Breathless (1960)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
The story
Michel Poiccard, a young and brash criminal who idolizes American movie gangsters, steals a car in Marseille and heads for Paris. After impulsively shooting and killing a motorcycle policeman on the Route nationale 7, he becomes a wanted man. He arrives in Paris and seeks out Patricia Franchini, an American student and aspiring journalist with whom he recently had an affair. While hiding out in various locations, Michel attempts to evade the police and collect money from acquaintances, while Patricia remains uncertain about their relationship and his criminal behavior as they navigate the tension of his fugitive status.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After killing a motorcycle policeman on the Route nationale 7, Michel Poiccard becomes a wanted man and flees to Paris to find his American girlfriend, Patricia Franchini. While they hide in various locations, the police identify Michel as the murderer and publish his photo in newspapers. Despite the danger, Michel tries to collect debts while Patricia remains conflicted about his lifestyle. Eventually, while waiting for an acquaintance to help him cash a check, Patricia contacts the police and reveals their location. Michel is shot in the back by the police and, while dying in the street, utters cryptic words to Patricia. The film ends with a final, lingering moment where Patricia mirrors a gesture made by the dying Michel.
- Original title
- À bout de souffle
- First release year
- 1960
- Runtime (minutes)
- 90
- Production countries
- France
- Original languages
- French; English
- Directors
- Jean-Luc Godard
- Writers
- Jean-Luc Godard · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Jean-Paul Belmondo · Michel Poiccard; Jean Seberg · Patricia Franchini; Daniel Boulanger · Police Inspector Vital; Henri-Jacques Huet · Antonio Berruti; Roger Hanin · Carl Zumbach; Van Doude · Van Doude; Liliane Dreyfus · Liliane; Jean-Pierre Melville · Parvulesco
- Genres
- crime drama
- Themes
- nihilism; detachment
- Setting
- France, specifically Marseille, the Route nationale 7, and Paris during the late 1950s.
- Premise and plot tags
- French New Wave; crime
- Source material / true-story basis
- a newspaper article
- Reception
- The film is considered one of the best films ever made and is celebrated for its bold visual style and innovative use of jump cuts. It was highly influential, and critics have praised its daring work of art and its status as a seminal piece of French New Wave cinema.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 95% · scale: percentage · review count: 82
- Awards and nominations
- Prix Jean Vigo · work on the film · win
- Production trivia
- The film features a bold visual style including the unconventional use of jump cuts.; The film was filmed in 23 days and included President Eisenhower's visit to Paris as a backdrop.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…