The Big Risk (1960)

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Disappointment for a huge fan!

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Both Bresson and Melville are reputed to be big fans of "Classe Tous Risques" and it's easy to see why; either man could have directed this classic French gangster picture. The actual director was Claude Sautet and it's one of the greatest second films in movie history, (in the 15 year period between 1956 and 1970 Sautet made only 4 films). He made this one in 1960 around the time of the New Wave and while it's more traditional than something Godard or Truffaut might have done, nevertheless Sautet brings to it a freshness of approach that other gangster pictures of the period seem to lack. From the absolutely stunning opening sequence it's clear that this film will be infused with a good dose of existential angst as well as the requisite thrills that a really good gangster movie needs.Two fugitives, (Lino Ventura and Stan Krol), have decided it's time to get out of Italy and back to France as the net closes in around them but they need money. They commit a foolhardy, though daring, daylight robbery and go on the run. This opening and the chase that follows is as good as anything in crime movies. The money they make, however, is hardly enough to sustain them, (Ventura has a wife and two sons to support), so they must rely on a network of friends and criminal associates and men on the run, already operating on the very edge, need all the friends they can get, however untrustworthy they may be and these guys friends prove to be very untrustworthy indeed but when tragedy strikes Ventura seems to have no option.With the possible exceptions of Dassin's "Rififi" and several of Jean-Pierre Melville's classic gangster pictures this remains one of the greatest of genre films and is all the better for being, fundamentally, a low-key character piece. Ventura is perfect as the world-weary thief who would really rather just settle down and raise his family and he is matched by a young Jean-Paul Belmondo as the stranger who becomes his only real friend and ally. The brilliant black and white cinematography is by Ghislain Cloquet, (it was shot largely on location), and it is beautifully adapted by Sautet, Pascal Jardin and Jose Giovanni from Giovanni's novel.

A film reduced to its essentials (photographed images in sequence) to portray the dawn and dusk of two stoical gangsters that are also human beings. Milan, Nice, Paris, a journey from exile to tragedy, the disloyalty of old partners, a total stranger that becomes the younger image in the mirror, a new friendship---in Sautet hands, all of these human happenings are conveyed not by words but by the power of images, expressions, action, angles, movement, gestures, moments. Sautet belongs to the same league of Melville, Bresson and other masters of the craft of putting together "pictures in motion"."Less is more". Minimalism assumes that the moviegoer is a human being too, s/he interprets, reflects, makes sense and finds meanings. No distractions and full advantage of the cinematic form: images, sound, edition. Not everything has to be shown or explained. Less words and less information demand for the viewer to fill in the blanks, an active role that might be hard to take. But once the watcher accepts the challenge, the outcome is a tailor-made experience---he is not a passive watcher anymore.

they robbed couriers in the Italian cities, but those robberies were quick and confusing to the pedestrians, so why the laws so easily identified these two culprits and so certain that those crimes were committed by these two criminals? when they emerged from the subway entrance, got into a car and drove away, why they had to drive so fast to get away? there's nobody identified them yet. when Raymond hijacked a car in the border town and his partner met him on the road, why they didn't drive away in their first car and had to switch to the hot car just hijacked a moment ago? there were so many illogic arrangements of the scenarios, simply so readily convenient to serve the going of the storyline. by quick tempo, unpredictable incidents happened one after another, it so easily to fool the viewers without any hard trying to convince them with creditability. a professional criminal with a wife and two kids on the run with a die-hard partner is indeed quite dramatically interesting, but all the unnecessary twists are just too unnatural and contrived to be accepted by a viewer with basic reasoning. the film used a lot of chain reactions to serve the upcoming incidents one after another, but not tried hard to develop the characters from the very beginning to the end, only by patching up many pieces of the incidents on the quilt cover without any solid insulation materials inside the quilt. watchable, but not as great as many viewers' high praises.

This is a Black and White film from France,Simple plot, gangster on the run seeking & getting help etc. We have seen this type film many times over the years. What makes this film different are mainly its acting & style. All the actors perform quietly,No one yells & hardly anyone loses his temper. There are quite a few deaths, some surprising. There are beautiful women as well, but no sex scenes. No car chases either.JUST talking/ It is so refreshing to listen to people talk, & here we must read subtitles as well.The acting is near perfect by all. especially the lead played by Lino Ventura & in a smaller BUT vital role Jean Paul Belmondo. These 2 actors were among the best.I said above the film is flawed, There are a few script deficiencies in few spots, They are minor,The acting is the thing in this movie. Production is first rate as well.Ratings: *** (out of 4) 88 points (out of 100) IMDb 8 (out of 10)