Henri Verneuil must have really loved Kubrick's The Killing, and this contemporary caper apes it amicably while adding its own unique (and French) spin. Alain Delon and Jean Gabin join forces to rob a Cannes casino, but after 80 minutes of meticulous planning and clockwork execution, the little issue of how to abscond with the loot rears its head. Great dialogue and a taut, deftly-plotted story make this a classic that, oddly, few seem to have seen.

Aka Mélodie en sous-sol.