It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

Lino Ventura made actually two films after this one, but only as a supporting character. And another one has never been released. This tremendous actor, we still miss, passed away three years later from a stoke. A great loss for the french movie industry. Back to this one, we think of several other features Ventura did in the past, with nearly the same scheme: UN PAPILLON SUR L'EPAULE, ESPION LEVE-TOI and also LE SILENCIEUX. Directed by Jacques Deray for the first, Yves Boisset for the second and also Pinoteau for the last. This one is the film I like the least. The three others were darker, more sharp and violent too. But I like it although. Only because of Lino. An ordinary Citizen, well almost, who have to face weird events that will jeopardize his life. In resume, that's the common scheme for all the movies I mentioned here. Good time waster anyway.

This slack French crime movie comes from the end of Ventura's career. It has the best frog A feature production values, including name players and shooting on location in Berlin, but it is too studiofied and populated by too obviously glamorous women and colourful support players. Spot Bacri as a cop who brings his child on investigations, because he can't find a sitter.The imbroglio - on road action with a sinister black van, a break in, the seduction of the concert musician sister and a chase that crashes The Wall - dissolves into a large scale black mail program.Every one has done better but, even if he is gray and sagging, there's still a buzz to seeing Lino work through one of these. It's also a reminder of his collaboration with Pinoteau on the excellent LE GIFLE.