Cinematheque: Claude Sautet

The unusual anti-hero of this compelling, elaborately plotted thriller, Max (Piccoli) is an independently wealthy police detective obsessed with trapping criminals. Frustrated after a failed case, Max sets about luring a gang of petty thieves into committing a big bank robbery, a plan that requires Max to seduce the gang leader’s prostitute girlfriend (Romy Schneider). Max is a mature masterpiece that unjustly remained unreleased in the U.S. for over forty years.