Le Clan des Siciliens (1969)
Directed by Henri Verneuil

Film Review

One of the most popular and slickest French crime thrillers of the 1960s, Le Clan des Siciliens owes its enduring popularity to the fact that it brings together three giants of French cinema: Jean Gabin, Alain Delon and Lino Ventura. Director Henri Verneuil had previously pulled off the casting coup of uniting Gabin and Delon in Mélodie en sous-sol (1963), but here he had an even greater challenge, juggling not two but three acting heavyweights.  The film works because each of the three leads is cast according to type.  Gabin is ensconced in his habitual gangster-patriarch role, a precursor to Marlon Brando's Don Corleone in The Godfather (1971).  Delon is once again the cold-blooded, trenchcoat wearing hoodlum, a virtual reprise of his portrayal in Le Samouraï (1967).  And Ventura is the no-nonsense, hard-as-nails law enforcer who looks as if he may have gradated from the Harry Callahan school of charm and diplomacy.  It's an unbeatable cast line-up and the performances are faultless - no wonder the film is a classic of French cinema.

Henri Verneuil directed many superb thrillers in the 1960s and 1970s, following the example of his American counterparts by including more graphic physical violence and more ambitious action sequences, breaking with the sedate character-centric thrillers of the past.  Le Clan des Siciliens is arguably Verneuil's best thriller, combining the nail-biting suspense of Hitchcock's films with the directorial panache of Jean-Pierre Melville (widely acknowledged as the master of the French gangster film). The meticulously plotted escape sequence at the start of the film and the jewel robbery in the latter part of the film have a distinctly Melville-esque aura about them, but they can also be seen as a tribute to that other great heist movie, Du rififi chez les hommes (1955).  For this film, composer Ennio Morricone created one of his most memorable and unsettling film scores, a discordant spaghetti western theme that reminds us that gangster films are really no more than westerns without horses.  Henri Decae's lush cinematography and some skilful editing make this Verneuil's most visually striking and suspenseful film.  With its stunning production values and knock-out performances from the three hard men of French cinema, it is no wonder that Le Clan des Siciliens was a box office smash, attracting an audience of almost 5 million.

Film Synopsis

The Malanese family are one of Italy's most notorious criminal gangs, better know as the Sicilian Clan.  Their latest criminal exploit will be the theft of a valuable collection of jewels as it is being shipped by air from Paris to New York.  A crucial ally in the plan is the ruthless killer Roger Sartet, who is now in police custody and is about to be transferred to a secure prison.  With the connivance of the Malaneses, Sartet is able to escape from the armoured van that is transporting him to his new place of incarceration.  He shows his gratitude by going along with the gangsters' meticulously laid plans, which require him to pose as the diamond merchant overseeing the safe delivery of the jewels.  Tony Nicosia, a notable American hoodlum, is also recruited by the Malanese clan to assist in their scheme. 

Meanwhile, Superintendent Le Goff is leading the hunt for the recapture of Sartet when he gets wind of the jewel robbery and sets out to try to thwart it.  His attempt fails dismally.  Before the plane carrying the jewels can reach its destination, Sartet forces the pilot to land it on a motorway not far from New York, just in time for the gang's American associates to show up and help themselves to the valuable cargo.  When the gang leader Vittorio Manalese learns that Sartet has become romantically involved with his daughter Jeanne he is far from pleased.  Once Manalese had dealt with Sartet he and his gang find themselves up against a far more serious threat.  Le Goff is hot on the trail of the Sicilian Clan, and is more determined than ever to bring them to justice...