Touchez paz au grifi
Director– Jacques Becker
Starring – Jean Gabin, René Dary, Marilyn Buferd
Released by: Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Country of Origin - France
Number of Discs - 1
Reviewed by - David Steigman
Date- 10/14/2019
Touchez Pas Au Grisbi aka Don’t Touch the Loot is a 1964 French crime film that stars Jean Gabin (Port of Shadows) in a similar hard-hitting role that many fans of his films are accustomed to with the great actor. The film is based on the novel by Albert Simonin and is the first of the Max le Menteur trilogy; the other two films are Le cave se Rebiffe and Les Tontons Flingueurs.
The story of Touchez Pas Au Grisbi is the tale of greed and betrayal. Max (Gabin) and is best friend Riton (Rene Dary, Les Risques du métier) have pulled off an unbelievable heist where they stole eight gold bars and are now ready to retire. To his chagrin, Max is forced to come out of retirement when his best friend is kidnapped during a double-cross with other gangsters led by Angelo (Lino Ventura, Classe Tous Risques). Angelo, aware that Max has stolen gold bars, wants to make a deal with him. In exchange for Riton, the kidnappers want those same eight stolen gold bars demanded as ransom. Max has to devise a way to save his friend and avoid being killed in the process. And of course, he’s rather not part ways with his money, but he has to save his best friend. As expected the plan to trade Riton for the loot doesn’t come without violent repercussions, as a major gunfight ensues, leaving a path of death behind.
Touchez Pas Au Grisbi is another outstanding film starring Jean Gabin who leads the way as tough guy Max. The other cast members also hand in excellent performances, and not just with the spoken lines; the facial expressions showing pain, fear among other emotions are first class. The film is highly atmospheric, with a strong story, and excellent direction by director Jacques Becker. He works his film at a steady pace with a slam bang unforgettable payoff in the finale.
Kino Lorber presents Touchez Pas Au Grisbi on Blu-ray and is an upgrade over the previous DVD releases. The black and white image, presented in its original aspect ratio of 1:33:1 looks crisp, and polished with a balanced grey scale, without any distortions, defects or debris to spoil the viewing experience. The higher contrast boots the image brightness and its sharpness showing more depth and detail to the image. Film grain is present throughout. It’s simply a pleasure to watch this film in high-definition!
The lone audio track is French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. The dialog comes in flawlessly and gunshots, among other action sounds do come in more aggressively as is the case with most of the releases. Optional English subtitles are provided for the film as well.
There is a substantial amount of extras provided to make this an even better package.
The Blu-ray release features audio commentary by critic Nick Pinkerton (he also did a commentary for Razzia sur la Chnouf), who is a fan of Jacques Becker and of this film in particular has plenty to say about it. As with all commentaries there are some back stories, behind the scenes information about the cast and crew. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Kino Lorber and is a must listen.
On top of that, there is still more great featurettes. Interview with Jean Becker is a discussion with Jean Becker, son of director Jacques Becker, who talks about in great length the production history of Touchez Pas au Grisbi, the film's style and atmospheric feel, Jean Gabin's incredible performance, and the impact his father had on his life and career. The interview was conducted for StudioCanal and is in French, with English subtitles. Interview with Jeanne Moreau is an archival video interview where the fine actress recalls working with director Jacques Becker and discusses her contributions to the film In French, with English subtitles.
Interview with Ginette Vincendeau is a featurette where Ginette Vincendeau discusses Albert Simonin's novel that inspired Jacques Becker to do a film version of Touchez Pas au Grisbi. This interview is in English, without subtitles.
There is a French trailer for Touchez Pas au Grisbi along with several more trailers other Kino Lorber releases. Trailers include Port of Shadows, Razzia sur la chnouf, Maigret Sets a Trap, Maigret and the St. Fiacre Case, and The Sicilian Clan.
As with the other French films that Kino Lorber has given us Blu-ray releases for, Touchez Pas au Grisbi is a top notch release and a pleasure to watch, not just for the film, but all the featurettes and the superior audio and video quality. Easily a high recommendation!
