Le Clan Des Siciliens (aka The Sicilian Clan) (1969)

A minor Sicilian Mafia head (Jean Gabin) operates a legitimate business as a cover for his illegal activities. He helps spring a ruthless cop killer (Alain Delon) from prison because he is needed in order to rob a diamond collection worth millions. But the head of the clan finds the young man reckless and hard to control. I love a good heist thriller and this French gem courtesy of Henri Verneuil is first rate. From the detailed plotting of the heist to the various subplots involving the police detective (Lino Ventura) stalking the cop killer (when he announces at the beginning of the film that he's stopped smoking, you know he'll start again before the film ends) and an affair between the killer and one of the clan wives (Irina Demick), Verneuil's film is as precise as a tightly wound watch. Gabin is such an iconic presence that he doesn't need to do much more than just be. But being the actor that he is, he gives an expert performance showing us both the patriarch who loves his family and the cold blooded head of a clan that does what he must do. Henri Decae's exact wide screen lensing and Ennio Morricone's pulsating underscore both contribute to the film's success. With Sydney Chaplin, Amedeo Nazzari and Danielle Volle.