Pas Au Grisbi (Special Edition)

I own the Criterion DVD as well as this newer Kino/Studio Canal Blu-Ray version. While agree with DVDBeaver that it is brighter, it also gets the benefit of being noticeably sharper and clearer as well. To be clear the Criterion edition is excellent for a DVD, but if you area a Collectionneuse like myself just get it! Fair warning however, I'm a guy who owns every version of Le Cercle Rouge!

Class is often confused with style and fashion in the regards to how one dresses. In our contemporary society this confusion is frequently expressed through flamboyance, which is usually the result of how money talks. However, this vain perception of class has nothing to do with one's self conduct. Refinement, sophistication, and class are qualities that should be attached with characteristics such as trust, confidence, and mutual respect. These qualities are what define a gentleman. When people see a true gentleman they only see the exterior, and it is this exterior that money buys.The days of gentlemen criminals are long gone. Films such as Scarface (1983), New Jack City (1991), or any of Takashi Miike's violent gangster illustrations depict the new style of gangsters that contemporary society is facing where disloyal and ill-mannered thugs roll in the direction of dough. These films visualize the frightening power money has on people. This could be seen up close in a grotesque manner in the brilliant Maria Full of Grace (2004) where humans are being regarded as pack mules. Touchez Pas Au Grisbi, which was shot over a half century ago, depicts the coming of this new criminal element.Nostalgia swallows Jacques Becker's crime story about the aging criminal and gentleman Max (Jean Gabin). The story takes place in Paris where Max lives life with a women half his age while spending untold numbers of nights desiring the same meaningless affection from the women seeking their way into men's wallets. The many visits to the night clubs have led Max to discover that he has grown old, and many of the people around him are older. The life he once desired is no longer as appealing, as he decides that he wants to return home early. Max even discloses this to his friend Riton (René Dary) while having found out that Riton's young girlfriend has found a younger lover, as she has previously given Riton empty promises of love.The professional life, which Max has chosen for himself is also undergoing a transformation. Younger generations are cutting into the growing drug business without the consideration of others, and these young newcomers show little class while they trample on everyone in their sight. Recently Max carried out a job that brought him and his partner Riton 50 million worth in Orly gold bars. This was to be Max's final job before retirement, however, the newcomers in the criminal underworld seem to want change his destiny.Touchez Pas Au Grisbi is a stunning gangster tale where the old ways are to face off with the new. This is depicted through Max who is undergoing a personal life changing experience, as he is confronted by events around him that make him question what he is doing. The character that Jean Gabin delivers to the screen is marvelously multifaceted, as he portrays the gentleman thief by being a tender lover, clever diplomat, friendly patron, and firm interrogator. The cast around Gabin also displays nice work as they all accentuate Max's uniqueness by being fairly simple characters. Much is due to Becker's marvelous directing, which comes together through all the aspects of filmmaking. This eventually leaves the audience in a haze of bewilderment, as Touchez Pas Au Grisbi offers a complex and enriching cinematic experience.

Jacques Becker's ultra cool French gangster classic of respectable tough guy thief (the always wonderful Jean Gabin) recruited for one last gold heist ...and we all know mean what that means. Gritty, witty, and thrilling story of honor among thieves, with a perfect amount of cliche'. Awesome action sequences -machine gun shootout car chase is a standout- are remarkably modern and post-modern. A slick homage to American noir and gangster films is way ahead of it's time and top notch entertainment that inspired a generation. Kino Lorber's Blu Ray looks clean and crisp, has an audio commentary and documentary extras. Highly recommended. Also recommended: Bob Le Flambeur, Le Doulos (basically any of Jean-Pierre Melville's crime dramas), the classic Rififi of course, and Port Of Shadows also with Gabin, just to name a few in this great sub-genre.

Like a fine wine, TOUCHEZ PAS AU GRISBI has aged wonderfully. Under the expert and loving hands of the folks at Criterion, we have an absolutely pristine print of this understated and refined French gangster movie. Watching the Criterion DVD is to fall completely into the film, as the restored black and white images are simply glorious.This movie is not like today's heavy-handed violent gangster movies, but a more elegant and sophisticated presentation that focuses on character development and its themes of loyalty, betrayal, and an adherence to a moral code. Jean Gabin, who plays the urbane and respected criminal Max, is the soul of this movie, presenting Max as charming, stoic, and ruthless. Great detail is given to ordinary tasks, like the serving of a meal, brushing of one's teeth, etc., but the effect, instead of arty, goes to the development of the characters and the portrayal of them as regular folks.Lest you believe this is a slow talky picture, there are moments of explosive violence that will send a chill through you. Suspense is created through the most effective of methods: by what you don't see and what is filled in by one's own imagination. As the tension mounts in the movie, you will be glued to the screen gripping the arms of your chair with withering anticipation. They don't make 'em like this anymore, neither here nor in Europe. This movie is a fine example of both French cinema before the New Wave, and of the gangster genre.In any language, TOUCHEZ PAS AU GRISBI means film excellence, especially after the careful, painstaking restoration by Criterion Studios.

One of the great French films of the 20th century, and would be deserving of 5-stars if I understood French. Alas, having to rely on Studio Canal's English subtitling to understand the dialogue, I was left frustrated by how much was obviously left untranslated. Yes, I know that a word-for-word translation of dialogue would ruin the experience of watching a movie, but in this case the failure to capture the feel and humor of the script left me wondering what I was missing.

Touchez Pas au Grisbee is a classic tale involving rival gangs squabbling over a haul of loot which ageing gangster Jean Gabin, who wants to get out of the crime business, has stashed away as a pension for him and his careless and slightly accident-prone partner in crime. As always Gabin moves effortlessly from ruthless to charming and back again in the blink of an eye. Gabin must be the ultimate filmstar seducer. Whether he's playing a deserter (Quai des Brumes) or a layabout criminal (Pepe le Moko) he always manages to charm the audience right out of their seats. There are no good guys in this film, this is Paris picking itself up from the floor in the aftermath of WWII and the police have no real control over what happens on the streets and night clubs. Although the recent war is not mentioned overtly, the dark shadow cast by Nazi occupation hangs over this movie. The scenes where a callow young gang member is tortured in a basement closet recall horribly what must have been the experience of many of Paris' citizens during the occupation. And the use of machine guns and hand grenades may seem a little far-fetched until you realise how much of that stuff must have been left behind in a hurry by a retreating Wehrmacht and snapped up on the black market by these ruthless gangsters. But for all that 'noirness' the film is still an enjoyable piece of escapism. Largely thanks to Jean Gabin together with an early turn by Lino Ventura as his nemesis, this dark film is an exciting and engaging tale of how crime might be an easy business to get into, but it's not so easy to get out.

This movie evokes a time and place long gone and it's great to see the vintage streets, cars, juke boxes, heads and especially babes..! Beautifully filmed, acted and well worth a look. Europeans were certainly more liberally minded in the field of on-screen sexual mores in 1954 than the Americans were, and this movie is a lot more (ahem..!) earthy than the film noir coming out of the USA in the mid-50s. Full-frontal nude paintings and bare (albeit pastied) breasts are on display as well as cleavage and comments that surely would have been censored by the Hays Office.The fast-moving plot is good but fairly predictable and I honestly don't know if it is a film I will be coming back to very much in the future... but it has a great look and feel to it and, since this isn't a title I would readily find in my local video library, I'm glad I bought it.The Optimum Dvd release has a nice sharp picture with easy-to-read subtitles. The only extra you get is a trailer. Go ahead, buy it and put it on your shelf next to "Rififi".

absolute classic, 'Hands off the loot' Jean Gabin dominates imperiously in this French gangster movie, he has amazing prescencethroughout the film, Stoical,calm, thoughtful, wearing perfectly tailored suits throughout, He is electrifying when he confronts two of the female characters, (one the young Jeanne Moreau) and a concierge, demanding and getting information, he seamlessly becomes the ruthless, merciless gangster, yet he gives up the loot for the sake of his friend who has been kidnapped, in the end he shrugs his shoulders and carries on with his beautiful lady companion and lunch! and wow the women in this classic are stunning! not to be missed.

Probably, on of the best french gangster movie. Jean Gabin, Lino Ventura and the great Jeanne Moreau, we have the best french actors of this generation. Great movie and the HD restoration is one of the best, i ever seen . The black and white is georgeous.

This is one of the best crime caper movies ever made. I wish more movies of this calibre still appeared on TV. Of course the only problem is that you need a player which will play region 1 and mine now needs replacing.