The story starts with Max (Jean Gabin), an aging gangster with dreams of retiring from the criminal underworld that he has lived in for so long. He is accompanied by his longtime partner in crime Riton (Rene Dary) , the vain and insecure womanizer who unlike Max doesn't' seem to be slowing down anytime soon from his gangster lifestyle.
It was not until Max showed Riton the club they were in that they should retire while they were ahead, the place was full of old timers like them already past their prime. All of them old, outdated and looked ridiculous still living the playboy image and lifestyle they once had in their youth dancing with young showgirls old enough to be their grand daughters. It is in this club where we meet Pierrot aka Fats (Paul Frankeur) the owner of the club and the drug dealer Angelo (Lino Ventura) who both looked equally formidable. It is also here where we meet the two showgirls Lola (Dora Doll) and Josy (Jeanne Moreau ) whom they were both dating. As Max was about to leave he stumbles upon Angelo and Josy who were all over each other. This disturbed Max because Josy is also dating his friend Riton, Josy pleads with Max not to tell Riton even to the point where she offered herself to him. The disgusted Max refuses and leaves but does not tell Riton which would be his biggest mistake.
As he returns to his apartment he soon finds out that he was tailed by two men that he manages to scare away, this is when he realized Angelo's involvement and the fatal mistake Riton made in telling Josy of the stashed golden bars that they stole years ago in an airport.
Max immediately phones Riton and informs him to leave his apartment right away, Max's suspicion is confirmed as Angelo is already at Riton's apartment with another henchman ready to pounce on the naive Riton. As Riton meets Max they make their way into a secret apartment that Max owns, he reveals the golden bars is inside an expensive automobile that Max also owned hoping to pass time and sell the bars after the heat is gone. But Max knows he doesn't have much time as he knows Angelo will do whatever is necessary to take the bars from him, it now starts as a race against time for Max to sell the golden bars to his Uncle Oscar or risk losing it to Angelo or the local authorities.
But Riton ever the reckless and naive sidekick ignores the dangers and leaves the safety of the hidden apartment and goes back to his own place only to be jumped by Angelo and his men and driven off to an undisclosed location.
Max arrives and phones Riton's place only to realize that he has finally been taken by Angelo as given away by the mumbling voice of the Bellboy.
The character of Max played brilliantly by Gabin shows age and wisdom, he knows his days living the life he's known most his life is done. Unlike the old relics surrounding him he knows that their time is over, ruthless men like Angelo are not like them who were bound by code of honor but by greed and brute force. He also shows his boundless code of loyalty to his friend as it is common for gangsters on French Crime Thrillers, he will do whatever he can to save the bumbling Riton even if it means losing the loot or his own life. Some might interpret them as having a homosexual relationship but they're really more like Father and son, Max sees himself as the only man who can take care of his friend even sharing his pajamas when they spent the night at his apartment.
The character of Angelo meanwhile echoes the gangster Sollozzo in "The Godfather", both men challenge the moral code of the underworld. They represent the new breed of gangsters who rely on cunning and violence to get what they want, the old guard in the meantime will try to maintain order and battle the young turks who are trying to stake their claim and create their own legacy at their expense.
The central theme of the story is probably more about the mortality of men like Max who has probably seen more than their own share of heists and violence, Gabin was able to project a regal toughness and sensitivity despite his age. He's a man who can also be sensitive and charming and we often see him flirting with most of the women in the film but despite his regal and dapper demeanor his mean streak cannot be denied. He shows his dark side when he slaps the hell out of Josy who told Angelo about the golden bars, he even violently slaps the bellboy who helped Angelo in Riton's kidnapping.
Only hardened gangsters would know this kind of detail and deal with them appropriately, he slaps them like children not to hurt physically but to let them know that this will not be tolerated and the next treachery on their part will be fatal.
The coolest scene on the film is the bloody showdown on the highway, seeing
Max wielding an automatic blasting his opponents is electrifying paying homage to the classic American gangster films of the 1930's.
Becker who was an assistant of the great French Director Jean Renoir blazes the trail for future film noir, gangster, heist films to follow similar to this film. His blending of all the said genres helped breath life to French New Wave and Jean-Pierre Melville's gangster films that had similar styles and concept. Clearly a masterpiece of this genre "Touchez Pas au Grisbi" is a must see film.
Grade: A+
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