The Second Wind

An all-star cast light up the late Alain Corneau’s pulsating thriller about Daniel Auteuil’s escaped gangster looking to pull off one last job. With Monica Bellucci and Eric Cantona. (2007)

Gu, a famous and dangerous gangster who has received a life sentence, escapes from prison. Before fleeing the country with Manouche, the woman he loves, Gu decides to take part in a last hold-up. When a police frame-up marks him as a traitor to his accomplices, he vows to regain his honour...
Set in the early 60s, this superior action-packed thriller takes a second look at a Jean-Pierre Melville’s classic starring Lino Ventura.

Specialist of crime drama Alain Corneau, who recently passed away just after his latest film Love Crimes starring Kristin Scott Thomas and Ludivine Sagnier was released in France, delivers a superior gangster tale featuring some of French cinema’s A-list including Daniel Auteuil (Jean de Florette, My Favourite Season, Hidden) in a smooth portrayal of an old-school gangster, Monica Bellucci (Irreversible,The Matrix Reloaded), Michel Blanc (Buffet Froid, The Witnesses) and Eric Cantona (Elizabeth, Looking for Eric).

Alain Corneau brilliantly immerses us in the 1960s atmosphere, adhering to the calibre one would expect from such a maestro of the crime thriller genre. His previous work includes films such as Police Python 357 (1976), La Menace (1977) and Choice of Arms (1981) which are all widely recognised  as classic French film noir works.

Corneau's first major success came in 1979 with Serie Noire, selected for that year's Festival de Cannes and starring Patrick Dewaere, Marie Trintignant and Bertrand Blier. In 1992, Corneau won the César award for Best Film and Best Director for Tous les Matins du Monde with Gerard Depardieu, who also starred in Corneau's big budget 1984 war film Fort Saganne that premiered at the Festival de Cannes that year.

For those who like film noir, The Second Wind is a must-see.