Two Men in Town (1973)

Director: José Giovanni
Writers: José Giovanni (original scenario), José Giovanni (dialogue)
Stars: Alain Delon, Jean Gabin, Mimsy Farmer

A hard-boiled crime drama and an impassioned indictment of capital punishment, Two Men in Town is the third and final on-screen collaboration between Jean Gabin (Grand Illusion; Pepe Le Moko), France's pre-eminent film star, and '70s Gallic anti-hero Alain Delon (Flic Story; Purple Noon). After an early release arranged by prison reformer Germain Cazeneuve (Gabin), ex-safe cracker Gino Strabliggi (Delon) is devastated by personal tragedy and banned, by statue, from returning to Paris. At Cazeneuve's urging, Gino makes a new start in the south of France, finds honest work as a printer and new love in the form of Lucie (Mimsy Farmer - More), a beautiful bank officer. But when vengeful cops start to stalk him, and Gino's ex-gang starts eyeing Lucy's bank, Gino's determination to go straight is pushed to the breaking point. Written and directed by author Jose Giovanni (Le Trou), a real pardoned death row inmate, Two Men in Town fuses the two-fisted social commentary of Warner Bros' 1930s heyday with the naturalistic storytelling of '70s French noir cinema.

More in My Blog