Jules Dassin's classic noir, starring Jean Servais as master thief Tony le Stephanois. Recently released from jail, the aging Tony is reluctant to return to a life of crime until he discovers that his girlfriend has thrown him over for a rival gangster so agrees to attempt one last job. Together with three collaborators - young father Jo (Carl Mohner), boisterous Franco-Italian Mario (Robert Manuel) and sentimental Milanese safecracker Cesar (played by the director under the pseudonym of Perlo Vita) - Tony meticulously engineers his biggest heist yet: robbing the most heavily guarded jeweller in Paris. But when a rival gangster, Pierre Gruter (Marcel Lupovici) finds out about their haul, he stakes a claim to a cut of the take in a most persuasive manner. The film is best known for its celebrated half-hour silent robbery sequence.
