Trama

A small-time crook, hunted by the authorities for a car theft and the murder of a police officer, attempts to persuade a hip American journalism student to run away with him to Italy.

Michel Poiccard, an irresponsible sociopath and small-time thief, steals a car and impulsively murders the motorcycle policeman who pursues him. Now wanted by the authorities, he renews his relationship with Patricia Franchini, a hip American girl studying journalism at the Sorbonne, whom he had met in Nice a few weeks earlier. Before leaving Paris, he plans to collect a debt from an underworld acquaintance and expects her to accompany him on his planned getaway to Italy. Even with his face in the local papers and media, Poiccard seems oblivious to the dragnet that is slowly closing around him as he recklessly pursues his love of American movies and libidinous interest in the beautiful American.—duke1029

Michel Poiccard is a Marseilles based hood, who will do whatever he needs to to get what he wants. He models his behavior after the tough guy characters portrayed by Humphrey Bogart in the movies. This behavior includes stealing money and cars wherever and whenever, lying and cheating, and using woman, who allow him to since they are attracted to his charisma. Because of his criminal activities, he works under aliases, such as László Kovács. One day while he is being chased by policemen in the French countryside while he is driving a stolen vehicle, he eventually shoots one of the policemen dead. He heads to Paris to take refuge with who he considers his girlfriend, Patricia Franchini, a twenty-year old American journalism student at the Sorbonne and an aspiring reporter with the Paris based office of the New York Herald Tribune. Having only dated casually over the last month, Patricia is unaware of Michel's criminal activities. She is concurrently dating another American journalist. Michel, who is trying to get money owed to him from some of his associates, wants Patricia to run off with him to Rome, all the while seemingly cavalier about the fact that his name and photograph are in the local media as a cop killer. When Patricia eventually learns about Michel being wanted by the police, she has to decide where her allegiances lie.—Huggo

The car thief Michel Poiccard kills a policeman on road RN7 between Marseille and Paris. He continues to Paris, where someone owes him money, and where he has fallen in love with Patricia Franchini, a young American woman, who is going to study at Sorbonne. Michel finds her at Champs-Élysée, where she is selling the New York Herald Tribune. She is not sure whether she loves him or not, and anyway she has an appointment with an American journalist, who has offered her some occasional job as a reporter. When she returns to her hotel room in the evening, she finds Michel lying in her bed. Next morning police detective Vital contacts her, as she has been seen together with Michel Poiccard. The detective shows her a newspaper with a photo of Michel, identifying him as the killer. She is forced to admit that she has met Michel, but says that she has no idea of where he is. Now she knows for sure that she loves Michel. She helps him to continue his flight.—Maths Jesperson {maths.jesperson1@comhem.se}

With a cigarette always in his mouth to style himself after Humphrey Bogart, possessing a reckless bravado inspired by the tough characters of Hollywood's film-noir movies, the charming fedora-wearing hoodlum, Michel Poiccard, steals a car. One dead traffic police officer later, and with the entire police force after him, Michel heads to Paris and holes up in the tiny apartment of the gamine young American would-be novelist, Patricia Franchini, intent on keeping a low profile. Now, amid thick cigarette smoke, intimate revelations, unreciprocated seduction, and old debts, freedom and youthful love have the final say, even though Patricia, the beautiful and independent Francophile, still hasn't made up her mind about her feelings for Michel. But, life is short, Rome seems so far away, and Michel has already fallen for Patricia. Yet the question remains. Is Patricia in love with Michel?—Nick Riganas

Michel Poiccard (Jean-Paul Belmondo) is a petty crook who wants to be like the gangsters that Humphrey Bogart played in the movies. With the help from his girlfriend, he steals a car in Marseilles, but he drives off without her. He speeds along a country road, muttering to himself and pretending to shoot his gun at people he passes. He pulls over to the side and a motorcycle cop shows up. Michel casually shoots and kills the policeman. The newspapers all over France report that the Paris police are looking for the murderer of the cop.

Michel arrives in Paris where he steal money from the purse of a model. He then looks for Patricia Franchini (Jean Seberg), an American girl he met recently in Nice. He finds her walking the streets and hawking at the English-language newspaper the New York Herald Tribune. He tells her that he doesn't enjoy sleeping with other women. He wants her to run off to Rome with him. He is jealous when she keeps an appointment with an Americna journalist. Michael follows her around Paris in a stolen car. The journalist (Van Doude) has arranged for her to interview Parvulesco (Jean-Pierrre Melville) a famous novelist. When Patricia tells the journalist that she is pregnant, he worries that she considers having an abortion... because the baby that she is carrying is probably Michel's. She responds by telling the journalist: "I don't know if I'm unhappy because I am free or not free because I'm unhappy."

Patricia returns to her tiny apartment and finds Michel in her bed. During his lengthy visit they talk, they flirt, she discusses books, he talks about dying, she slaps him, he proposes they sleep together, she keeps refusing. She isn't sure if she loves him. She tells Michel that she thinks she's pregnant by him. Michel replies: "You should have been more careful." They sleep together.

When other contacts fall through, Michel arranges to pick up money from his friend Antionio Berrutti (Jacques Huet) so he can leave Paris with Patricia. However, Michel is spotted on the streets by an informer who tells the police. Meanchile, Patricia carries on a philosophical interview with Parvulesco.

The police question Patricia about Michel. When the police inspector (Daniel Boulanger) tells her, "Careful, one doesn't joke with the Paris police!", Patricia breaks down and admits that she knows Michel and promises to call them the next time she sees him.

Michel beats up a man who tinkers with his car. He knows that there is a dragnet out for him because of the newspaper reports and from having seen the police tail Patricia. Michel takes Patricia to a local cinema to watch a film while they make out. He and Patricia hide out waiting for Antonio to deliver the money. Patricia call the police and tells them where Michel is. She doesn't want to go away with him. She tells Michel about her phone call, saying he has just enough time to escape. "Because I'm mean to you, it proves I don't love you!" she insists. He tells her he doesn't care if he goes to prison for the rest of his life. He makes no effort to escape.

Antonio drives up with the money and a gun. He forces the gun on Michel when he sees the police arrive. Trapped, Michel has no choice but to run. He is shot in the back by a policeman. Patricia stands over the dying Michel just as he calls her a "degueulasse" ("bitch"). She doesn't understand what that word means. As Michel dies, she rubs her finger over her bottom lip, just like Bogart and Michel used to do.