On his dying bed, a middle-aged gangster entrusts both his fortune and his daughter to a childhood friend. This is not an easy task, since many of the dead man's underlings declare a revolt and refuse to pay their dues. Moreover, the said daughter turns out to be a charming but mischievous twenty-something of the pampered princess type, who is surrounded by all kinds of "jeunesse dorée" nitwits.
A movie which, to put it mildly, does not live and breathe an all-embracing love for humanity. "Les tontons" is notable mainly for its excellent cast and performances - Ventura is outstanding - and for its sharp-witted dialogues, which are as cool and bracing as a vodka martini. Many of these "bons mots" and aphorisms have entered French culture. And rightly so : what about the psychological accuracy of a gem like "Morons will try anything, in fact that's how you recognize them" ?
Serves as a useful reminder of the fact that many a golden-haired beauty owes her finishing school poise to an ancestral fortune rooted in violence, crime and exploitation.
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