In Becker’s 1954 thriller, an ageing criminal's plan to use his loot to retire is scuppered when his longtime crime partner is kidnapped.

In Becker’s 1954 thriller, ageing criminal Max (French cinema icon Jean Gabin) decides that his latest heist of gold bars will be his retirement fund. Working with his uncle to fence the loot, Max’s plans are ruined when his longtime crime partner, Riton, is kidnapped by a local drug kingpin and the stolen bars are demanded as ransom. Max works his way through the Parisian underworld to find Riton, leading to a gripping shoot-out.

In French with English subtitles.

Screening as part of our Jacques Becker season.

Although lauded by Jean Renoir, Jean-Pierre Melville and Francois Truffaut, Jacques Becker remains one of the great-unsung figures of French cinema. Working in the 1940s and ‘50s, between the poetic realism of the ‘30s and the Nouvelle Vague, Becker spanned a range of genres, and to mark 120 years since his birth we present a selection of his superb filmography – ripe for discovery on the big screen.