Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!

Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Candida It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

appledoreman Ruthless, cold-hearted individuals killing randomly then going on the run does not, of itself, make for authentic Film Noir, in my opinion. Dark, yes, violent, certainly, but where is the characterisation, the inbuilt conscience that would give the excessive violence some sort of moral standpoint? Unfortunately, this approach is all too typical of French Noir. Perhaps the movie needed a Jean Gabin to inject some reality into the action. Lino Ventura, for all his screen presence, is no substitute.Ultimately, despite everyone trying very hard, this movie is no more than routine.

Martin Bradley Both Bresson and Melville are reputed to be big fans of "Classe Tous Risques" and it's easy to see why; either man could have directed this classic French gangster picture. The actual director was Claude Sautet and it's one of the greatest second films in movie history, (in the 15 year period between 1956 and 1970 Sautet made only 4 films). He made this one in 1960 around the time of the New Wave and while it's more traditional than something Godard or Truffaut might have done, nevertheless Sautet brings to it a freshness of approach that other gangster pictures of the period seem to lack. From the absolutely stunning opening sequence it's clear that this film will be infused with a good dose of existential angst as well as the requisite thrills that a really good gangster movie needs.Two fugitives, (Lino Ventura and Stan Krol), have decided it's time to get out of Italy and back to France as the net closes in around them but they need money. They commit a foolhardy, though daring, daylight robbery and go on the run. This opening and the chase that follows is as good as anything in crime movies. The money they make, however, is hardly enough to sustain them, (Ventura has a wife and two sons to support), so they must rely on a network of friends and criminal associates and men on the run, already operating on the very edge, need all the friends they can get, however untrustworthy they may be and these guys friends prove to be very untrustworthy indeed but when tragedy strikes Ventura seems to have no option.With the possible exceptions of Dassin's "Rififi" and several of Jean-Pierre Melville's classic gangster pictures this remains one of the greatest of genre films and is all the better for being, fundamentally, a low-key character piece. Ventura is perfect as the world-weary thief who would really rather just settle down and raise his family and he is matched by a young Jean-Paul Belmondo as the stranger who becomes his only real friend and ally. The brilliant black and white cinematography is by Ghislain Cloquet, (it was shot largely on location), and it is beautifully adapted by Sautet, Pascal Jardin and Jose Giovanni from Giovanni's novel.

writers_reign Before he began turning out chamber pieces like Un Coeur en hiver director Sautet was turning out polars and policiers with equal facility and this is one of them. Not exactly prolific - he made this in 1960, waited til 1965 to do something else and then, in 1970, came The Things Of Life, the one that made him an International Player. Three films in ten years. On the other hand second lead Jean-Paul Belmondo was here making his second film in one year; the other one was Brainless for Godard, and here he shows what he can do when there is a REAL director behind the camera. It is, of course, Lino Ventura who carries every frame with his usual reliability. Marcel Dalio was billed prominently but had little more than a cameo but again Dalio is old school and doesn't do mediocre. There are traces of Ventura's debut entry Toucez pas la grisbi about this one, I'm thinking especially of the 'loyalty' aspects and the detail of underworld life. Let down by the abrupt ending as if all concerned had run out of ideas and wanted to move on to the next job.

Dziga7 I saw this film at Telluride Film Festival in 1997, where one of the screenwriters, José Giovanni, was being honored. It ranks highly as a great noir-crime-drama, incredible performances by Belmondo and Lino Ventura. The attention given to every character, and complex psychological portrayals, detailing loyalty, treachery, love, and hope, are tremendous. It is an excellent drama, an excellent thriller, and an excellent film. Up there with the best of Melville. (The title in English 'Class all risk,' in French 'Classe tous risques' is word-play on 'Classe Touriste,' meaning 'Tourist Class'.