THREE LOOSE ENDS AT THE END (SPOILERS)
First of all, this is one of my favorite films—a masterpiece. My personal favorite moment (SPOILER) is when Tony recovers his godson through the window, and gives the kidnapper Remi his due—after waking up him because “I don’t want you to miss anything.”
I do feel there are three loose ends at the film’s finish. At first glance, the movie has come to resolution---Louise has recovered her son thanks to Tony’s heroics, and the police have discovered the suitcase with the cash. However, three things bothered me a little:
1—Although I understand Louise’s joy at getting her son back, it bothered me that she seemed to pay no attention to the fact that Tony—her son’s godfather, and close family friend—was lying dead in the car.
2—Although Louise has recovered her son, there is still terrible news that she has not yet received—namely, that her husband Jo is dead.
3—The police are looking over the suitcase at the end—however, the case is far from solved. What they have recovered is not the jewels from the heist, but the cash the British fence paid for the jewels. Will they connect the money to the robbery? I expect that with some detective work, they would do that—and perhaps with the help of Scotland Yard, the British fence might be tracked down and the jewels recovered. However, the movie leaves this matter very open.
Incidentally, I find it interesting that my three favorite Dassin movies—“The Naked City,” “Rififi,” and “Topkapi”—all involved jewel heists. Apparently he had some fascination with the idea—not inappropriate, I suppose, for a man named “Jules.”