Any Number Can Win

A heist film. Charles comes out of prison. He is old, calm, and lives with his wife in a suburban house. He has a plan. The vault of a casino in Cannes and a night's takings inside it. He cannot do it alone. He goes to the address of a young man he knew inside. Francis is young and conspicuous. He dresses expensively, talks fast, and is exactly the wrong type. He is taken on anyway. A brother-in-law is brought in as well. From there the film is a story of preparation. A hotel room, a lift shaft, an air duct, calculations of timing and a rehearsal. Francis goes into the casino as a customer. He behaves like a rich young man, gets close to one of the dancers, and maps the interior. Charles waits outside. The two are never seen together. What the narrative is interested in is not money but caution: Charles calculates every step, and the film's tension comes from a young man not fitting the calculation. The framing and the light are the film's character. Black and white, hard shadows, closed spaces; even the casino scenes are cold. The ending takes place at a swimming pool and is counted among the most remembered closings in cinema. A bag, a surface of water, and two men watching, able to do nothing. Jean Gabin, Alain Delon and Viviane Romance are in the cast. Henri Verneuil directed. Who it is for: anyone who likes classical French crime films and patiently built robberies. Who it is not for: anyone expecting action; the film is almost entirely preparation and waiting.