My 150 Favorite Movies - #91

Rififi (1955)

Jules Dassin was blacklisted from Hollywood when he received an offer to direct a small French film, Rififi, based on a novel by Auguste Le Breton. Using no stars, and minimal budget, he created a classic of French film noir.  The 30-minute heist that is the centerpiece of the film was filmed using only ambient sound, and proved very influential, not only to other filmmakers, but also to real-life criminals, who used the plan for crimes of their own. Dassin won Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival that year, and the film won Best Foreign Film by the National Board of Review.