Rikoskopla iskee

An anachronism.The derivative screenplay is never exciting ,bearing more than a distant resemblance to Becker's "Touchez Pas Au Grisbi".(1954).Besides,Gabin is a restaurateur again ,like he was in Duvivier's classic "Voici Le Temps Des Assassins"(1956) where Lucienne Bogaert was one of the villains (she's here the evil gangster's ma).And one should add that Jean Delannoy ,who had been a talented director ,whatever the Nouvelle Vague's view on that matter,was in 1967 the ghost of himself.Casting Robert Stack was not really an injection of fresh blood in a hackneyed story .If the American actor was not dubbed ,hats off to the untouchable for his French is perfect.Robert Stack reportedly said he wanted to work with Truffaut and he had to make do with Delannoy.Suzanne Flon is wasted and Margaret Lee has no screen presence. This flick belongs to the fifties.