Out of prison after a five-year stretch, jewel thief Tony turns down a quick job his friend Jo offers him, until he discovers that his old girlfriend Mado has become the lover of local gangster Pierre Grutter during Tony's absence. Expanding a minor smash-and-grab into a full-scale jewel heist, Tony and his crew appear to get away clean, but their actions after the job is completed threaten the lives of everyone involved.
This is perhaps the keenest crime film that ever came from France, including Pepe le Moko and some of the best of Louis Jouvet and Jean Gabin.
– Bosley Crowther,
New York Times,
20 May 2003
rotten:
Actually rather overrated, lacking the tension, profundity, and vivid characterisation of similar films.
– Geoff Andrew,
Time Out,
26 Jan 2006
fresh:
A familiar but effective parable of honor among thieves.
– Jonathan Rosenbaum,
Chicago Reader,
30 Oct 2007
rotten:
The film turns moralistic and sour in the last half, when the thieves fall out.
– Dave Kehr,
Chicago Reader,
30 Oct 2007
fresh:
It took an experienced US director, Jules Dassin, who has lived in France some years, to give the French gangster pic the proper tension, mounting and treatment. This pic has something intrinsically Gallic without sacrificing the rugged storytelling.