Showdown (1968)

Six months before his retirement from the criminal police, inspector Joss finds his colleague Gouvion dead, in a poorly faked suicide attempt. Joss loses his temper, and investigates on his... See full summary »

Director:

Georges Lautner

Writers:

Jean Laborde (novel), Michel Audiard (adaptation)

Stars:

Jean Gabin, Dany Carrel, Jean Gaven

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean Gabin	...	Comissaire Joss, le Pacha
Dany Carrel	...	Nathalie Villar
Jean Gaven	...	Marc
André Pousse	...	Quinquin
Louis Arbessier	...	Le directeur chez Boucheron
Gérard Buhr	...	Arsène
Robert Dalban	...	Inspecteur Gouvion
Maurice Garrel	...	Brunet
Pierre Koulak	...	Marcel le Coréen
Pierre Leproux	...	Druber
Frédéric de Pasquale	...	Alfred
André Weber	...	Gino
Yves Arcanel	...	Un inspecteur de la Police Judiciaire
Maurice Auzel	...	Un homme de la bande à Émile
Yves Barsacq	...	Médecin légiste

Storyline

Six months before his retirement from the criminal police, inspector Joss finds his colleague Gouvion dead, in a poorly faked suicide attempt. Joss loses his temper, and investigates on his own, which leads him through the bas-fond of Paris...

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Plot Keywords:

pantyhose | black pantyhose | female stockinged legs | police | briefcase of money | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The music score performed just before the armored truck heist sequence is the same the audience can hear in the film Z, in which there is a fighting sequence between two men on a tricycle carrier platform. The name of the music is Batucada Meurtrière and performed by Michel Colombier. It has never been mentioned anywhere. Only a close watching of those two scenes can notice that.

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Quotes

Comissaire Joss, le Pacha: The day they put jerks into orbit, you won't stop rotating soon!

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Connections

Featured in Neighboring Sounds (2012)

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Soundtracks

Psychasténie
Written by Serge Gainsbourg
Arranged and Performed by Michel Colombier Et Son Orchestre

User Reviews

LE PACHA (Georges Lautner, 1968) ***

This was another Jean Gabin vehicle which often turned up on Italian TV; having decided to check it out, I'm glad I did because it's a pretty good policier!

Despite his advancing age, the star is wholly believable as the dogged Police Commissioner (the "Pacha" of the title) - out to avenge his childhood, albeit shady, friend - who's also something of an amiable curmudgeon. The film features an elaborate daylight robbery sequence - after which one member of the gang eliminates all his associates in order to keep the loot for himself (one of them is pushed inside his car onto thin ice which naturally breaks and engulfs him)! - and is fast-paced, and short, enough to never overstay its welcome. Besides, it's given a tremendous boost by a modern percussion-heavy score by celebrated performer/songwriter Serge Gainsbourg (who even appears as himself during a recording session of the tune heard over the opening credits!).

There's also a hilarious scene in which the old-fashioned Gabin visits a hippie club - in search of a girl (Dany Carrel of MILL OF THE STONE WOMEN [1960]) who, apart from being a fling of Gabin's deceased colleague, is a link to the robbery mentioned above since she's the sister of one of the culprits (now also dead). Therefore, she and Gabin conspire to trap the man responsible for both deeds and the film ends with an indiscriminate shoot-out - punctuated by an ominous organ drone - in an abandoned warehouse (which curiously anticipates the climax of THE FRENCH CONNECTION [1971]!).

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French

Release Date:

14 March 1968 (France)

Also Known As:

Der Bulle

Filming Locations:

L'Île Saint-Denis, Seine Saint-Denis, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Société Nouvelle des Établissements Gaumont (SNEG), Gafer, Rizzoli Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min (restored)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1