The Big Risk (Classe tous risques) (1960)
-
100% of critics liked it
(18 reviews) -
80% of users liked it
(712 ratings)
A criminal on the run finds going home after a decade is harder than he expects in this drama from French filmmaker Claude Sautet. Gangster Abel Davos (Lino Ventura) is wanted for murder in France, and has been living underground in Italy for ten years. Since then, Abel has married Therese (Simone… More A criminal on the run finds going home after a decade is harder than he expects in this drama from French filmmaker Claude Sautet. Gangster Abel Davos (Lino Ventura) is wanted for murder in France, and has been living underground in Italy for ten years. Since then, Abel has married Therese (Simone France) and fathered two sons, and he's decided it's time to come home. Abel has planed an elaborate scheme in which he'll steal a fortune to finance his journey and head home with Therese and the boys, but little goes as planned, and he arrives in Paris without his wife and running from the law with two kids in tow. An underworld boss who owes Abel some favors helps him put together a plan to travel across France in an ambulance to avoid suspicion, and recruits a headstrong young gangster, Eric (Jean-Paul Belmondo), to serve as Abel's driver and right-hand-man. En route, Abel tries to settle some old score with criminal associates who betrayed him. Based on a novel by Jose Giovanni, Classe Tous Risques was the first feature film from Sautet, who previously had worked as an assistant director for some of France's most prestigious filmmakers. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Claude Sautet
- Genres
- Art House & International, Drama
- In Theaters
- Mar 23, 1960 Wide
- On DVD
- Jun 17, 2008
- Studio
- Rialto Pictures
Critic Reviews
-
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Doesn't quite rate lost-classic status, but it's done with a great deal of dexterity, intelligence and an appealing end-of-'50s cool.
-
John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press
The rerelease of Classe Tous Risques makes you wonder how many other movies this good got scuttled by the French new wave.
-
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
Even though the film isn't considered a rule-breaking classic, its straight face holds up quite nicely, thank you.
-
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
To come across Classe Tous Risques is like discovering a bottle of marvelous French wine you didn't remember you had, opening it and finding it every bit as delicious as its reputation promised.
-
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
A crisp, smart, cynical film about dishonor among thieves.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Featured Audience Ratings
Currently unavailable on Flixster
Also available on
Other Retailers
Subscription Services
Cast
-
Lino Ventura
as Abel Davos
-
Jean-Paul Belmondo
as Eric Stark
-
Sandra Milo
as Liliane
-
Jacques Dacqmine
as Blot
-
Claude Cerval
as Raoul Fargier
-
Marcel Dalio
as Arthur Gibelin
-
Bernard Dheran
as Blastone
- Dee "Queen Kong" Booher
- Cheung Lung
- Tong Tin Sze
-
Michel Ardan
as Riton Vintran