Bob is a gambler. (From the comments, a flambeur is an addicted gambler) He’s an aging hood who has survived the war and he has a generous side that looks after the youngsters joining the gangs. Bob doesn’t like pimps. Bob has many friends, both underworld and cops, because Bob is basically a nice guy. Life happens; Bob gambles and wins some and loses some. Eventually he loses most of it. Then he hears about a casino safe that is ripe for the looting. (Bob did time for a bank robbery in his youth.) He organizes a posse to rob the casino. Unfortunately, a pimp that Bob leaned on tries to snitch. In the End, did Bob really lose? Or did he win?

This is a French film, released in 1955. Isabelle Corey, as the young waif, alone, makes this film worth seeing. Interesting that her career only lasted 6 years. From the commentary, I gathered that this film took two years to make. The director/writer/producer, Jean-Pierre Melville, would call the actors to come in to shoot for a day or two whenever there was money to buy film.

This is a slow-paced film, allowing the viewer to get the feel for the Parisian settings and the people. The action isn’t all that important, it just happens.

The cinematography is very good, Melville plays with the black and whites and grays very suggestively. Each of the characters shows a human side and you can’t pigeon-hole them as “good” or “bad”, they’re people.

I will give this a 7 out of ten. Might have been more if there had been more action.