Razzia in Paris (1955)

Razzia in Paris: Directed by Henri Decoin. With Jean Gabin, Marcel Dalio, Lino Ventura, Albert Rémy. Henri, the Man from Nantes, comes back to his country after a successful stay in the United States, where he was working for Liski, the drug dealer. With the fame of being a tough guy preceding him, he sets himself to the task of knowing why the French operations were not so profitable – and soon he is master of all links of the organization. He can now get it honed to perfection – or destroy it. Only… the Police is following his every step! Is Henri what he says he is, or an undercover detective from the French police?

“Decoin started as a sports reporter, and there is much more of trying to describe the milieu of drug users than moving the story forward. Gabin does a good job playing the international criminal brought in to revamp a drug ring by the sleek, sinister Dalio. Albert Remy and Lino Ventura as the killers are appropriately thuggish. Magali Noel, with her adorable sloe-eyed look and sensual mouth, is Gabinu0026#39;s girl-friend. Fellini must have loved her, he used her in three pictures.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAt about the 60 minute mark, the film goes badly off the rails with the arrival of Lila Kedrovau0026#39;s junkie character; weu0026#39;re shunted off to one louche bar after another (gay and lesbian thrills abound) in the search for drugs. You are left waiting impatiently for the final shoot-out that you are sure will happen.”