Le Deuxieme Souffle (1966)
"Le deuxième souffle" (original title)

Gustave Minda, better known as Gu, a dangerous gangster, escapes from jail. He goes to Paris to join Manouche and other friends, and get involved in a gangland killing. Before leaving the ... See full summary »

Director:

Jean-Pierre Melville

Writers:

José Giovanni (novel), José Giovanni (dialogue),

Stars:

Lino Ventura, Paul Meurisse, Raymond Pellegrin

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lino Ventura	...	Gustave 'Gu' Minda
Paul Meurisse	...	Commissaire Blot
Raymond Pellegrin	...	Paul Ricci
Christine Fabréga	...	Simone - dite 'Manouche' (as Christine Fabrega)
Marcel Bozzuffi	...	Jo Ricci (as Marcel Bozzufi)
Paul Frankeur	...	Inspector Fardiano
Denis Manuel	...	Antoine Ripa
Jean Négroni	...	L'homme (as Jean Negroni)
Michel Constantin	...	Alban
Pierre Zimmer	...	Orloff
Pierre Grasset	...	Pascal
Jacques Léonard	...	(as Jack Leonard)
Raymond Loyer	...	Jacques, le notaire
Régis Outin	...	(as Regis Outin)
Albert Michel	...	Marcel le Stéphanois

Storyline

Gustave Minda, better known as Gu, a dangerous gangster, escapes from jail. He goes to Paris to join Manouche and other friends, and get involved in a gangland killing. Before leaving the country with Manouche, Gu needs a final job to get some money. But that's not so simple when you have Inspector Blot tracking you, and have to deal with the consequences of the shooting in Paris...

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Plot Keywords:

gangster | shootout | blackmail | brutality | trap | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

1 November 1966 (France)

Also Known As:

Second Wind

Filming Locations:

Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Productions Montaigne

Technical Specs

Runtime:

150 min 117 min (theatrical)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Version of The Second Wind (2007)

User Reviews

A Realistic Police Story

Three prisoners break from the prison and the notorious Gustave 'Gu' Minda (Lino Ventura) is the only one that survives. He heads to Paris where he meets his lover Manouche (Christine Fabrega) and his friend and Manouche's bodyguard Alban (Michel Constantin) that take him to a hideout. Meanwhile the smart Commissary Blot (Paul Meurisse) is investigating a shooting plotted by the mobster Jo Ricci (Marcel Bozzufi) and the gangster Jacques the Lawyer (Raymond Loyer) that is murdered.

Gu decides to travel to Italy but he is short of money; his friend Orloff (Pierre Zimmer) invites him to participate in the heist of an armored truck with his friend Paul Ricci (Raymond Pellegrin) and the gangsters Antoine (Denis Manuel) and Pascal (Pierre Grasset) in Marseille. The talkative Inspector Fardiano (Paul Frankeur) is responsible for the investigation, but the persistent Commissary Blot believes that Gu is behind the scheme.

"Le Deuxième Soufflé" is a realistic police story by Jean-Pierre Melville with great performances. It is impressive how I did not feel the 150 minutes running time, since the screenplay is very well written. The code of honor of Gu contrasts with the lack of ethics of the police detectives. The duel between Gu and Blot is another attraction of this great movie. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Os Profissionais do Crime" ("The Professionals of the Crime")