Death of a Corrupt Man

Xavier Maréchal (Alain Delon) is woken in the middle of the night by his old friend, the deputy Philippe Dubaye, who has just killed Serrano, a racketeer holding proof of Dubaye's corrupt dealings. Xavier agrees to cover for him without hesitation, then finds that nobody believes the alibi and that businessmen, go-betweens and the police all want those documents. Georges Lautner keeps the film in the gritty texture of 1970s France, one anxious step behind its hero.