'Man on Wire,' 5 stars Aug 8, 2008
If that makes it sound any less exciting than Rififi or Mission: Impossible, you're wrong. It is one of the most suspenseful, white-knuckled films of the year. (AZCentral -- Entertainment)
Noir, French Style Aug 3, 2008
The opener (Friday through next Sunday) is Jules Dassin's 1955 "Rififi," best known for the wordless 35-minute break-in. Magnifique. (New York Post -- Entertainment)
Man on Wire and High Wire: the men who walk among the clouds Aug 2, 2008
James Marsh, who directed Man on Wire, was inspired by Rififi, Jules Dassin's classic heist movie of 1955. He presents Petit's "coup" (as the wire-walker likes to refer to it) in the language of a nail-biting noir thriller. (Telegraph.co.uk)
Feature: Jason Solomons' view Jun 30, 2008
The film heralds the maturing of a real film talent in Marsh, who tackles a compelling subject in a fluid and stylish manner, blending colourful narrative and interviews with vertiginous still photography and a noirish dramatic reconstruction that owes something to nerve-jangling heist movies; Marsh told me he was influenced by Jules Dassin's Rififi. Petit assembles a crew to steal into the towers and help him achieve his dream of walking between the peaks, and he proves charismatic company... (Guardian Unlimited -- Film)
Summer DVDviewing guide May 27, 2008
Rififi (1956) - This is the original, the best and the most astonishing caper film ever, with a 20-minute sequence in the middle of the heist that has no dialogue, no music and barely any breathing. It's by emigre American director Jules Dassin. (AZCentral -- Entertainment)
Jules Dassin: Master of the Heist Apr 7, 2008
Marie Sabouret and Jean Servais star in the French heist film Rififi, directed Jules Dassin ... His 1955 Rififi, with its wordless, minutely-detailed, half-hour jewel robbery, and the 1964 Topkapi, with an even more elaborate heist, inspired dozens of imitations, in films from The Killing, Ocean's Eleven and The Italian Job to The Usual Suspects, Mission: Impossible 2 and that mini-masterpiece of stop-motion animation, Wallace t in The Wrong Trousers ... An official remake of Rififi is due out... (Time.com)
'Never on Sunday,' 'Topkapi' director dead Apr 4, 2008
His 1954 thriller "Rififi," made in France, contained a long sequence that was free of dialogue ... He moved to London in 1950 to shoot his next film, "Night and the City." Dassin then lived in Italy and France before returning to the cinema with "Rififi.". (CNN -- Showbiz)
In brief: Pitt explores role of British adventurer Apr 2, 2008
The American director Jules Dassin, who helmed the 1955 crime classic Rififi and the Cannes Palme d'Or winner Never on Sunday, has died at the age of 96 in Athens ... He moved to France where he won widespread acclaim for his films, including Rififi, which features a celebrated extended heist sequence devoid of dialogue. (Guardian Unlimited -- Film)
Jules Dassin, 96, filmmaker on blacklist Apr 2, 2008
Dassin is most widely remembered for films he made after he fled Hollywood in the 1950s, including "Never on Sunday" (1960), with the Greek actress Melina Mercouri, whom he later married; "Topkapi" (1964), with Mercouri, Peter Ustinov and Maximilian Schell; and the 1954 French thriller "Rififi." ... In need of money, he agreed to direct "Rififi," a low-budget production about a jewelry heist. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- World)
Jules Dassin, 96; blacklisted director of film noir Apr 1, 2008
The director of 'Rififi' and 'Never on Sunday' is considered one of the leading American filmmakers of the postwar era ... By Claudia Luther, Special to The Times April 1, 2008 Jules Dassin, the blacklisted American filmmaker who was a master of film noir, directing such classics as "Brute Force," "The Naked City" and "Rififi," died Monday in an Athens hospital ... Dassin, considered one of the leading American filmmakers of the postwar era, directed his most influential film, "Rififi," while... (Los Angeles Times)
Acclaimed director Jules Dassin dies at 96 Apr 1, 2008
Filmmaker and activist made Never on Sunday, Topkapi, Rififi ... Five years later, he won wide acclaim for Rififi, famous for its long heist sequence that was free of dialogue ... Dassin then lived in Italy and France before returning to the cinema with Rififi. (MSNBC -- News)
‘Bank Job’ goes full throttle, and then some Mar 27, 2008
Though the film lacks the pretensions of greatness, it comes close to measuring up with the films at the top of the genre like Rififi (it certainly recalls them in its structure and through semantics). If this is a B picture, it s the kind that gets new life from critics in France 10 years down the road and placed above the A level pictures that strive for awards and tissues. (Petersburg Progress Index, VA)
The Bank Job Mar 8, 2008
Mind you, it's admittedly tough to reinvent heist movies over and over again when they were first (and best) done in the 1950s with movies like Rififi, but it's the weird combination of creative inspiration and technical laziness that makes each of these new iterations of the genre so generally lackluster. What is interesting about this story is the ineptitude of the criminals, who not only communicated via ham-radio band walkie talkies, but actually used each other's real names and then forgot... (IGN FilmForce)
Will the heist work? Will the movie? Mar 8, 2008
But while the dream of the big score may be what attracts the audience's attention, the classic heist movies, like "The Asphalt Jungle," Jules Dassin's "Rififi" (1955) and Stanley Kubrick's "The Killing" (1956), all show sometimes in excruciating detail that the acquisition of easy money can be mighty hard work. That's certainly the case in Roger Donaldson's new "Bank Job" (opening Friday), which is based on a real 1971 London robbery and which involves, as British exercises in this genre often... (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
Review: Heist movie gets the 'Job' done Mar 8, 2008
" 'Rififi' ... with words!" ran the headline in Britain's Daily Mail newspaper on September 14, 1971, a reference to the classic 1955 heist movie with its famous 20-minute near-silent robbery. But the thieves who had broken into the safe-deposit vault of a Baker Street bank the previous weekend were not so tight-lipped. (CNN -- Showbiz)
Statham can't pull off 'Bank Job' Mar 7, 2008
Is it Jules Dassin's smoky nail-biter "Rififi" or one of Guy Ritchie's crime trifles. Either way, it's something new for heist pictures: a movie that can't even rip off its predecessor with any panache. (Boston Globe)
Keaton: Lifetime achievement in comic flair Jan 19, 2008
How does the Chargers playoff victory over the Indianapolis Colts affect your opinion about the need for a new stadium for the team, in San Diego or Chula Vista. Tell reporter Ron Powell at (619) 293-1258 or. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Bang bang! Tops in movie robbers Sep 19, 2007
Jean Servais as Tony le Stphanois in Rififi (1955)While the money shot of Rififi is the 33-minute silent (save for the sound of breathing) heist, Jules Dassins caper classic is darn near perfect all the way through ... Tonys stealing skills are impeccable, and so is Dassins film legend has it that the Paris police considered banning Rififi out of fear that it would be too much of a how-to for criminals. (MSNBC -- News)
Rialto honored for revival of old films Jul 26, 2007
Those movies - nearly 40 so far - span some of the classics in cinema, including Jules Dassin's 1955 film "Rififi" (famous for its long, dialogue-free heist sequence), Carol Reed's "The Third Man" (1949) and Alberto Lattuada's "Mafioso" (1962). "Until Rialto took the lead and was able to secure good prints of, say, the (Robert) Bresson films, there was a generation of filmgoers that did not see the full richness of some of these filmmakers' achievements," says MoMA senior film curator Laurence... (FOX 11, AZ)
Lifelong film fan sees to it that stars are reborn Jul 26, 2007
"Rialto Pictures: Reviving Classic Cinema," a selection of 17 from the list of "orphaned" movies Rialto has adopted and sent back out into the world, kicks off with "Rififi," Jules Dassin's noirish French caper film. Others in the series (which runs through Aug. 10) are "The Third Man," "Bob Le Flambeur," "Masculin-Feminin," "Billy Liar" and the restored, original "Godzilla.". (Newsday -- Entertainment)
Rialto Pictures reviving old films Jul 26, 2007
Those movies nearly 40 so far span some of the classics in cinema, including Jules Dassin's 1955 film Rififi (famous for its long, dialogue-free heist sequence), Carol Reed's The Third Man (1949) and Alberto Lattuada's Mafioso (1962). Until Rialto took the lead and was able to secure good prints of, say, the (Robert) Bresson films, there was a generation of filmgoers that did not see the full richness of some of these filmmakers' achievements, says MoMA senior film curator Laurence Kardish, who... (San Diego Union-Tribune)
IT'S RIALTO FOR REAL REEL DEAL Jul 22, 2007
Consider: Jules Dassin's crime caper "Rififi" (1955); Robert Bresson's religious allegory "Au Hasard, Balthazar" (1966); "Masculine Feminine" (1966), Jean-Luc Godard's salute to "the children of Marx and Coca-Cola; and Carol Reed's "The Third Man" (1949), set on the cobblestone streets of post-World War II Vienna and featuring Orson Welles as a black-marketeer Harry Lime. Wednesday through Aug. 10, the Museum of Modern Art will celebrate Rialto's 10th anniversary with a 17-film look at some of... (New York Post -- Entertainment)
'Hostel: Part II': Gore Gore Girls, By Kurt Loder Jun 8, 2007
In a classic caper movie like the great "Rififi" or the nail-biting "Day of the Jackal" a viewer's pleasure lies in being presented with a series of seemingly insurmountable obstacles and then being shown precisely how those obstacles can be cleverly surmounted. In "Ocean's Thirteen," that bottom-line requirement is basically ignored. (VHI.com -- Music News)
DVD watch: Head for the 'Museum' Apr 24, 2007
Once-blacklisted director Jules Dassin had his second international heist hit (after Rififi) in this romp starring his then-wife, Melina Mercouri. Peter Ustinov won a surprise second Oscar in five years on top of one for 1960's Spartacus. (USA Today -- Life)
The Naked City Mar 19, 2007
1947 "cinema veritee" crime film now on DVD. It's about the density, sprawl and darkest edges of The Big Apple - though in truth, the apple's about the size of a cranberry. (Suite101.com)
'CROUPIER' (***) Jan 7, 2007
In the best ones from "Rififi" to "Ocean's Eleven" characterizations take a back seat to the twists and turns of the storyline. Not so with "Croupier," a little-seen caper from 2000 that spawned the career of a suave, fresh-faced chap by the name of Clive Owen. (Lodi News Sentinel, CA)
Rewind: Diamonds Are A Filmmaker's Best Friend Dec 5, 2006
"To Catch a Thief" (1955) Many more films center around diamond thievery the 1950 noir classic "The Asphalt Jungle," the French heist flick "Rififi" (1955), Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs" (1992), the 1999 Martin Lawrence comedy "Blue Streak," 1994's "Ice" (with the not-quite-Brangelina-level wattage of Traci Lords and Zach Galligan as married thieves), Steven Soderbergh's "Out of Sight" (1998) and "The Great Muppet Caper" (1981), to name just a few. But our favorite remains Alfred... (VHI.com -- Music News)
BRIAN HEATER Nov 2, 2006
Clubs like Rififi s, Mo Pitkin s, Pianos and even the Public Theater s upscale lounge, Joe s Pub, regularly host comedy nights, featuring standup names like Todd Barry, Mike Birbiglia and Eugene Mirman, alongside folks like Wain and Showalter, gaining massive popularity in a scene dominated by the traditional, two-drink-minimum establishments ... Mirman, who helped create Rififi s wildly popular weekly show, Invite Them Up, as well as the Sunday night comedy show at Brooklyn s Union Hall, sees... (New York Press)
SUSHIL CHEEMA Jul 20, 2006
In New York, the scene thrives among a close-knit community of performers who work a variety of venues like Galapagos, the Slipper Room and RiFiFi, a bar and performance space that is home to Starshine Burlesque. With its $5 admission fee and grassroots, homemade feel, this show remains one of the most popular. (New York Press)
'C is for Conspiracy' captivates cinema crowds Jul 5, 2006
The Dartmouth Online. Tuesday, July 4, 2006. (The Dartmouth Online, NH)
Kincharm charms, so he runs in winter May 1, 2006
The Nick Moraitis-owned Dream A Dream, a half-brother to stakeswinner Genius And Evil, will have his second start in the Franklins Supermarket Handicap, 1100m; Rififi will tackle the Parramatta Leagues Club Handicap, 1200m; and Commandments the A Royale Corporate, 1250m. Rififi was found to be heavily in season following her last-start flop at Warwick Farm when she finished second-last, more than 12 lengths from the winner, Marquise Star. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Sport)
Pacino Joins "Ocean's" Crew Apr 26, 2006
Secondary Navigation. By Josh Grossberg Tue Apr 25, 9:48 PM ET. (E! Online)
The art of the classic heist Mar 18, 2006
If only making a heist movie was as illegal as robbing a real bank. John Patterson hands out some sentences. (Guardian Unlimited)
Persuasive thriller focuses on crime (Gary Arnold) Feb 25, 2006
He had collaborated on the prison escape thriller "Le Trou" with Jacques Becker and the heist thriller "Rififi" with Jules Dassin. Perhaps past associations gave Mr. Giovanni more familiarity with criminal codes at their most ruthless, fatalistic and rueful. (Washington Times)
