Échec au porteur (1958) - full transcript
After resolving to start a new life with his girlfriend Jacqueline, Bastien Sassey decides to give up working as a courier for drugs traffickers. So that he and Jacqueline can make a fresh start he agrees to take on one more job for a large sum of cash, but he betrays his employer.
This film was restored by PATHÉ in 2021
NOT DELIVERED
The express train
from Marseilles St Charles,
Avignon, Valence, Lyons and Dijon
is arriving on platform C.
Platform C.
Sorry, forgive me.
Your telegram said you were done.
It's the last trip.
I've heard that before.
You'll tell Stan you won't go on
and he'll let you go.
Then you start again each time.
If only I'd met you sooner.
I saw someone in Marseille.
Who?
A fellow who can help
to protect me from Stan.
It's worth trying anyhow.
Tried the police?
You're crazy!
Waiter!
Keep the change.
Thank you, Sir.
Sport is healthy.
You said it.
Is this fellow one of Stan's enemies?
Of course.
I'll explain tonight once it's over.
What'll you do now?
Just a quick errand.
Open this tonight,
if I don't come back.
If you don't come back?
Is it that dangerous?
It's worth it, isn't it?
I'm scared, Bastien. Don't go.
What if we ran away?
We could leave France.
How? We're broke.
Stan would find me.
Tonight, I'll get money.
We'll be free.
Free to leave and love.
To live, like.
From now on, for me, life...
is you.
Let's go.
Bastien...
I'll wait for you at 7:30 pm.
At the Dupont Latin.
Over there.
IMPORTER
of Exotic Fruit
Hello, Mr Haradjian.
How can I help you?
All right.
Three boxes of grapefruit.
Shut the door!
Ready by 7 o'clock.
That's right. Thank you.
Payment at the end of the month
as usual.
Goodbye, Sir.
Osmets...
Give me the ball.
Smart idea.
Not too heavy?
There's a pound of dope in this.
How's it done?
We replace the inner casing
with a bladder
and we're able to save
300 grams on its weight.
No, nothing.
Surprising...
Only my freedom interests me.
You know the cost?
Yes, I know it.
How many trips have you done
for Stan the Armenian?
I forget.
I've been doing it six months.
It's an odd racket,
carrying drugs from Marseille
in a football.
From tomorrow,
it's Osmets & Co's racket.
But without me.
We won't need you.
It's you, Pyanides! Tell me...
Your last bill still hasn't been paid.
That's agreed then.
Take the ball to Stan
as if you just arrived.
Then vanish into thin air.
I was promised 500,000.
Come back for the dough
after you deliver the ball.
What do I do now?
Wait here and shut up.
What'll you replace the drugs with?
- Tainted dope?
- Exactly, tainted dope.
Say, won't Stan notice something?
Not if it's the same weight.
Stan rarely goes down to the lab.
I usually leave the ball and go.
The chemist starts work on the drugs
at midnight.
Midnight, you hear?
It'll all be over by 10 pm.
So don't get in a stew.
Hans...
Hans, we're screwing up.
Listen, six months ago
you were starving.
Yes, I know.
My dough saved you.
All right.
You want to make money, buddy?
Sure, but the fruit business
is good.
Glad to hear it.
Paying a lot of tax is a good front.
Listen, I'm scared.
We may be going too far.
We have to do this properly.
If not, you may as well cut hair!
Let me handle it. Tomorrow,
you'll have money to burn.
Your pockets will be full.
Full of cash!
You'll be Paris's drug king!
Can I take my things?
Handkerchief.
Change for the bus.
Cigarettes so you don't get edgy.
I'll keep the wallet.
Just planning ahead,
if anything happens.
Can I take the penknife? It's a gift.
Jacqueline...
Don't worry.
We won't touch your Jacqueline.
C'mon, you!
It's too hot for this.
Classy, huh?
A new design for jeans.
Let's play.
Jules! Pass to me, Jules!
- Hand!
- Penalty!
C'mon, shoot!
Guys, a real ball!
My ball!
My ball!
Go back up, quick.
My ball...
My ball!
Watch out!
Are you hurt?
I'm ok, but I've lost my ball.
Calm down, it's there.
It's the cops!
Give that back, you little thief!
I was giving it back.
- It's not mine.
- It is.
What's this?
Some kid took my football.
This rascal ran off with it!
I saw it all.
He took a ball from two boys,
then this gentleman's.
It's not mine. Mine was new.
So is this. What brand?
Sport.
This is a Sport too.
Must be its twin brother!
That'll do. Move along.
You're not booking him?
These rascals rule the roost!
He gave the ball back.
Once a thief, always a thief.
He made him rip his trousers.
That changes everything.
Sir!
Pressing charges for your trousers?
No.
- They're...
- Name and address.
Julien François,
32, rue de la Tour d'Auvergne.
I'll stop by later.
Just a minute!
Is the surname Julien or François?
François.
Mr François, you forgot your suitcase!
Watch it, Julot, or it's jail!
What did I do?
I know you, you devil.
- Always the same!
- Nothing but trouble!
He tried to nab your ball.
It's mine though. He's nuts.
You can't win with grown-ups.
What's he doing?
- What's up?
- My tummy aches.
Did that swine Julot kick you?
He's made his mind up.
He's in the café.
Is it that bad?
You're not going to faint.
Have this. It's got kirsch in it.
Tonton Musique?
Yes, Sir.
Miss Tourieu, please.
She's on a delivery.
Can I take a message?
No, it's ok.
I feel better.
See, that helped.
He's back.
Take the ball and come.
The suitcase.
- You saw?
- Get in.
Come on!
Stop!
Stop, damn it!
You tried to dump us and run.
You didn't see!
I lost my football!
So what's that?
Your dope won't explode.
Our dope is plastic explosive.
To blow up Stan and his hideout.
Get it now?
A kid's got your explosive.
And that's his ball!
What?
The ball's empty! It's some kid's!
And he has your bomb!
Can't you be more careful?
Lucky she didn't run over it.
Mum, catch!
My windows!
It works every time.
- Throw it.
- Not now.
Come on.
Watch.
It's really hard,
like being hit with a stick.
Good Heavens!
What a sight you two make.
It's not our fault.
Quiet, you wretch!
Get up to your mother, Claude,
or she'll begin to fret.
Come here, you.
Look at this troublemaker!
Poor little Claude...
You're in a fine state.
You had a fight?
It's nothing, Mum.
My cake!
With my name on it.
Get cleaned up first.
And change your shirt!
Couldn't Dad come?
No, he's in Biarritz.
Dad could have made an effort
for my birthday.
He has to travel for work.
You know that, dear.
Before, he didn't travel
but worked anyway.
Mr Giraucourt is on the phone.
- Is it Dad?
- Yes, dear.
Calling from far?
Biarritz!
Tell him I want to talk to him too.
Is that you, Denise?
Has my present arrived
for Claude's birthday?
The ball? Yes, he's delighted.
Do you need anything?
The way you talk.
No, Marc, nothing.
- Let me talk to him!
- Hold on.
Here.
Is that you, Dad?
Yes. Don't shout.
You're so far.
Is it sunny in Biarritz?
Biarritz?
Yes, I'm in Biarritz.
Do you like the ball?
It's great.
Some other kids tried to pinch it
so Bernard and me
gave them a thrashing.
Will you be home soon?
Yes, very soon.
Love you, son.
I love you too, Dad.
I'll give Mum a kiss for you.
I like you, Bastien.
I like you because you like children.
To think that kid's holding a bomb...
Forget the kid.
It's Stan we want.
Who asked you?
Until 10 pm, the kid's safe.
Why? The bomb has a timer?
I didn't hear it.
No.
There's a chemical reaction.
I don't get it.
It's simple. A detonator pin
and an explosive charge.
More or less the same weight
as a normal football.
Now listen to me.
Let's say I let you go
for two hours.
I'm serious.
Are you nuts?
He'll call the cops.
I already said I wasn't asking you.
Put that away. We're all friends here.
You'll never let me go.
We will. I like children too.
Two hours for you to find the boy.
And we can find another ball for Stan.
After two hours, you'll come back.
I trust you.
Do you agree?
Yes, I agree.
Let him out.
Two hours, Bastien. Don't forget.
I've changed my mind.
Shoot him now.
Shit, a truck!
What happened to you, pal?
Too much to drink?
No fooling around, I'm all alone here.
I'm on a delivery.
What?
What's that?
I'll get you to a hospital.
What's God up to?
If the Pope will forgive me.
The bomb...
What? A bomb?
Madonna, an anarchist!
Where's the bomb?
Madonna...
Stay calm. We'll soon be there.
This is no ambulance.
What'll my boss say?
You hear me?
Can you hear me?
The bomb...
At least you're alive.
Just be patient.
Do you hear me?
Do you?
The little boy...
You're a little boy?
The little boy.
He picked up the bomb.
The bomb?
Again. Madonna...
The little boy picked it up?
Yes.
But where?
The little boy...
The little boy picked up your bomb.
But where?
Where's the bomb?
Where does the boy live?
You have to tell me now.
A chemical reaction.
A chemical reaction...
At 10 pm.
The light's green!
What's going on?
There's a corpse in my cab.
A corpse, here! He's dying.
- Where's he from?
- Gennevilliers.
Drive!
Hello, HQ?
We found a wounded man
in Gennevilliers.
A colleague's taking him to the hospital.
The Beaujon one.
Police HQ transmissions unit.
Z-2, over. Who's calling?
The Asnières station?
I'll alert the crime squad.
No, darling.
If it was your son's first headache,
I'd understand you worrying...
What?
Precisely, it's not the first time.
He feels dizzy again.
Are you there?
The pills don't help?
I can't keep giving him pills...
Crime squad.
Superintendent Varzeilles' office.
Superintendent?
No, his deputy, Rémalart.
- I have a message.
- I'll note it.
A truck driver has picked up
a gunshot victim.
Yes?
At the Gennevilliers port.
The Gennevilliers port?
I hope to be home early.
I doubt it.
I'm not saying it isn't serious.
I'll be waiting.
See you later.
Alert a territorial unit.
Already done.
Already?
Well done. Which patrol?
TV-106.
TV-106?
- 2x3.
- Got it.
A gunshot victim.
Yes.
At the port.
That's noted.
The Beaujon hospital.
Yes.
Right...
Détourbe...
Yes, Sir?
TV-106 reports an incident
near Gennevilliers.
Contact them by radio for details.
Yes, Sir.
I overheard you speaking to your wife.
Is your son ill?
His usual pre-exam headache.
A bad one.
Seen an eye doctor?
Eyes, nose, ears...
X-rays...
We've done it all.
We're at a loss.
Come in!
I just spoke to TV-106, Sir.
Inspector Tréguennec.
The victim is seriously wounded,
in the kidneys and lungs.
- A settling of scores?
- Apparently.
Before losing consciousness,
he mentioned a bomb.
A bomb?
Has he been identified?
No, Sir, he had no papers on him.
Just a penknife marked BS.
Not a lot.
- Shall we go?
- Who do we have?
Morigny, Le Crocq,
Planioles and Détourbe.
Planioles can hold the fort here.
The others with me.
Let them know
TV-106 will guide us by radio.
Yes, Sir.
TV-106 to Z-2.
- Z-2 do you copy?
- Copy.
Inspector Tréguennec here.
I'm where the guy was found.
Near docks 5 and 6
at the Gennevilliers port.
Noted.
Superintendent Varzeilles is on his way.
Try to identify the victim.
The forensic unit has left.
I'll give it directions.
I just called.
I'm not stupid.
You have a phone in there?
So, what happened?
I picked him up...
And then he went...
He said, "Bomb."
Bomb?
You spotted a car?
It was too far away.
I focused on the guy
and my problems.
Does this interest you?
You bet it does.
- So I said...
- Madonna.
You said, "Madonna."
No, Saint Rita of Cascia.
He said, "Chemical reaction."
No relation. Are you sure?
May I never see Viareggio again if I lie.
Anything new?
He says a kid picked up a bomb
that'll explode at 10
after a chemical reaction.
Is that right?
It's what he said.
Nothing much here.
You can search anyway.
Maybe the tyre tracks...
I found this.
Osmets, Gennevilliers.
Osmets...
The place is littered with that stuff.
But check on Osmets anyway.
Meet me at Beaujon.
Come, Varecci.
Sorry, Sir, it's not a soft "C",
but a hard one.
Adrien Osmets
Exotic Fruit Importer
Check the garage
and the buildings on the right.
Let's go.
Need anything, Sir?
Nothing.
Just a little information.
- Police?
- You guessed?
I've done nothing wrong.
I'm an honest, registered trader.
You're not a suspect, Sir.
Do you have children?
Who, me? No.
But friends with children come here.
Hear any shots?
Shots, no. When?
In the last hour.
No, but this is a nasty area...
There are fights non-stop.
Did something happen?
A man was shot twice near the road.
- Seriously?
- We don't know.
A warehouse with crates of fruit.
Is there a direct route to Beaujon?
It's simple, turn back and take a right.
You'll reach the outer boulevards.
Thank you.
- Well?
- Nothing.
The police!
You shot him, didn't you?
You said no bloodshed.
Calm down. What do they know?
They didn't say.
But Bastien isn't dead.
This idiot missed.
You're losing your touch.
Call Ahmed, so we're ready
for anything.
Osmets, stay by the radio.
They may give news.
We must be ready to leave
if that idiot Bastien talks!
Does it hurt here, sonny?
And here?
I see.
You say he vomited, ma'am?
Twice this evening.
And once this afternoon on the street.
Is it serious?
The young man has acute appendicitis.
Not serious,
but he needs an operation urgently.
I hardly feel any pain now.
There'll be no complications.
Don't send him to the hospital.
Let me be near him.
We can use a registered clinic.
- Do you have a phone?
- We do.
Lead the way.
Mum...
Will Dad be here for the operation?
They'll put you to sleep, dear.
But when you wake, Dad will be there.
We're at the hospital
where the wounded man was taken.
Given the unusual circumstances,
Superintendent Varzeilles
is heading the investigation.
The doctor's on the phone for Claude.
Yes, it's an emergency.
Thank you. I'll send him over.
With his father away too...
Actually, doctor,
his father left with another woman.
Life is stupid.
People are stupid.
That's true.
Look at my husband.
He smokes so much he risks cancer.
Apparently.
I'll have an ambulance sent over.
Madam, Sir...
Bernard, show the doctor out.
Poor Denise.
She can't go to the clinic alone.
Of course not.
Eat with Bernard, then put him to bed.
In short, Superintendent?
In short, a boy in Paris
is at risk after picking up a bomb.
A bomb?
Yes, a bomb.
They leave bombs lying about...
Bloody government.
The hospital stranger's prints.
I'll get to records.
Bastien Sassey, convicted for brawling.
He's the fellow.
Jacquemin, this file.
I'll find it and send it up.
Jacqueline Tourieu, 12 rue Sommerard.
Do you recognize her?
Jacqueline Tourieu?
Of course, Inspector.
A sweet girl, but unlucky.
She moved out a year ago now.
In the meantime...
Have you got her new address?
No, I haven't.
This is for the sparrows.
So tell it to the sparrows.
Thank you, ma'am.
Goodbye.
Not very curious for a policeman...
Hello? Dégarnay?
Yes.
Planioles here, crime squad.
Go ahead.
I'm looking for a Jacqueline Tourieu.
Aged 27.
Can you check the hotel registers?
Just a minute.
I'll hold.
Don't cry, sweetheart.
It won't hurt.
You can take your new pen
and your books.
No, I don't want to have an operation!
Take your ball to play in the yard
when you recover.
- There'll be a yard?
- There always is.
Don't worry, the appendix is nothing.
An operation is no walk in the park.
They removed my brother's stomach
and it didn't spoil his appetite.
And sometimes, as a party trick,
he'd eat a glass, a wine glass.
- Not the stem.
- Shut up, stupid.
Excuse us, please.
Everything will be fine.
Marguerite will go with you.
Thank you. Please call my husband.
Elysées 28...
- 28 25.
- All right.
Don't worry.
Goodbye, you.
Take care and keep an eye
on Bernard.
Yes, off you go.
Stay with your dad.
I've found her.
About time!
Hôtel Central, rue Champollion.
Thank you.
Any idea where she might be?
None at all, Inspector.
Tell her to call when she gets back.
All right, Inspector.
Jacqueline Tourieu?
I know where she is.
The Dupont Latin.
She's meeting her friend at 7:30.
Thank you, pal.
The Dupont Latin.
Do you know this man?
Miss Jacqueline Tourieu?
Yes, Sir.
Inspector Planioles.
He's in Beaujon.
Come with me.
His pulse?
140...
Precyl.
He's had camphor solution.
Internal bleeding.
We gave him a pre-op transfusion.
Could he have been raving?
I can't say.
It's possible.
Can you revive him briefly
so I can question him?
He's lost too much blood.
Blood pressure?
60/50.
Use Precyl.
I have to find out more.
Once he rallies, I'll operate.
I'm trying to save a life, or several.
We do the same job, Superintendent.
In here.
The pulse is up to 140.
- Blood pressure?
- Too low.
Precyl.
Step outside.
The pulse is weak.
- Corneal reflex?
- Corneal reflex absent.
Is he dead?
Be brave.
To the morgue, as usual?
We'll pick him up later.
Mrs Varzeilles, Sir.
Thank you.
He's worried about his son.
The joys of family life.
My wife yells at me.
She won't believe we work.
She thinks I live it up.
Today's sporting news.
What a pain!
Besançon vs Stade Français: 5-0.
Sète vs TCRP: 2-2.
Louison Bobet is too ill
to compete in upcoming cycling races.
From the police...
The Gennevilliers shooting.
The individual has been identified
in record time by the crime squad.
He is a certain Bastien Sassey
who died at the Beaujon Hospital
without regaining consciousness
during a blood transfusion.
Good job I didn't miss.
I'm sorry to have to question you
at such a time.
But you're our only hope.
Bastien told me
he had an errand to run.
I asked if it was dangerous
and he gave me this letter
in case he didn't come back.
He called me at work.
He didn't call back.
"Jacqueline, my darling,
if you're reading this,
Stan will have had the final word
and I'll have died
thinking that life with you
would have been so sweet."
Drug-trafficking?
Yes.
Rémalart!
For Narcotics.
What's this ball mentioned in the letter?
Stan used it to hide the drugs
Bastien brought from Marseille.
What kind of ball?
A football.
Did Stan kill him?
Perhaps.
Come with me.
Planioles...
She may know more than she's saying.
- Keep her.
- Right.
Well, Morigny?
His employer confirmed he's in order.
Can I go? I have a load to pick up
in Clermont-Ferrand.
Yes, but don't leave France.
No, it's tough enough getting in.
What do we do now?
Back to HQ.
Did transmissions find out
what Sassey was doing?
Not a thing.
Inform all city and suburban stations
that he was carrying a football.
"Bastien Sassey,
wounded in Gennevilliers shooting,
was carrying a football."
A football?
Hold on, who mentioned a football?
Could it have been Gramier?
Yes, he gave me something.
It's in the unfiled reports.
Hold on...
Here you go.
"Report by Officer Gramier, Henri.
The man's trousers were torn
and his new ball was swapped..."
"...for a new ball of the same brand."
Let's find Gramier.
Makes no sense.
I'll forward it to HQ.
Z-2 to Superintendent Varzeilles.
The Plaine St-Denis station reports
that a man carrying a football
had his ball swapped
for an identical one.
Call all cars.
and send them out there.
Roger.
I'll send them.
Julot swiped the ball.
He must know the two kids.
- Gramier?
- Yes, Sir.
- It matches?
- Perfectly.
Did Sassey seem rushed?
Yes, rather. He forgot his suitcase.
He seemed reluctant to take it.
He'd set off after the kids.
We need the kids. Find this Julot.
Planioles, take Morigny and Tréguennec.
You say he only cared
about the football?
Yes.
Morigny...
Did you mention a deflated ball?
No, Sir, it was Le Crocq.
Rémalart...
What does a bomb call to mind?
A sphere with a fuse to light.
A sphere...
A ball?
What?
The football?
You heard Gramier.
Bastien was frantic.
That has to be why.
There are other coincidences.
- Le Crocq!
- Sir?
Where did you see a deflated ball?
In a Volkswagen.
In that house by the Argenteuil road.
Osmets, in Gennevilliers.
Osmets, it works.
It's a bit slim, Sir.
We've had less before,
and it's urgent.
Go with Détourbe.
Yes, Sir.
It's my turn.
No, it's mine!
No, it wasn't you, it was him.
Guys...
Listen.
Julot, you fool!
Calm down, stupid.
We're not after you!
Whose ball did you swipe this afternoon?
- What ball?
- The game, the man who fell.
There's a bomb in the ball.
The one on the radio?
Right. Remember the kid who took it?
Yes.
- Who was it?
- Bernard, a poser.
Bernard what?
Where does he live?
Across the boulevard.
That's all?
He had a southern accent.
How was he dressed?
Like a poser, in a checked jacket.
Like Davy Crockett in the movies.
A fringed jacket?
Yes, with a matching bum patch
to look smarter.
Gramier, come with us.
Let's head back.
Jules!
Everything ok?
What happened?
The police have issued this description
of a boy who may have picked up a bomb.
According to the late Bastien Sassey,
the 10-year-old boy was wearing...
Elysées 28 25...
So, E...
L...
...was seriously wounded.
Before losing consciousness...
Bernard...
Go back to bed.
I'm calling Mr Giraucourt.
Off you go.
I have to start again.
E...
L...
Where's the Y?
Hello, Miss?
Elysées 28 25 isn't answering.
Did you dial the right number?
I know how to use a phone.
I'm a postmaster.
Something's wrong.
Couldn't the other party be out?
Of course. You're very kind.
What's Giraucourt up to?
He's never in.
...after a fight with others.
Here's the boy's description.
A tartan jacket with fringes.
Long trousers with a bottom patch
matching the jacket.
A tartan bum patch...
The boy must come forward.
Once again, the boy has trousers
with a patch matching his jacket.
The ball he took may be dang...
Bernard!
Bernard, wake up!
Listen to me.
Why are you on the radio?
I didn't touch it.
No, they talked about you.
I did nothing.
- Nothing?
- No.
We'll see if you did nothing.
The radio station?
Excuse me, it's about the communiqué
you just read.
About some rascal
with a patched trouser bottom.
Yes, it's my son. My boy, Bernard.
Bernard Arpaillargues.
I wanted to know if...
My address? 1, rue Darcel.
On the corner of...
You're sending me the police?
Whatever for?
Ok, I won't touch anything.
Bernard...
Bernard...
Know what was in the ball you took?
Do you know? A bomb!
Just think, a bomb!
Mum...
Sorry, you can't come in.
Can you give him his ball?
It's not allowed.
Only his ball can calm him.
He got it today.
I'll try.
Thank you.
Your ball, sweetheart.
You're good with children.
What's that ball?
You can't bring it in here!
Here's Bailleul.
- All set?
- Almost, Sir.
Haven't you finished your shift, Hélène?
I have, Sir.
I was leaving.
You scared me.
You look odd with that ball.
The director's outside.
Drat!
Just don't put the ball
with the clean linen.
Well?
It's odd. I'd have sworn
I saw that Volkswagen van.
Hear that? What now?
Hide!
See if the ball's in the van
while I talk to the driver.
Excuse me, have you got a light?
Come on.
Shoot to keep them inside.
Calling Z-2.
Z-2. Calling Z-2, over.
Z-2, over.
Put Varzeilles on.
Why aren't you shooting?
What's wrong?
What's wrong? I'm scared, ok.
I'm a mess since I was wounded.
It can happen to anyone.
When it does, it's tough.
Is that Le Crocq?
This is it. They opened fire on us.
Excellent news!
That's a good one.
I mean it helps me out.
Talk to Varzeilles.
We're on our way.
No fancy heroics or stuff like that.
Send a van of officers.
Alert everyone available.
Anything special?
Yes.
He said, "No heroics."
The van is ready.
- Let's go.
- At night?
I'll do as I want.
And now I have irrefutable proof.
What proof?
The bullet fired at Le Crocq.
I bet it matches the one fired at Sassey.
"Kid found, ball in clinic,
38, Avenue Mathieu..."
I'll stop there,
then join you in Gennevilliers.
Rémalart! Find that bullet.
I need it.
All right.
What markings would you like?
Varzeilles to Z-2.
Z-2 here, Superintendent.
Any news?
TV-106 was patrolling nearby
and will bring a kid
for questioning.
Give me TV-106.
Yes, Sir.
We're bringing them to you.
Really?
The Superintendent.
Not you, the boy.
It's for you.
Is that Bernard?
Yes, Sir.
Yes, Superintendent.
When you picked up the ball,
did it seem heavy?
I don't know, Superintendent.
I didn't notice.
Did you bounce the ball a lot?
No, not a lot.
Well, a little.
Claude threw it and it hit my head.
His head...
It was like a blow with a stick.
It seemed pretty hard.
Thank you, Bernard.
Put your dad on.
Who's with the other boy?
At the clinic, he's with my wife
and his mother.
The parents are separated.
I tried calling his father
at Elysées 28 25.
- No reply.
- We'll handle it.
See you at the clinic.
When I tell my pals...
Want your photo in the paper too?
A bomb on your head!
Take my jacket to keep warm.
When your mother hears...
The nurse didn't give the ball back.
What did she do with it?
As if we cared.
Why so many questions about a ball?
Madam...
The rules.
You talk about rules
while my son's being operated on!
If there's a fine to pay,
add it to my bill!
Excuse us, ma'am.
Don't get so wound up. Sit down.
Thank you for your help.
A bomb in a football.
It's like a novel.
More like a thriller.
Now, about this nurse...
Hélène? She finished her shift
and left empty-handed.
So the bomb's here.
I asked them to send a bomb expert.
He's in my office.
Please, go on in.
- Meyer.
- Hello, Sir.
The nurse has a phone?
She does.
Planioles, see to it.
You have her number?
Yes.
It's set to explode at 10.
Could shaking the ball change that?
It's hard to say, Sir, without knowing
what causes the chemical reaction.
By 10 to 15 minutes is possible.
More or less?
Who can say?
- No reply.
- Keep at it.
Sit down there.
- Superintendent Varzeilles.
- He's with the director.
Put your jacket on, Dad.
It's warm here.
Call back in a minute.
All right..
If we don't find the ball in five minutes,
we must evacuate.
What? Don't you realize?
With the patients, it's impossible.
And if they blow up?
Keep only the key workers.
Come in.
The kid's here.
Search the place. Start with the rooms.
Yes, Sir.
Wait here for me.
Stand up.
Sit down.
We'll soon find the ball.
Good, because we've been worried sick.
- Can I trust you?
- Yes, Sir.
Bravo.
I have a son.
He's bigger than you. I trust him.
So listen...
Your mother and Mrs Giraucourt
don't know about the bomb.
You know how women are.
So sensitive.
It's our secret.
Men only.
Answer all the questions you're asked.
Meyer...
Try to find out
how much they shook the ball.
Shelter behind the cars!
When he fired, where were you?
At the garage door.
The bullet ricocheted
off the wall.
Could you find it?
Probably.
Let's go.
You know,
Détourbe worries me.
Get the gas brigade.
Yes, Sir.
I can get the bullet while it's quiet.
No, wait.
The gas will smoke them out.
No heroics, Le Crocq.
Détourbe, I nearly forgot.
Varzeilles wants you at the clinic
for a report on the situation here.
Take my car.
Stay here, Sir.
Is there anything else?
Hélène was seeing an intern
from another hospital.
I don't know where.
That helps, thank you.
Excuse me.
Mr Giraucourt is here.
Show him in.
I didn't want to panic your wife,
so I'll let you inform her.
Certainly. And Claude?
The operation's going smoothly.
You can find your wife in room 12.
Thank you.
Planioles, call around
to find which intern
the nurse is seeing.
Yes, Sir.
Have you got appendicitis?
No, adenoids.
What do those men want?
- A ball.
- Really?
- Have you seen one?
- It's there.
In the cupboard?
It's a balloon!
It's taking so long!
Come in.
I'll leave you.
Not yet, Sir, the caecum is a bit tricky
to loosen.
Incipient peritonitis.
Compress.
I'm not alone here.
The police are looking
for a bomb in a football.
A bomb here? Absurd.
They searched everywhere
but the operating theatre.
Anaesthetics and the washroom,
but not here.
My compress.
You're not going to faint?
Leave if it's too much.
Off you go.
The operation's endless.
It's terrible waiting.
With every minute...
Shut up.
I feel it's all my fault.
Really, Marc...
It's true.
If I hadn't left Claude and you...
You'd have given him a ball anyway
and we'd be at the same point now.
No, Denise.
Not the same point.
We'd be closer to each other.
I was as wrong as you.
Perhaps even more so.
We were wrong not to talk more,
to let silence settle between us.
Turning us
into two strangers living together.
Nearly over. We're a bit confused
with the evacuation business.
I'll let you know.
Nurse Hélène?
She went out with an intern,
but no one knows where they went.
Step up the radio calls.
She alone knows where the ball is.
You sent for me, Sir?
I sent for you?
For a report. Rémalart said...
Yes, I sent for you.
How's it going?
I hope Rémalart saves the day,
as I may draw a blank here.
Don't shoot, you idiot!
Don't waste ammunition!
We've had it!
I'll get that numbskull.
Let's surrender.
Want to lose your head?
- My head?
- On the guillotine!
I've done nothing!
I'm just an honest trader!
Don't worry!
You'll keep your head a while longer.
Got it.
Over to you!
Got him.
Let's go.
Hans!
They're using gas!
The rats are deserting the ship!
Stop, you idiot!
You too?
Bastard!
Hans...
For pity's sake, we have to surrender.
Bastard!
I'll blow everything sky high!
Hans!
I'm an honest trader!
I'm an honest trader!
Nurses!
They've finished.
Search the operating theatre.
Let us wheel the patient out.
Stand aside.
Close that window.
The boy could have caught a chill.
It all went well.
Meyer!
Nobody move.
Stay here.
Throw it as far as you can.
Détourbe, come back.
Sorry, old chap.
It's my job.
Everyone can go back in.
I've finished. I'm coming home.
How is he?
Another dizzy spell.
We'll see tomorrow.
- See you later.
- Yes.
I wanted to thank you.
It's nothing.
Nothing? A bomb.
My colleagues won't believe it!
Back in 1940, one fell
just over a mile away...
Don't start.
Say goodbye to the superintendent.
Is that you, Hélène?
The ball? We found it.
About time too.
See me tomorrow.
Expect a fine for leaving a foreign object
in anaesthetics.
Good night.
I'll see you tomorrow.
Good night.
I'll take you back.
Calling Z-2.
Z-2.
Get me Rémalart in Gennevilliers.
A lot of damage?
We've arrested the only survivor.
- You found the bullet?
- Yes.
- Le Crocq found it.
- Well done.
- The outcome?
- A few grazes.
Unfortunately, Le Crocq...
Wounded? Seriously?
Dead, Sir.
And his wife said he was living it up...
Is that all?
That's all. Good night.
Good night.
Le Crocq?
Let's go.
Subtitles by Ian Burley
Subtitling: HIVENTY
2K restoration
by L'lmmagine Ritrovata (Paris-Bologna)
with the support of the CNC.
NOT DELIVERED
The express train
from Marseilles St Charles,
Avignon, Valence, Lyons and Dijon
is arriving on platform C.
Platform C.
Sorry, forgive me.
Your telegram said you were done.
It's the last trip.
I've heard that before.
You'll tell Stan you won't go on
and he'll let you go.
Then you start again each time.
If only I'd met you sooner.
I saw someone in Marseille.
Who?
A fellow who can help
to protect me from Stan.
It's worth trying anyhow.
Tried the police?
You're crazy!
Waiter!
Keep the change.
Thank you, Sir.
Sport is healthy.
You said it.
Is this fellow one of Stan's enemies?
Of course.
I'll explain tonight once it's over.
What'll you do now?
Just a quick errand.
Open this tonight,
if I don't come back.
If you don't come back?
Is it that dangerous?
It's worth it, isn't it?
I'm scared, Bastien. Don't go.
What if we ran away?
We could leave France.
How? We're broke.
Stan would find me.
Tonight, I'll get money.
We'll be free.
Free to leave and love.
To live, like.
From now on, for me, life...
is you.
Let's go.
Bastien...
I'll wait for you at 7:30 pm.
At the Dupont Latin.
Over there.
IMPORTER
of Exotic Fruit
Hello, Mr Haradjian.
How can I help you?
All right.
Three boxes of grapefruit.
Shut the door!
Ready by 7 o'clock.
That's right. Thank you.
Payment at the end of the month
as usual.
Goodbye, Sir.
Osmets...
Give me the ball.
Smart idea.
Not too heavy?
There's a pound of dope in this.
How's it done?
We replace the inner casing
with a bladder
and we're able to save
300 grams on its weight.
No, nothing.
Surprising...
Only my freedom interests me.
You know the cost?
Yes, I know it.
How many trips have you done
for Stan the Armenian?
I forget.
I've been doing it six months.
It's an odd racket,
carrying drugs from Marseille
in a football.
From tomorrow,
it's Osmets & Co's racket.
But without me.
We won't need you.
It's you, Pyanides! Tell me...
Your last bill still hasn't been paid.
That's agreed then.
Take the ball to Stan
as if you just arrived.
Then vanish into thin air.
I was promised 500,000.
Come back for the dough
after you deliver the ball.
What do I do now?
Wait here and shut up.
What'll you replace the drugs with?
- Tainted dope?
- Exactly, tainted dope.
Say, won't Stan notice something?
Not if it's the same weight.
Stan rarely goes down to the lab.
I usually leave the ball and go.
The chemist starts work on the drugs
at midnight.
Midnight, you hear?
It'll all be over by 10 pm.
So don't get in a stew.
Hans...
Hans, we're screwing up.
Listen, six months ago
you were starving.
Yes, I know.
My dough saved you.
All right.
You want to make money, buddy?
Sure, but the fruit business
is good.
Glad to hear it.
Paying a lot of tax is a good front.
Listen, I'm scared.
We may be going too far.
We have to do this properly.
If not, you may as well cut hair!
Let me handle it. Tomorrow,
you'll have money to burn.
Your pockets will be full.
Full of cash!
You'll be Paris's drug king!
Can I take my things?
Handkerchief.
Change for the bus.
Cigarettes so you don't get edgy.
I'll keep the wallet.
Just planning ahead,
if anything happens.
Can I take the penknife? It's a gift.
Jacqueline...
Don't worry.
We won't touch your Jacqueline.
C'mon, you!
It's too hot for this.
Classy, huh?
A new design for jeans.
Let's play.
Jules! Pass to me, Jules!
- Hand!
- Penalty!
C'mon, shoot!
Guys, a real ball!
My ball!
My ball!
Go back up, quick.
My ball...
My ball!
Watch out!
Are you hurt?
I'm ok, but I've lost my ball.
Calm down, it's there.
It's the cops!
Give that back, you little thief!
I was giving it back.
- It's not mine.
- It is.
What's this?
Some kid took my football.
This rascal ran off with it!
I saw it all.
He took a ball from two boys,
then this gentleman's.
It's not mine. Mine was new.
So is this. What brand?
Sport.
This is a Sport too.
Must be its twin brother!
That'll do. Move along.
You're not booking him?
These rascals rule the roost!
He gave the ball back.
Once a thief, always a thief.
He made him rip his trousers.
That changes everything.
Sir!
Pressing charges for your trousers?
No.
- They're...
- Name and address.
Julien François,
32, rue de la Tour d'Auvergne.
I'll stop by later.
Just a minute!
Is the surname Julien or François?
François.
Mr François, you forgot your suitcase!
Watch it, Julot, or it's jail!
What did I do?
I know you, you devil.
- Always the same!
- Nothing but trouble!
He tried to nab your ball.
It's mine though. He's nuts.
You can't win with grown-ups.
What's he doing?
- What's up?
- My tummy aches.
Did that swine Julot kick you?
He's made his mind up.
He's in the café.
Is it that bad?
You're not going to faint.
Have this. It's got kirsch in it.
Tonton Musique?
Yes, Sir.
Miss Tourieu, please.
She's on a delivery.
Can I take a message?
No, it's ok.
I feel better.
See, that helped.
He's back.
Take the ball and come.
The suitcase.
- You saw?
- Get in.
Come on!
Stop!
Stop, damn it!
You tried to dump us and run.
You didn't see!
I lost my football!
So what's that?
Your dope won't explode.
Our dope is plastic explosive.
To blow up Stan and his hideout.
Get it now?
A kid's got your explosive.
And that's his ball!
What?
The ball's empty! It's some kid's!
And he has your bomb!
Can't you be more careful?
Lucky she didn't run over it.
Mum, catch!
My windows!
It works every time.
- Throw it.
- Not now.
Come on.
Watch.
It's really hard,
like being hit with a stick.
Good Heavens!
What a sight you two make.
It's not our fault.
Quiet, you wretch!
Get up to your mother, Claude,
or she'll begin to fret.
Come here, you.
Look at this troublemaker!
Poor little Claude...
You're in a fine state.
You had a fight?
It's nothing, Mum.
My cake!
With my name on it.
Get cleaned up first.
And change your shirt!
Couldn't Dad come?
No, he's in Biarritz.
Dad could have made an effort
for my birthday.
He has to travel for work.
You know that, dear.
Before, he didn't travel
but worked anyway.
Mr Giraucourt is on the phone.
- Is it Dad?
- Yes, dear.
Calling from far?
Biarritz!
Tell him I want to talk to him too.
Is that you, Denise?
Has my present arrived
for Claude's birthday?
The ball? Yes, he's delighted.
Do you need anything?
The way you talk.
No, Marc, nothing.
- Let me talk to him!
- Hold on.
Here.
Is that you, Dad?
Yes. Don't shout.
You're so far.
Is it sunny in Biarritz?
Biarritz?
Yes, I'm in Biarritz.
Do you like the ball?
It's great.
Some other kids tried to pinch it
so Bernard and me
gave them a thrashing.
Will you be home soon?
Yes, very soon.
Love you, son.
I love you too, Dad.
I'll give Mum a kiss for you.
I like you, Bastien.
I like you because you like children.
To think that kid's holding a bomb...
Forget the kid.
It's Stan we want.
Who asked you?
Until 10 pm, the kid's safe.
Why? The bomb has a timer?
I didn't hear it.
No.
There's a chemical reaction.
I don't get it.
It's simple. A detonator pin
and an explosive charge.
More or less the same weight
as a normal football.
Now listen to me.
Let's say I let you go
for two hours.
I'm serious.
Are you nuts?
He'll call the cops.
I already said I wasn't asking you.
Put that away. We're all friends here.
You'll never let me go.
We will. I like children too.
Two hours for you to find the boy.
And we can find another ball for Stan.
After two hours, you'll come back.
I trust you.
Do you agree?
Yes, I agree.
Let him out.
Two hours, Bastien. Don't forget.
I've changed my mind.
Shoot him now.
Shit, a truck!
What happened to you, pal?
Too much to drink?
No fooling around, I'm all alone here.
I'm on a delivery.
What?
What's that?
I'll get you to a hospital.
What's God up to?
If the Pope will forgive me.
The bomb...
What? A bomb?
Madonna, an anarchist!
Where's the bomb?
Madonna...
Stay calm. We'll soon be there.
This is no ambulance.
What'll my boss say?
You hear me?
Can you hear me?
The bomb...
At least you're alive.
Just be patient.
Do you hear me?
Do you?
The little boy...
You're a little boy?
The little boy.
He picked up the bomb.
The bomb?
Again. Madonna...
The little boy picked it up?
Yes.
But where?
The little boy...
The little boy picked up your bomb.
But where?
Where's the bomb?
Where does the boy live?
You have to tell me now.
A chemical reaction.
A chemical reaction...
At 10 pm.
The light's green!
What's going on?
There's a corpse in my cab.
A corpse, here! He's dying.
- Where's he from?
- Gennevilliers.
Drive!
Hello, HQ?
We found a wounded man
in Gennevilliers.
A colleague's taking him to the hospital.
The Beaujon one.
Police HQ transmissions unit.
Z-2, over. Who's calling?
The Asnières station?
I'll alert the crime squad.
No, darling.
If it was your son's first headache,
I'd understand you worrying...
What?
Precisely, it's not the first time.
He feels dizzy again.
Are you there?
The pills don't help?
I can't keep giving him pills...
Crime squad.
Superintendent Varzeilles' office.
Superintendent?
No, his deputy, Rémalart.
- I have a message.
- I'll note it.
A truck driver has picked up
a gunshot victim.
Yes?
At the Gennevilliers port.
The Gennevilliers port?
I hope to be home early.
I doubt it.
I'm not saying it isn't serious.
I'll be waiting.
See you later.
Alert a territorial unit.
Already done.
Already?
Well done. Which patrol?
TV-106.
TV-106?
- 2x3.
- Got it.
A gunshot victim.
Yes.
At the port.
That's noted.
The Beaujon hospital.
Yes.
Right...
Détourbe...
Yes, Sir?
TV-106 reports an incident
near Gennevilliers.
Contact them by radio for details.
Yes, Sir.
I overheard you speaking to your wife.
Is your son ill?
His usual pre-exam headache.
A bad one.
Seen an eye doctor?
Eyes, nose, ears...
X-rays...
We've done it all.
We're at a loss.
Come in!
I just spoke to TV-106, Sir.
Inspector Tréguennec.
The victim is seriously wounded,
in the kidneys and lungs.
- A settling of scores?
- Apparently.
Before losing consciousness,
he mentioned a bomb.
A bomb?
Has he been identified?
No, Sir, he had no papers on him.
Just a penknife marked BS.
Not a lot.
- Shall we go?
- Who do we have?
Morigny, Le Crocq,
Planioles and Détourbe.
Planioles can hold the fort here.
The others with me.
Let them know
TV-106 will guide us by radio.
Yes, Sir.
TV-106 to Z-2.
- Z-2 do you copy?
- Copy.
Inspector Tréguennec here.
I'm where the guy was found.
Near docks 5 and 6
at the Gennevilliers port.
Noted.
Superintendent Varzeilles is on his way.
Try to identify the victim.
The forensic unit has left.
I'll give it directions.
I just called.
I'm not stupid.
You have a phone in there?
So, what happened?
I picked him up...
And then he went...
He said, "Bomb."
Bomb?
You spotted a car?
It was too far away.
I focused on the guy
and my problems.
Does this interest you?
You bet it does.
- So I said...
- Madonna.
You said, "Madonna."
No, Saint Rita of Cascia.
He said, "Chemical reaction."
No relation. Are you sure?
May I never see Viareggio again if I lie.
Anything new?
He says a kid picked up a bomb
that'll explode at 10
after a chemical reaction.
Is that right?
It's what he said.
Nothing much here.
You can search anyway.
Maybe the tyre tracks...
I found this.
Osmets, Gennevilliers.
Osmets...
The place is littered with that stuff.
But check on Osmets anyway.
Meet me at Beaujon.
Come, Varecci.
Sorry, Sir, it's not a soft "C",
but a hard one.
Adrien Osmets
Exotic Fruit Importer
Check the garage
and the buildings on the right.
Let's go.
Need anything, Sir?
Nothing.
Just a little information.
- Police?
- You guessed?
I've done nothing wrong.
I'm an honest, registered trader.
You're not a suspect, Sir.
Do you have children?
Who, me? No.
But friends with children come here.
Hear any shots?
Shots, no. When?
In the last hour.
No, but this is a nasty area...
There are fights non-stop.
Did something happen?
A man was shot twice near the road.
- Seriously?
- We don't know.
A warehouse with crates of fruit.
Is there a direct route to Beaujon?
It's simple, turn back and take a right.
You'll reach the outer boulevards.
Thank you.
- Well?
- Nothing.
The police!
You shot him, didn't you?
You said no bloodshed.
Calm down. What do they know?
They didn't say.
But Bastien isn't dead.
This idiot missed.
You're losing your touch.
Call Ahmed, so we're ready
for anything.
Osmets, stay by the radio.
They may give news.
We must be ready to leave
if that idiot Bastien talks!
Does it hurt here, sonny?
And here?
I see.
You say he vomited, ma'am?
Twice this evening.
And once this afternoon on the street.
Is it serious?
The young man has acute appendicitis.
Not serious,
but he needs an operation urgently.
I hardly feel any pain now.
There'll be no complications.
Don't send him to the hospital.
Let me be near him.
We can use a registered clinic.
- Do you have a phone?
- We do.
Lead the way.
Mum...
Will Dad be here for the operation?
They'll put you to sleep, dear.
But when you wake, Dad will be there.
We're at the hospital
where the wounded man was taken.
Given the unusual circumstances,
Superintendent Varzeilles
is heading the investigation.
The doctor's on the phone for Claude.
Yes, it's an emergency.
Thank you. I'll send him over.
With his father away too...
Actually, doctor,
his father left with another woman.
Life is stupid.
People are stupid.
That's true.
Look at my husband.
He smokes so much he risks cancer.
Apparently.
I'll have an ambulance sent over.
Madam, Sir...
Bernard, show the doctor out.
Poor Denise.
She can't go to the clinic alone.
Of course not.
Eat with Bernard, then put him to bed.
In short, Superintendent?
In short, a boy in Paris
is at risk after picking up a bomb.
A bomb?
Yes, a bomb.
They leave bombs lying about...
Bloody government.
The hospital stranger's prints.
I'll get to records.
Bastien Sassey, convicted for brawling.
He's the fellow.
Jacquemin, this file.
I'll find it and send it up.
Jacqueline Tourieu, 12 rue Sommerard.
Do you recognize her?
Jacqueline Tourieu?
Of course, Inspector.
A sweet girl, but unlucky.
She moved out a year ago now.
In the meantime...
Have you got her new address?
No, I haven't.
This is for the sparrows.
So tell it to the sparrows.
Thank you, ma'am.
Goodbye.
Not very curious for a policeman...
Hello? Dégarnay?
Yes.
Planioles here, crime squad.
Go ahead.
I'm looking for a Jacqueline Tourieu.
Aged 27.
Can you check the hotel registers?
Just a minute.
I'll hold.
Don't cry, sweetheart.
It won't hurt.
You can take your new pen
and your books.
No, I don't want to have an operation!
Take your ball to play in the yard
when you recover.
- There'll be a yard?
- There always is.
Don't worry, the appendix is nothing.
An operation is no walk in the park.
They removed my brother's stomach
and it didn't spoil his appetite.
And sometimes, as a party trick,
he'd eat a glass, a wine glass.
- Not the stem.
- Shut up, stupid.
Excuse us, please.
Everything will be fine.
Marguerite will go with you.
Thank you. Please call my husband.
Elysées 28...
- 28 25.
- All right.
Don't worry.
Goodbye, you.
Take care and keep an eye
on Bernard.
Yes, off you go.
Stay with your dad.
I've found her.
About time!
Hôtel Central, rue Champollion.
Thank you.
Any idea where she might be?
None at all, Inspector.
Tell her to call when she gets back.
All right, Inspector.
Jacqueline Tourieu?
I know where she is.
The Dupont Latin.
She's meeting her friend at 7:30.
Thank you, pal.
The Dupont Latin.
Do you know this man?
Miss Jacqueline Tourieu?
Yes, Sir.
Inspector Planioles.
He's in Beaujon.
Come with me.
His pulse?
140...
Precyl.
He's had camphor solution.
Internal bleeding.
We gave him a pre-op transfusion.
Could he have been raving?
I can't say.
It's possible.
Can you revive him briefly
so I can question him?
He's lost too much blood.
Blood pressure?
60/50.
Use Precyl.
I have to find out more.
Once he rallies, I'll operate.
I'm trying to save a life, or several.
We do the same job, Superintendent.
In here.
The pulse is up to 140.
- Blood pressure?
- Too low.
Precyl.
Step outside.
The pulse is weak.
- Corneal reflex?
- Corneal reflex absent.
Is he dead?
Be brave.
To the morgue, as usual?
We'll pick him up later.
Mrs Varzeilles, Sir.
Thank you.
He's worried about his son.
The joys of family life.
My wife yells at me.
She won't believe we work.
She thinks I live it up.
Today's sporting news.
What a pain!
Besançon vs Stade Français: 5-0.
Sète vs TCRP: 2-2.
Louison Bobet is too ill
to compete in upcoming cycling races.
From the police...
The Gennevilliers shooting.
The individual has been identified
in record time by the crime squad.
He is a certain Bastien Sassey
who died at the Beaujon Hospital
without regaining consciousness
during a blood transfusion.
Good job I didn't miss.
I'm sorry to have to question you
at such a time.
But you're our only hope.
Bastien told me
he had an errand to run.
I asked if it was dangerous
and he gave me this letter
in case he didn't come back.
He called me at work.
He didn't call back.
"Jacqueline, my darling,
if you're reading this,
Stan will have had the final word
and I'll have died
thinking that life with you
would have been so sweet."
Drug-trafficking?
Yes.
Rémalart!
For Narcotics.
What's this ball mentioned in the letter?
Stan used it to hide the drugs
Bastien brought from Marseille.
What kind of ball?
A football.
Did Stan kill him?
Perhaps.
Come with me.
Planioles...
She may know more than she's saying.
- Keep her.
- Right.
Well, Morigny?
His employer confirmed he's in order.
Can I go? I have a load to pick up
in Clermont-Ferrand.
Yes, but don't leave France.
No, it's tough enough getting in.
What do we do now?
Back to HQ.
Did transmissions find out
what Sassey was doing?
Not a thing.
Inform all city and suburban stations
that he was carrying a football.
"Bastien Sassey,
wounded in Gennevilliers shooting,
was carrying a football."
A football?
Hold on, who mentioned a football?
Could it have been Gramier?
Yes, he gave me something.
It's in the unfiled reports.
Hold on...
Here you go.
"Report by Officer Gramier, Henri.
The man's trousers were torn
and his new ball was swapped..."
"...for a new ball of the same brand."
Let's find Gramier.
Makes no sense.
I'll forward it to HQ.
Z-2 to Superintendent Varzeilles.
The Plaine St-Denis station reports
that a man carrying a football
had his ball swapped
for an identical one.
Call all cars.
and send them out there.
Roger.
I'll send them.
Julot swiped the ball.
He must know the two kids.
- Gramier?
- Yes, Sir.
- It matches?
- Perfectly.
Did Sassey seem rushed?
Yes, rather. He forgot his suitcase.
He seemed reluctant to take it.
He'd set off after the kids.
We need the kids. Find this Julot.
Planioles, take Morigny and Tréguennec.
You say he only cared
about the football?
Yes.
Morigny...
Did you mention a deflated ball?
No, Sir, it was Le Crocq.
Rémalart...
What does a bomb call to mind?
A sphere with a fuse to light.
A sphere...
A ball?
What?
The football?
You heard Gramier.
Bastien was frantic.
That has to be why.
There are other coincidences.
- Le Crocq!
- Sir?
Where did you see a deflated ball?
In a Volkswagen.
In that house by the Argenteuil road.
Osmets, in Gennevilliers.
Osmets, it works.
It's a bit slim, Sir.
We've had less before,
and it's urgent.
Go with Détourbe.
Yes, Sir.
It's my turn.
No, it's mine!
No, it wasn't you, it was him.
Guys...
Listen.
Julot, you fool!
Calm down, stupid.
We're not after you!
Whose ball did you swipe this afternoon?
- What ball?
- The game, the man who fell.
There's a bomb in the ball.
The one on the radio?
Right. Remember the kid who took it?
Yes.
- Who was it?
- Bernard, a poser.
Bernard what?
Where does he live?
Across the boulevard.
That's all?
He had a southern accent.
How was he dressed?
Like a poser, in a checked jacket.
Like Davy Crockett in the movies.
A fringed jacket?
Yes, with a matching bum patch
to look smarter.
Gramier, come with us.
Let's head back.
Jules!
Everything ok?
What happened?
The police have issued this description
of a boy who may have picked up a bomb.
According to the late Bastien Sassey,
the 10-year-old boy was wearing...
Elysées 28 25...
So, E...
L...
...was seriously wounded.
Before losing consciousness...
Bernard...
Go back to bed.
I'm calling Mr Giraucourt.
Off you go.
I have to start again.
E...
L...
Where's the Y?
Hello, Miss?
Elysées 28 25 isn't answering.
Did you dial the right number?
I know how to use a phone.
I'm a postmaster.
Something's wrong.
Couldn't the other party be out?
Of course. You're very kind.
What's Giraucourt up to?
He's never in.
...after a fight with others.
Here's the boy's description.
A tartan jacket with fringes.
Long trousers with a bottom patch
matching the jacket.
A tartan bum patch...
The boy must come forward.
Once again, the boy has trousers
with a patch matching his jacket.
The ball he took may be dang...
Bernard!
Bernard, wake up!
Listen to me.
Why are you on the radio?
I didn't touch it.
No, they talked about you.
I did nothing.
- Nothing?
- No.
We'll see if you did nothing.
The radio station?
Excuse me, it's about the communiqué
you just read.
About some rascal
with a patched trouser bottom.
Yes, it's my son. My boy, Bernard.
Bernard Arpaillargues.
I wanted to know if...
My address? 1, rue Darcel.
On the corner of...
You're sending me the police?
Whatever for?
Ok, I won't touch anything.
Bernard...
Bernard...
Know what was in the ball you took?
Do you know? A bomb!
Just think, a bomb!
Mum...
Sorry, you can't come in.
Can you give him his ball?
It's not allowed.
Only his ball can calm him.
He got it today.
I'll try.
Thank you.
Your ball, sweetheart.
You're good with children.
What's that ball?
You can't bring it in here!
Here's Bailleul.
- All set?
- Almost, Sir.
Haven't you finished your shift, Hélène?
I have, Sir.
I was leaving.
You scared me.
You look odd with that ball.
The director's outside.
Drat!
Just don't put the ball
with the clean linen.
Well?
It's odd. I'd have sworn
I saw that Volkswagen van.
Hear that? What now?
Hide!
See if the ball's in the van
while I talk to the driver.
Excuse me, have you got a light?
Come on.
Shoot to keep them inside.
Calling Z-2.
Z-2. Calling Z-2, over.
Z-2, over.
Put Varzeilles on.
Why aren't you shooting?
What's wrong?
What's wrong? I'm scared, ok.
I'm a mess since I was wounded.
It can happen to anyone.
When it does, it's tough.
Is that Le Crocq?
This is it. They opened fire on us.
Excellent news!
That's a good one.
I mean it helps me out.
Talk to Varzeilles.
We're on our way.
No fancy heroics or stuff like that.
Send a van of officers.
Alert everyone available.
Anything special?
Yes.
He said, "No heroics."
The van is ready.
- Let's go.
- At night?
I'll do as I want.
And now I have irrefutable proof.
What proof?
The bullet fired at Le Crocq.
I bet it matches the one fired at Sassey.
"Kid found, ball in clinic,
38, Avenue Mathieu..."
I'll stop there,
then join you in Gennevilliers.
Rémalart! Find that bullet.
I need it.
All right.
What markings would you like?
Varzeilles to Z-2.
Z-2 here, Superintendent.
Any news?
TV-106 was patrolling nearby
and will bring a kid
for questioning.
Give me TV-106.
Yes, Sir.
We're bringing them to you.
Really?
The Superintendent.
Not you, the boy.
It's for you.
Is that Bernard?
Yes, Sir.
Yes, Superintendent.
When you picked up the ball,
did it seem heavy?
I don't know, Superintendent.
I didn't notice.
Did you bounce the ball a lot?
No, not a lot.
Well, a little.
Claude threw it and it hit my head.
His head...
It was like a blow with a stick.
It seemed pretty hard.
Thank you, Bernard.
Put your dad on.
Who's with the other boy?
At the clinic, he's with my wife
and his mother.
The parents are separated.
I tried calling his father
at Elysées 28 25.
- No reply.
- We'll handle it.
See you at the clinic.
When I tell my pals...
Want your photo in the paper too?
A bomb on your head!
Take my jacket to keep warm.
When your mother hears...
The nurse didn't give the ball back.
What did she do with it?
As if we cared.
Why so many questions about a ball?
Madam...
The rules.
You talk about rules
while my son's being operated on!
If there's a fine to pay,
add it to my bill!
Excuse us, ma'am.
Don't get so wound up. Sit down.
Thank you for your help.
A bomb in a football.
It's like a novel.
More like a thriller.
Now, about this nurse...
Hélène? She finished her shift
and left empty-handed.
So the bomb's here.
I asked them to send a bomb expert.
He's in my office.
Please, go on in.
- Meyer.
- Hello, Sir.
The nurse has a phone?
She does.
Planioles, see to it.
You have her number?
Yes.
It's set to explode at 10.
Could shaking the ball change that?
It's hard to say, Sir, without knowing
what causes the chemical reaction.
By 10 to 15 minutes is possible.
More or less?
Who can say?
- No reply.
- Keep at it.
Sit down there.
- Superintendent Varzeilles.
- He's with the director.
Put your jacket on, Dad.
It's warm here.
Call back in a minute.
All right..
If we don't find the ball in five minutes,
we must evacuate.
What? Don't you realize?
With the patients, it's impossible.
And if they blow up?
Keep only the key workers.
Come in.
The kid's here.
Search the place. Start with the rooms.
Yes, Sir.
Wait here for me.
Stand up.
Sit down.
We'll soon find the ball.
Good, because we've been worried sick.
- Can I trust you?
- Yes, Sir.
Bravo.
I have a son.
He's bigger than you. I trust him.
So listen...
Your mother and Mrs Giraucourt
don't know about the bomb.
You know how women are.
So sensitive.
It's our secret.
Men only.
Answer all the questions you're asked.
Meyer...
Try to find out
how much they shook the ball.
Shelter behind the cars!
When he fired, where were you?
At the garage door.
The bullet ricocheted
off the wall.
Could you find it?
Probably.
Let's go.
You know,
Détourbe worries me.
Get the gas brigade.
Yes, Sir.
I can get the bullet while it's quiet.
No, wait.
The gas will smoke them out.
No heroics, Le Crocq.
Détourbe, I nearly forgot.
Varzeilles wants you at the clinic
for a report on the situation here.
Take my car.
Stay here, Sir.
Is there anything else?
Hélène was seeing an intern
from another hospital.
I don't know where.
That helps, thank you.
Excuse me.
Mr Giraucourt is here.
Show him in.
I didn't want to panic your wife,
so I'll let you inform her.
Certainly. And Claude?
The operation's going smoothly.
You can find your wife in room 12.
Thank you.
Planioles, call around
to find which intern
the nurse is seeing.
Yes, Sir.
Have you got appendicitis?
No, adenoids.
What do those men want?
- A ball.
- Really?
- Have you seen one?
- It's there.
In the cupboard?
It's a balloon!
It's taking so long!
Come in.
I'll leave you.
Not yet, Sir, the caecum is a bit tricky
to loosen.
Incipient peritonitis.
Compress.
I'm not alone here.
The police are looking
for a bomb in a football.
A bomb here? Absurd.
They searched everywhere
but the operating theatre.
Anaesthetics and the washroom,
but not here.
My compress.
You're not going to faint?
Leave if it's too much.
Off you go.
The operation's endless.
It's terrible waiting.
With every minute...
Shut up.
I feel it's all my fault.
Really, Marc...
It's true.
If I hadn't left Claude and you...
You'd have given him a ball anyway
and we'd be at the same point now.
No, Denise.
Not the same point.
We'd be closer to each other.
I was as wrong as you.
Perhaps even more so.
We were wrong not to talk more,
to let silence settle between us.
Turning us
into two strangers living together.
Nearly over. We're a bit confused
with the evacuation business.
I'll let you know.
Nurse Hélène?
She went out with an intern,
but no one knows where they went.
Step up the radio calls.
She alone knows where the ball is.
You sent for me, Sir?
I sent for you?
For a report. Rémalart said...
Yes, I sent for you.
How's it going?
I hope Rémalart saves the day,
as I may draw a blank here.
Don't shoot, you idiot!
Don't waste ammunition!
We've had it!
I'll get that numbskull.
Let's surrender.
Want to lose your head?
- My head?
- On the guillotine!
I've done nothing!
I'm just an honest trader!
Don't worry!
You'll keep your head a while longer.
Got it.
Over to you!
Got him.
Let's go.
Hans!
They're using gas!
The rats are deserting the ship!
Stop, you idiot!
You too?
Bastard!
Hans...
For pity's sake, we have to surrender.
Bastard!
I'll blow everything sky high!
Hans!
I'm an honest trader!
I'm an honest trader!
Nurses!
They've finished.
Search the operating theatre.
Let us wheel the patient out.
Stand aside.
Close that window.
The boy could have caught a chill.
It all went well.
Meyer!
Nobody move.
Stay here.
Throw it as far as you can.
Détourbe, come back.
Sorry, old chap.
It's my job.
Everyone can go back in.
I've finished. I'm coming home.
How is he?
Another dizzy spell.
We'll see tomorrow.
- See you later.
- Yes.
I wanted to thank you.
It's nothing.
Nothing? A bomb.
My colleagues won't believe it!
Back in 1940, one fell
just over a mile away...
Don't start.
Say goodbye to the superintendent.
Is that you, Hélène?
The ball? We found it.
About time too.
See me tomorrow.
Expect a fine for leaving a foreign object
in anaesthetics.
Good night.
I'll see you tomorrow.
Good night.
I'll take you back.
Calling Z-2.
Z-2.
Get me Rémalart in Gennevilliers.
A lot of damage?
We've arrested the only survivor.
- You found the bullet?
- Yes.
- Le Crocq found it.
- Well done.
- The outcome?
- A few grazes.
Unfortunately, Le Crocq...
Wounded? Seriously?
Dead, Sir.
And his wife said he was living it up...
Is that all?
That's all. Good night.
Good night.
Le Crocq?
Let's go.
Subtitles by Ian Burley
Subtitling: HIVENTY
2K restoration
by L'lmmagine Ritrovata (Paris-Bologna)
with the support of the CNC.