When a US intelligence agent (Anthony Quinn) is unable to bring a ruthless drug baron (James Mason) to justice, he resorts to hiring a contract killer. But the man he is put in contact with (Michael Caine) turns out to be an old friend.
Directed by Claude Sautet. Max is a Paris detective, aloof, independently wealthy, and frustrated by gangs of robbers whom he cannot catch. To re-establish his stature and save face, he decides to inveigle a group of petty thieves (led by an old acquaintance) to rob a bank.