I thought I had seen heist films, and then I saw this. I thought 'Heist' pushed the genre as far as it would go, but I was wrong. A heist film seems easy enough to make on the surface, but doing it well requires a truly masterful execution, and in all the years since 1956, I don't think we've seen a heist film executed more masterfully. Every element is in perfect balance, the direction feels like that of an infinitely confident virtuoso, and there's not one weak link or misplaced step in the entire affair. A perfect film, in its own way. This is the one to beat.

Influenced by The Asphalt Jungle, but takes things to a new level. This is anything but a typical heist/noir film.

The heist itself is a 30 minute sequence with no dialog and no score...simply a group of four men, methodically going about a task. Interesting to see the tools and process used to 'get the goods'.

Such a great film.

Du rififi chez les hommes
"This must be one of the best heist films ever. Everything about this film is so well done - the famous (silent) heist scene, the final nightmarish drive through Paris and all the rest. Film noir done brilliantly."

Todo lo que le puedes pedir al cine negro está en esta película: personajes cínicos y complejos, diálogos de altos vuelos, trama perfectamente construida y sin fisuras, mujeres fatales. Una gozada.

Probably the best heist movie ever. The 30 minute heist scene is superb. I'll leave it at that!

After serving 5 years an ex-con is about to take one last job so that he can retire on top. One of the greatest heist films of all time.

This film is famous for the virtually silent 30-ish minute heist scene. In fact other than it being French, that's all I knew of the film. A film with a plot that has been done before; an ageing crook sets up one last score, hopefully a big one. That's a very simple overview but I don't want to say anymore about the plot, as its a film worth seeing without knowing what's going to happen!

Other than the acting and story what I really liked about this film, is that it was shot on location in Paris and it looks très cool.

I think an interesting film double bill could be this and Bob le Flambeur; made around the same time and also involving an ageing crook looking for one last big score. Although their fates are slightly different.

French film noir. It's called "film noir" because the French are fucking really good at it. This is some hardboiled gangster shit. Amazing heist scene.

Rififi is both high end classical film noir and a sadistic, exciting off-shoot of that genre. Moments appear to defy common conventional means in tamer fare (hunting down the gangsters who’ve kidnapped a small boy instead of giving them what they want for his safe return), but Rififi still contains set pieces, like the thirty minute, virtually silent robbery, with pieces lifted by such films as Mission: Impossible, The Score and The Grifters. Jean Servais as (Tony) the Stéphanois gives us the hard-faced, calmly smug elder as a cool headed leader, tired, decided in the matter of what the world owes him, and finally, as a martyr. The film’s closing segment, a frantic drive through the streets of Paris, borders on lyrical; the last marrow of life, gritty and seeping down his leg, Tony becomes whole again. Nobody trying to go straight. Nobody getting lucky. Nobody taking for granted the old adage about honor among thieves.

83/100