Du rififi à Paname (1966)
Directed by Denys de La Patellière

Film Review

Despite its slick presentation and solid acting performances, Du rififi à Paname is a difficult film to like.  The heavy plotting and uninspired direction render its complex plot incomprehensible in some places, and shamelessly pedestrian in others.  Although the film looks good on the surface, it a challenge for the spectator to stay interested in the drama.  This kind of film - a gangster film in the classic American mould of the 1940s - was very popular in France in the mid 1960s. At that time, mainstream French cinema audiences were being seduced by lavish American productions, and so would have appreciated this film's stylish production values.

Film Synopsis

Paul Berger, known to his associates as Paulo les Diams, runs a highly lucrative gold smuggling operation between Paris, Munich and Tokyo with his old friend Walter, a former antiques dealer.  To minimise the risk of discovery, Paul only employs honest-looking couriers who have no criminal record.  This is why he takes on Jim Thompson, an American journalist desperate for cash.  What Paul does not know is that Thompson is in fact a CIA agent who is investigating the illegal importation of guns into Cuba.  From his sources, it appears that Paul's gang may be implicated.  It is Thompson who saves Paul's life when he is attacked by rival gangster Mario.  As, one by one, Paul's trafficking partners are eliminated by Mario, Paul becomes increasingly determined to have his revenge...