Biyograficim
Classe tous risques

Classe tous risques

Movie · 1960 · 4 people

The 1960 French-Italian gangster film Classe tous risques was directed by Claude Sautet. It opened in France on March 23, 1960, and adapts José Giovanni's novel of the same name; Giovanni, Sautet and Pascal Jardin wrote the screenplay together. Lino Ventura, Jean-Paul Belmondo and Sandra Milo star. In the United States it was released as The Big Risk, and its title also puns on the French "Classe Touriste" (economy class).

The story follows the French mobster Abel Davos (Lino Ventura), a fugitive living with his family, as he tries to slip back from Italy into France with the police on his trail. Reaching Paris by way of Marseille, he has to face his old gang, drawn as cowards who break their word and unwilling to help. The one person who helps without asking for anything in return is Eric Stark (Belmondo), a young criminal he has only just met.

The character draws on the last years on the run of a real fugitive, Abel Danos. In the film Davos is shown as a loving, attentive father, and why he is wanted is never explained. Overshadowed by the French New Wave on release, the film is now widely considered a masterpiece and influenced French cinema, especially the later work of Jean-Pierre Melville. It runs 104 minutes.

DirectorClaude Sautet

Reactions

You can pick up to 3 reactions.

Cast

Only cast members with a profile on this site are listed.

Jean-Paul Belmondo Jean-Paul Belmondo Film actor · died at 88 Claude Cerval Actor · died at 51 Jeanne Pérez Jeanne Pérez Actor · died at 80 Laure Paillette Laure Paillette Film actor · died at 71

Titles sharing this cast

More from this director

Through different eyes

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Overshadowed by the New Wave on release, Claude Sautet's gangster film now looks like one of the genre's most mature works. Its strength lies less in the glamour of crime than in the exhaustion of running. Never explaining why Abel Davos is wanted is a smart script decision that shifts attention from the crime to the man and the disloyalty around him. The balance between Lino Ventura's heavy, inward performance and Belmondo's selfless friendship carries the film. Its influence on Melville's later work is no surprise. Viewers expecting genre speed may find the pace slow at times, but the weight is deliberate.

Yeşilçam Nostalgic A viewer raised on the classics, looking for warm storytelling and strong acting.

What I love most in old gangster pictures is that even an outlaw has a heart. Classe tous risques does exactly that, presenting a fugitive as a tender, attentive father. A young stranger who helps him expecting nothing in return, while his old friends turn their backs, gives the story that familiar moral warmth. Lino Ventura's quiet gravity recalls the dignified father figures of Yeşilçam. Even so, staying this close to a criminal's story may not sit equally easily with every viewer's conscience.

Action & Thriller Fan Puts pace, tension and set pieces first; little patience for slow drama.

If 'gangster film' means shootouts and chases to you, this one may keep you waiting. The run from Italy through Marseille to Paris is tense, with the police always on his heels. But the real question is not action, it is who can be trusted. Belmondo's arrival gives the film a jolt of energy. A little slow if you want speed; solid tension if you are patient.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

Reviews (0)

Log in Log in to write a review.

Comments