Le franc-tireur (1972)

In France in 1944, the German occupation seems close to ending. Even in this situation, Michel Perrat has no intention of playing the hero. After making a little money through small-time dealings with the occupiers, Michel has taken refuge with his grandmother in the Vercors, waiting patiently for the war to end. On [date unspecified], German troops storm the Vercors plateau, an active center of resistance they intend to clear out. Michel’s grandmother is killed. He flees, pursued by a soldier whom he has to kill. While on the run, Michel meets a group of resistance fighters. Though cynically clear about his individualistic outlook, he joins them to escape the plateau. A long odyssey begins, marked by numerous ambushes. Each time they try to get out, the group loses men. One of them, disguised as a peasant, is sent into town to scout. He is captured and betrays his friends. Meanwhile, the others have found refuge at a farm. Michel sleeps with the farmer’s sister, abandoning his guard post. In the morning, the group is caught by surprise when the Germans arrive, and most of them are wiped out. Before long, only three of them remain, and they become bogged down in a maze of rocks from which, in the end, Michel is the only one to emerge alive.