Tir groupé (1982)

Antoine Béranger, a second-hand clothes dealer at the Clignancourt flea market, is in a relationship with Carine Ferrand, who works at a luxury goods store, but they do not yet live together. One evening, after dining at a restaurant with Carine and unsuccessfully trying to persuade her to come home with him, Antoine walks her to the station, where she is to catch the train back to her parents’ home in Enghien-les-Bains. On the train, however, the young woman is brutally assaulted by thug Samson Balestra and his two accomplices, Daniel Verlot and Michel Poubennec, while the other passengers look on in terror, too frightened to intervene. As he is about to leave the train with his accomplices, Balestra delivers a powerful karate blow to Carine, killing her instantly. Inspector Gagnon, who is in charge of the case, informs Antoine of the tragedy. Overcome with pain and grief, Antoine recalls moments he shared with Carine, including their first meeting a few months earlier. Another passenger has also been assaulted and killed in the corridors of the metro by the same thugs, who cut off his fingers to steal his wedding ring. Seeing that the police are struggling to find the culprits, Antoine decides to track them down himself and buys a firearm. Thanks to the cameo Antoine had given Carine on the night of the tragedy, he manages to trace Poubennec to a fence. Gagnon, meanwhile, tracks down Balestra by visiting several karate schools. Antoine follows Poubennec, leading him to a hideout where Balestra and Verlot are staying. But he realizes that Gagnon and his colleagues are also there and have sealed off the area. Poubennec spots the police and warns Balestra and Verlot, who arm themselves heavily. A shootout breaks out between the thugs and the police. Verlot and Poubennec are shot dead, while Balestra, cornered, is eventually arrested by Gagnon. Still at the scene, Antoine comes face to face with Balestra and, consumed by a desire for revenge, draws his weapon and kills him in cold blood. Sentenced to seven years in prison for Balestra’s murder, Antoine receives a reduction in his sentence and is released after three years. He returns to his work as a second-hand clothes dealer and now lives alone.