Overview
A dangerous gangster's final job spirals into chaos as he evades the law in Paris.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- bleak
- tense
- austere
- late night noir viewing
- crime film marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Jean-Pierre Melville's crime film as a rigorously controlled and atmospheric neo-noir distinguished by its procedural precision and fatalistic underworld portrait.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Gu, Manouche, and their associates navigate violence and betrayal according to rigid criminal loyalties.
Melville uses deliberate pacing, spare dialogue, and composed depictions of robberies, surveillance, and pursuit.
Gu seeks money for a final job before leaving France, but the operation becomes entangled with his past and police pursuit.
The plot connects Gu's criminal network in Paris with Marseille and his planned departure from the country.
Films like Le Deuxième Souffle, and why
Le Samouraï
French crime filmmaking, restrained neo-noir atmosphere, professional criminals, and fatalistic moral codes
Le Cercle Rouge
Melvillean gangster professionalism, terse dialogue, procedural tension, and doomed criminal loyalty
Rififi
Bleak organized-crime drama centered on betrayal, police pursuit, and underworld codes
The Asphalt Jungle
Hard-edged heist mechanics, criminal camaraderie, and austere noir fatalism
Movie Details
- Director
- Jean-Pierre Melville
- Release Date
- 1966-11-01
- Runtime
- 144 min
- Rating
- 7.7 / 10 (211)
Cast
- Lino Ventura
- Paul Meurisse
- Raymond Pellegrin
- Christine Fabréga
- Marcel Bozzuffi
- Paul Frankeur
- Denis Manuel
- Jean Négroni
- Michel Constantin
- Pierre Zimmer
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Criterion Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Le Deuxième Souffle about?
- A fugitive gangster pursues one last score through France’s underworld while police pressure and criminal loyalties close around him.
- What is Le Deuxième Souffle like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Le Deuxième Souffle as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Le Deuxième Souffle violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Le Deuxième Souffle as brutal.
- What did critics think of Le Deuxième Souffle?
- Critics broadly regard Jean-Pierre Melville's crime film as a rigorously controlled and atmospheric neo-noir distinguished by its procedural precision and fatalistic underworld portrait.
- Which films are like Le Deuxième Souffle?
- Films with a similar feel include Le Samouraï, Le Cercle Rouge, Rififi, and The Asphalt Jungle.
- How long is Le Deuxième Souffle?
- Le Deuxième Souffle runs 144 minutes.
- Where can I watch Le Deuxième Souffle?
- In United States, Le Deuxième Souffle streams on Criterion Channel.
