'Les caïds' (1972) AKA: The Big Shots / The Hell Below. - Robert Enrico.

Director Robert Enrico's gripping, twist-laden French 70s crime drama remains a thrillingly vivid exemplar of Gallic crime noir. Much like a refined vintage cognac, a great number of these enigmatic 70s French crime thrillers improve with age! This hard-boiled yarn successfully maintains a palpable tension all the way until its pulse-quickening climax. Including the compelling performances, and Roubaix's idiosyncratic score, I thought the shadow-steeped photography was excellent, and the talented director did a terrific job with the nervy heist itself. I admire doomy, existential crime thrillers, wherein the onus is on substance, rather than style, and grit, rather than quick to tarnish veneer. Avid petrol heads might care to note that legendary automotive daredevil Rémy Julienne provides the expert vehicular thrill-spillage. François de Roubaix's memorable themes complement the page-turning plot, earthy performances, and zesty action, with sublime elfin beauty Juliet Berto's sex appeal being a veritable force of nature! Robert Enrico's electric 'Les caïds' is a muscular, downbeat, briskly told, outstandingly well-made 70s policier that readily rewards repeated viewing.