Reviewed by Jackson

When I think French cinema, the first things that come to mind are the auteur movement and existentialism.  There is nothing wrong with focusing on those two areas; not only are they the most prominent to American audiences, but many great, important films have indeed flowed forth from one or both.  Claude Sautet’s Classe Tous Risques, however, shatters the preconception that those movements are all there is to French cinema within its opening sequences.

Classe Tous Risques is the story of one man’s downfall masquerading as a gangster movie.  Lino Ventura plays Abel Davos, a French crime kingpin who’s been on the run for nearly ten years.  Despite the death sentence hanging over his head, he sneaks back into France with his family when the pressure from the authorities grows too hot in Milan.  After his wife is killed in a beach shootout, Davos calls his cronies in Paris to pick him up in an ambulance to shuttle him and his two young boys past all the roadblocks.  But his former partners refuse to take the same risks he used to take for them, instead sending loner thief Eric Stark (Jean-Paul Belmondo).  Stark and Davos form an instant friendship, but even Eric’s help once they arrive in Paris is not enough to stave off Abel’s inevitable fate—a fact Davos himself soon comes to realize.

Jose Giovanni’s script (based on a story told to him during his own time on death row) is thoroughly engrossing, exploring the humanity of these criminals instead of focusing on their acts.  Davos’s familial relationships win the audience’s immediate sympathy, irregardless of the crimes he may have committed in the past and soon does commit on screen.  Although one always has the sense that the end is near for Davos, how or when is a taut mystery waiting to explode but expertly concealed.

Ventura and Belmondo both give stellar performances, filled with nuance and subtlety.  They both communicate volumes with the minutest of actions; its impossible to imagine the film working with lesser actors.  Belmondo (whose leap to stardom in Breathless had occurred just a few weeks prior to the release of Classe) in particular has unbelievable screen presence, commanding the screen whenever he is on it.  The rest of the cast doesn’t disappoint, either.  All in all, the acting is excellent throughout.

Sautet manages all of these elements with a masterful hand.  His direction is brilliant, uniting the screenplay and fine acting with perfect pacing and beautiful cinematography that neither feels too stylized or too realistic.  Even when the on screen events take chaotic turns, he never loses track of the important character relationships; if anything, they shine stronger in those situations in which a director with a less deft touch would lose them altogether.

Quite simply, Classe Tous Risques is an excellent film that has for too long been overlooked.  It is the work of an auteur without being the work of an auteur.

Video / Audio / Extras

Wow!  The film looks and sounds likes it was produced yesterday, with an absolutely beautiful 1.66:1 black-and-white video transfer and Dolby Digital mono audio (French with optional English subtitles).  Even for the Criterion Collection, this is a stunning release.

Extras includes the standard Criterion booklet of essays and commentary, two featurettes (one on director Sautet, the other with writer Giovanni about the movie, interview segments with Ventura, and the original French and US trailers.  The featurettes and interviews are both interesting and informative, and nicely produced to boot.  Watching the two excellently restored trailers is particularly fun, providing one the opportunity to compare and contrast the marketing for the different audiences… and hence the audiences themselves.

Final Words

An excellent film that redefines one’s preconceptions of French cinema.