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The Wise Guys

The Wise Guys (Les Grandes Gueules)

Movie · 1965 · 15 people

The Wise Guys (French: Les Grandes Gueules; released on U.S. video as Jailbirds' Vacation) is a 1965 French-Italian co-production directed by Robert Enrico. Adapted from José Giovanni's novel Le Haut-Fer, it is a drama that mixes adventure and action with a social backdrop. Enrico and Giovanni share the screenplay credit, and the running time is 125 minutes.

The story concerns a man trying to get his family's long-idle sawmill back into production. Competitors resist him with violence, and the man he trusts most betrays him. The film pairs two popular figures of French cinema, Bourvil and Lino Ventura, with Michel Constantin, Marie Dubois, Jess Hahn, Michel Charrel, Paul Crauchet and François Vibert in the supporting cast.

Although it opened alongside major French and international productions, the film found a wide audience: about 4 million people saw it on its first run in France, and it ranked eighth at the French box office for 1965. It is known as Die großen Schnauzen in Germany and Los rufianes in Spanish, while Russian audiences have known it as Lesoruby, Gorlopany and Krikuny.

DirectorRobert Enrico

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Cast

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Jess Hahn Jess Hahn Actor · died at 76 Michel Charrel Michel Charrel Film actor · died at 89 Bourvil Lino Ventura Michel Constantin Marie Dubois François Vibert Georges Guéret Hénia Suchar Henri Czarniak Jean-Claude Rolland Marc Eyraud Marcel Bernier Marcel Pérès Paul Crauchet

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Through different eyes

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

Don't expect heists or chases here; this is a drama that turns hard-edged as rivals answer with violence and a betrayal lands. The action is there, but it is woven into the story rather than staged as spectacle. The stakes are clear: getting a family business back on its feet. It is a long film, though, and it builds tension patiently; if you want a fast adventure, be ready to wait.

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

At the heart of the film is a man's effort to bring his family's long-idle sawmill back into production, a story about keeping an inheritance alive and about independence earned through work. The violent resistance of competitors gives a sense of how exposed a small business can be to economic rivalry. Calling it a drama with a social backdrop is apt. That about 4 million people in France took to the story on its first run suggests that its themes of labour, trust and betrayal struck a chord with audiences of the day.

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

Robert Enrico co-writing the screenplay with the novel's author, José Giovanni, positions the film as an adaptation that stays close to its source. The most striking choice is the casting: Bourvil and Lino Ventura were two popular faces of French cinema at the time, and pairing them builds the film on star power as well. On the other hand, blending drama, adventure and action over a social backdrop risks an uneven tone in places, and the long running time can make that unevenness more visible. Interesting for those who enjoy a film that moves freely between genres; it may look scattered to anyone expecting a tight, single-toned story.

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

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