Le cave se rebiffe

'Touchez-pas au Grisbi' was the first in the Max le Menteur trilogy of Albert Simonin. The film under review is the second and 'Les Tontons Flingueurs' the third. All three adaptations have dialogue by the great Michel Audiard. This is the eighth collaboration of director Gilles Grangier with the irrepressible Jean Gabin whose career had been revitalised by 'Grisbi' in 1956. He has here one of his best roles of the 1960's as a master counterfeiter.There is tremendous support from Bernard Blier, Frank Villard, Balpetre, Martine Carol, Ginette Leclerc and the imperious Francoise Rosay. It is Gabin who is gifted the best lines notably 'the greatest failed businesses are built on trust'! Extremely entertaining with never a dull moment. Comedy is a serious business of course but I would like to think that the cast had as much fun in making this film as I had in watching it.

Very good ganster comedy by Gilles Grangier, the craftsman of French cinema, certainly one of his best films. Disregarded by the authors of the new wave, the one who made "daddy's cinema" deserves better than his reputation. The story and the staging are certainly classic, and a bit dated by the time the movie was made in 1960, but we spend a very good time in the company of these magnificent crooks interpreted by Jean Gabin and Bernard Blier. These two actors have no equal when it comes to interpreting Audiard's superb dialogues that you absolutely must appreciate in the original version. And the views of Paris are just superb...

Interesting piece of French cinema, with "monstre sacré" Jean Gabin and famously acid dialogues by Michel Audiart.

The story is actually quite interesting and the era so foreign so this reviewer was actually metaphorically glued to their seat.

The White male characters are unfortunately first class condescendant towards minorities and women but this only sadly reflects the time and history of Western privilege.

In a nutshell: excellent and enjoyable stand alone part II in a trilogy with Master Liar Max the Trickster (personal free translation of Max le Menteur).

A review in 600 characters.

Yet another vision of these counterfeiters of Paris. But the film does have its moments.

The dialogue is one thing, penned here by Michel Audiard, but with Jean Gabin doing his late-career thing: his performance is so predictable it's almost embarrassing. If we strip away Jean Gabin's tics and schematisms, the rest of the cast is superb and more subtle, and well served by Gilles Grangier's dialogue and direction.

One of the pleasures of the film is to see each of the parties make the other believe in an ensemble that is a festival of liars. Jean Gabin, the cellar-dweller, Bernard Blier and his clan, the operating principle of the plot is the lies they all practice.

What's disturbing here is the misogyny and phallocracy, which seems anachronistic today, but which dates the film furiously, very ridiculous in view of the society of the 2020s, to which we can add alcohol and cigarettes, present at all times, as well as racism (Jean Gabin's reaction to savage music). Women are tools, at the stove or sex objects.

Someone made me discovered this film emphasizing on the beautiful dialogs and the strong performance of Mr Jean Gabin. Being a huge fan of the film makers next greater success' "les tontons flingueurs", I was not reluctant at all to watch this movie. These aging gangster movies play with the morals of that earlier time. Subsequently it's OK to cheat on your husband and to have your house in a former "bordel" and of course all your long time friends are geniuses in the world of crime. The viewer enjoys a nice feeling of coolness and simplicity watching the actors displaying their lives. The introduction to the characters is also very interesting, allowing Mr Gabin a honorable entry in the plot. And of course each character has his own memorable quotes : *[...] and if I went on with psychoanalysis, I'd say he's the king of fools!". * "- In pure theory how much could we hope for with that counterfeit? - 20 years! Profit splits, imprisonment adds up" I would not want to finish this review without raising my hat to Bernard Blier, a huge "supporting actor with the charisma of a main character". His nonchalant act is great and honest. He belongs to the few artists who know how to catch your attention with an indescribable magnetism. Hope you enjoy it too.