An American talks a retired French crook into robbing a bank, but kidnappers demand the loot as ransom.
Acting
Gabin's world-weary gravitas elevates every scene he's in.
Direction
Delannoy's polished framing feels almost too elegant for the plot.
Director
Jean Delannoy
Jean Gabin
Denis Ferrand
Robert Stack
Jim Beckley
Margaret Lee
Betty
Jean Topart
Monsieur Henri
Walter Giller
Maurice Labrousse
Lucienne Bogaert
Mr. Henri's mother
Albert Michel
Gaston
Henri Coutet
Security guard
Bernard Musson
Mr. Charles Goulette
Pierre Koulak
Ange Peresi
Mino Doro
Luigi Savani
Bob Ingarao
Accomplice
Carlo Nell
Crook
Pierre Moncorbier
Drunk customer
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was one of Gabin's final leading roles; he reportedly took it specifically to work with Delannoy again after their 1951 hit La Minute de vérité.
The film captures a fascinating moment of Franco-American cinematic courtship—Gabin, national icon, paired with Stack, fresh off The Untouchables, to chase international box office.
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