Any Number Can Win (1963)

Film Overview
"Any Number Can Win" is a 1963 police procedural movie directed by Henri Verneuil and starring Jean Gabin and Alain Delon. The movie showcases the complex planning and execution of a gambling establishment heist in the French Riviera. Alain Delon is a young, daring criminal, while Jean Gabin plays an older, experienced yet mindful bad guy who gets out of prison after serving 5 years for a break-in gone wrong.

Plot Summary
As the film starts, we satisfy Charles (Jean Gabin), an aging profession criminal, who has actually just completed serving a jail sentence. Charles hires a young and audacious delinquent, Francis Verlot (Alain Delon), under his wing for an ambitious break-in he has prepared. Francis is unpredictable and unsteady, a complete opposite of Charles's skilled and calm demeanor, but the 2 work together, matching each other's strengths and weaknesses.

Charles diligently prepares and plots out an innovative plan to rob a luxurious casino in Cannes. He creates a plan to smuggle Louis, his unaware brother-in-law into the gambling establishment to get a job and effectively assist their break-in. Louis, played by Maurice Biraud, is depicted as an easy man who is kept completely in the dark about the plans to permit him to work naturally under suspicion.

Execution of the Heist
In the latter half of the film, the scenes at the same time switch between the duo's heist and their liked ones, waiting in pain, each clueless of the degree of the law-breaking their significant others are involved in. As the stress mounts, the plan begins to unwind, and the suspense of whether they will succeed or caught hooks the audiences.

The burglars manage to outsmart the gambling establishment's personnel and security, tricking them into believing they are setting about a regular workday, while they cleverly perform their plan. They exploit the entertainer's efficiency to sidetrack the crowd as they take the casino's safe.

The Unexpected Twist
In the last suspense-filled moments, Charles and Francis manage to pull off one of the biggest gambling establishment heists, only to be challenged with an unforeseen twist. In a stroke of fate and a terrible instance of terrible paradox, their thoroughly planned heist unravels due to an unexpected circumstance.

After the heist, as they try a daring sea escape in a moment of celebration, a freak accident leads the way for Charles' death as he unknowingly drops the bag filled with taken cash into the sea.

Conclusion
"Any Number Can Win" is an advanced thriller that beautifully encapsulates human emotion, strategic planning, and ironic situations. It builds a sublime narrative featuring abundant characters and exceptionally presents the plain contrast in between the knowledgeable Charles and the spontaneous Francis. The movie's themes delve deep into the dynamics of society's criminal offense and penalty system with an ironic ending that overturns expectations, causing its honor as one of the very best heist films of its period.

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