"Razzia Sur La Chnouf" purports to be a documentary-like exposé of the drug trade in 1950's France. However, given that nobody involved in making the film has actually been - I assume - part of a drug ring in their lives, what it ends up being is a regurgitation of standard movie tropes and clichés about such organizations. Furthermore, the big "plot twist" at the end of the movie is blatantly obvious from the first few frames. Gabin's "romance" with a girl more than half his age is unbelievable, to put it kindly. The most notable feature of the film is a young Lino Ventura, impressive as a killer-for-hire; his death scene recalls to mind "Scarface"! **1/2 out of 4.
Review of Razzia
