Mise à sac (1967)

Georges (Michel Constantin), a seasoned gangster, is invited to a meeting, where he reunites with his old friends Paulus and Stéphane. Their host, a man named Edgar Vanini (Daniel Ivernel), explains the purpose of the meeting: he has a “huge job” to offer them. He describes Servage, a small industrial town of 26,000 people, isolated in the mountains of Isère. The aim is to seize the deposits of two banks, the post office, a small jewelry shop, a supermarket and, above all, the factory vaults belonging to the Mertens family, who own half the town. The chosen moment is the night before the factory staff are paid. To cover every eventuality, Edgar proposes first neutralizing the police station, the fire station and the telephone exchange, then carrying out the operations in teams, and finally wrapping up the whole operation by five o’clock in the morning at the latest. Edgar explains that he is not himself a criminal, but a former factory foreman. The gangsters are initially skeptical, but Edgar’s meticulousness, which seems to account for every last detail, eventually persuades them to agree. To round out their crew, the gang calls on other trusted criminals and experienced safecrackers. There will be twelve of them in all. Georges will command the operation, with Edgar as his second-in-command. When the night of the “job” arrives, everything initially seems to go according to plan. The various teams, well coordinated, swing into action. The few unforeseen problems that arise are handled professionally. But Edgar has been careful not to reveal his true motive to his accomplices. And that is what will set events in motion.