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Hidden gems. “Hands off the loot”, the English translation of this 50s French gangster flick, doesn’t quite have the refined touch for a film that’s all about finesse and class. It is perhaps the pick of a trio of recent DVD premieres from pre-New Wave director Jacques Becker (plus Casque D’Or and Le Trou), apprentice to the great Jean Renoir, wherein Jean Gabin’s ageing, immaculately-styled thief finds himself struggling to protect his hoisted gold bars, hapless best friend and planned luxury retirement when a younger rival gang muscles in. The one-last-job gangster set-up is now a cliché but Grisbi is one of the originals, exerting considerable influence on the likes of Jean-Pierre Melville and even Michael Mann. Becker shows us no heist and precious little action for the first half-hour, revelling instead in a meticulous detailing of old-school professionalism, etiquette and savoir-faire; both he and the unflappable Gabin fully deserve a clean getaway. Touchez Pas Au Grisbi, out now on Studio Canal.
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