Touchez Pas Au Grisbi

Touchez Pas Au Grisbi (1954)

Runtime: 91 minutes

Directed by: Jacques Becker

Starring: Jean Gabin, Rene Dary, Lino Ventura, Paul Frankeur, Michel Jourdan

From: Several French and Italian companies

The translated English title “Honor for Thieves” is apt in this case. This was seen via the Kino Now app as a few days ago they offered a discount on various French titles. As it’s an old crime drama from France, I was naturally interested. While it wasn’t a heist movie as was suggested in the description-rather, it covers the aftermath of a heist of 8 gold bars from an airport and the heist is never shown-it was still an engrossing watch.

Various gangsters are covered but it is centered around Max, played by Jean Gabin as he was the ringleader behind the heist. The movie is methodically paced as his life is examined for a bit. We see the establishments he frequents, his friends-the main pal was a guy I’ll call French Charlie Chaplin-the women he knows, the pajamas he wears at night, etc. Naturally, rivals discover who has the loot so Max needs to be figuratively off the grid.

The plot isn’t convoluted, but it is done well. To once again bring up a phrase I sometimes use while discussing old French picture, it is effortlessly cool. Max is an older gentleman, and he does carry himself like one between his demeanor and the suits he is always adorned in. Unsurprisingly, the heist was done as “the last one ever” so he could retire; that goes about as well as “one last heist” robberies go in film. As mentioned in the beginning, “Honor Among Thieves” is its English title and as we all know, there typically is none. However, will Max help his longtime friend French Charlie Chaplin despite his occasional annoyance at his buddy’s actions?

It's understandable why some think this is too slow-going for them; I was always riveted myself. No matter your opinion of the first two acts, business picks up in the final act and guns are involved in a shootout that feels so modern, it must have influenced more modern directors in the decades afterwards. Especially if you enjoy old French crime dramas, it would be wise to have this in the figurative or literal queue.