With his customary restraint and ruthless attention to detail, director Jean-Pierre Melville follows the parallel tracks of French underworld criminal Gu (the inimitable Lino Ventura), escaped from prison and roped into one last robbery, and the suave inspector, Blot (Paul Meurisse), relentlessly seeking him.
The implosive Le deuxième souffle captures the pathos, loneliness, and excitement of a life in the shadows with methodical suspense and harrowing authenticity, and contains one of the most thrilling heist sequences Melville ever shot. --The Criterion Collection
Cast: Lino Ventura, Paul Meurisse, Raymond Pellegrin, Christine Fabréga, Jo Ricci, Denis Manuel, Michel Constantin, Pierre Zimmer, Pierre Grasset
Read about this film
Title: Le deuxième souffle | Second Breath (1966)
Directed by: Jean Pierre Melville
Date of birth: 20 October 1917, Paris, France
Date of death: 2 August 1973, Paris, France
Writing credits:
Jean Pierre Melville
Music by: Bernard Gérard
Country: France
Language: French
Color: Black & White
Runtime: 144 min.