The Syringe (1984)
"L'arbalète" (original title)

Director:

Sergio Gobbi

Writer:

Sergio Gobbi

Stars:

Daniel Auteuil, Marisa Berenson, Marcel Bozzuffi

Cast

Credited cast:
Daniel Auteuil	...	Inspecteur Vincent
Marisa Berenson	...	L'Arbalète'
Marcel Bozzuffi	...	Falco
Daniel Ubaud	...	Le chef des 'Viets'
Michel Beaune	...	Rigault
Guy Di Rigo	...	Silva
Mohamed Ben Smail	...	Le chef des Arabes
Alex Descas	...	Le chef des 'Blackies'
Joseph Momo	...	Un revendeur
Didier Sauvegrain	...	Le chef des 'Justiciers'
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Alain Aithnard
Frédéric Aubry
Alain Barbier
Michel Batilliet
Mimoze Benaicha

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

massacre | shootout | gang war | throat slitting | stabbing | 

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Genres:

Action

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

14 November 1984 (France)

Also Known As:

The Syringe

Company Credits

Production Co:

Candice Productions, Compagnie Commerciale Française Cinématographique (CCFC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

User Reviews

Embarrassing but fun downmarket turn by Daniel Auteuil

Daniel Auteuil is one of my all-time favorite French actors, but THE ASPHALT WARRIORS is probably his most embarrassing role. Oddly cast as a blue-jeans cop, swaggering along trying to look sexy, the master of subtlety and nuance is one big joke.

But it's a fun joke as he tries to avert a gang war in Paris, pitting Arabs vs. Blacks vs. Vietnamese vs. neo-Nazis. Sergio Gobbi, noted for decades of crime thrillers, tries to direct this with a straight face, but it plays as a parody of every dumb j.d. epic from WEST SIDE STORY to THE WANDERERS.

The original title "L'arbalete" refers to leading lady Marisa Berenson's nickname, rendered "Harpoon" in the English-dubbed version. As a streetwalker, Marisa is way too classy and simply not appropriate for the role, but she gives it the old college try. Though she's still quite active in Italy, her best roles all seem to have come in the early '70s at the outset of her career.

Auteuil fans should have a field day watching him horsing around here, with a poster for TAXI DRIVER looming in his apartment. Villain is well-played by Marcel Bozzuffi as the racist police captain who's behind a lot of the gang trouble.