Alain Delon, a thief who lives in studied elegance when he’s not languishing in jail, plans an elaborate jewelry store heist with two cohorts picked up almost at random: an escaped convict (Gian Maria Volontè) and an alcoholic lapsed lawman rescued from a lost weekend (a great role for Yves Montand). The popular French actor André Bourvil is superbly cast against type as the nemesis cop, Matteï, a straight guy who lives alone with cats (Jean-Pierre Melville’s). Typical of Melville, the exciting moments in this caper are not the violent ones; the thrill is in the camera, with its gaze of surveillance and fraternity.