Four men plan a technically perfect crime, but the human element intervenes...
After five years in prison, Tony le Stéphanois meets his dearest friends Jo and the Italian Mario Ferrati, who invite Tony to steal a couple of jewels from the show-window of the famous Mappin and Webb Ltd, but he declines. Tony finds his former girlfriend Mado, who became the lover of Louis Grutter, gangster owner of the L' Âge d' Or nightclub, and he humiliates and beats her for being unfaithful. Then he calls Jo and Mario and proposes a burglary of the safe of the jewelry. They invite the Italian specialist in safes and elegant wolf Cesar to join their team and they plot a perfect heist. They are successful in their plan, but the Don Juan Cesar errs by giving a valuable ring to his mistress.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Fresh out of jail after a hard five-year imprisonment, weary master burglar Tony le Stéphanois returns to a rain-soaked Paris to discover that his girl Mado is now the mistress of a rival dope-dealing gangster. Utterly disheartened, Tony reluctantly accepts the proposition of his young protégé Jo the Swede and his friend Mari, for a quick smash-and-grab raid on the prestigious jewelry store Mappin and Webb, on one condition: to step up this job into an all-out jewel heist. With an impeccable plan and the aid of the expert safe-cracker Cesar the Milanese, the band of thieves stands a great chance of succeeding--but what if opening the jewelry shop's impregnable safe is the robbery's easiest part?—Nick Riganas
In Paris, Tony (nicknamed Le Stéphanois after his hometown, Saint-Étienne) has just been released from prison after five years, time served for a jewel heist. He did not give up his younger friend and associate Jo - Le Suedois (The Swede) - in loyalty, and to give Jo a chance at life, which now includes a wife, Louise, and their five-year-old son Tonio, named after Tony. The first of Tony's tasks is to get back at some people, including his old girlfriend Mado, who instead of waiting for him took up with gangster nightclub owner Louis Grutter (Le Tatoué :The Tattoo). His second task is to find a way to earn money, as gambling won't cut it. His and Jo's friend Mario Ferrati suggests something akin to a smash-and-grab of the three stones in the window of the high-end jewelry store Mappin and Webb. Initially declining the offer, Tony agrees only in making it a true heist to rob their safe instead, employing a fourth, top-end safe-cracker Cesar (Le Milanais: The Milanese). Tony has a plan all mapped out to conduct the heist in the middle of the night so they'll be done and out by 05:00 to not arouse suspicion in neighboring businesses just opening for the day. The biggest issue with the plan is not tripping the temperamental alarm which can be set off by a power failure or excessive vibration. Even if they are able to get the jewels out of the safe and escape, they must still be careful to not bring attention to themselves until they can fence the goods and get the money. Even if all four are able to adhere to these strict post-heist rules, they cannot control their pasts catching up with them, especially Tony, who has the most potential problematic baggage.—Huggo
Tony "le Stéphanois" has done five years for a jewel heist, and is now out on the street and down on his luck. His friend Jo approaches Tony about another jewel heist in which they and Mario would stealthily cut the glass on a Parisian jeweler's front window and grab some gems. Tony opts not to participate. Tony learns that his old girlfriend, Mado, has now aligned herself with Pierre Grutter. Finding Mado at Grutter's nightclub, he invites her back to his rundown flat. Mado has been well-kept, and Tony savagely beats her for being so deeply involved with Grutter. Tony changes his mind about the heist; he now accepts on the condition that they hit the jeweler's safe, not the window. Mario, an Italian, suggests they employ the services of his compatriot César, a safe cracker. The four team up and plan a way to work around the ingenious alarm system guarding the jewelry shop.
Casing the store, the group decides to drill through the ceiling from an upstairs flat which will be vacant on a Sunday night extending into Monday morning before the jeweler returns. The suspenseful break-in completed, the criminals seem to have triumphed. Without the others' knowledge, César has pocketed a diamond ring as a gift for his mistress Viviane, a chanteuse at Grutter's club. The four men arrange to fence the loot with a London contact. Meanwhile, Grutter has seen Mado and her injuries; Mado breaks off their relationship. From this, Grutter infers that Tony is at the root of Mado's decision; he then gives drugs to his heroin-addicted brother and tells him to murder Tony. Grutter sees the diamond Cesar gave to Viviane and realizes that César and Tony were responsible for the jewel theft. Grutter forces César to confess. Seeking revenge and money, Grutter's gang brutally murders Mario and his wife Ida. Tony retrieves Mario's share of the jewels and pays for a splendid funeral for him. Tony goes looking for Grutter and finds the captive César, who confesses to ratting him out to Grutter. With regret, Tony kills César.
Meanwhile, Grutter's thugs have kidnapped Jo's five-year-old son Tonio, demanding that Tony give over the loot or young Tonio will be killed. The London fence arrives with the cash, which now seems pointless to Jo, who along with his wife, is tormented with worry for their son. Seeking the boy, Tony tracks him down at Grutter's country house and kills Grutter's brothers Rémi and Louis to save him. On the way back to Paris, Tony is told that Jo has cracked under the pressure and has taken the money to the house for Grutter. Grutter kills Jo, and then is killed by Tony, who is mortally wounded. Bleeding profusely, Tony drives maniacally back to Paris and delivers Tonio home safely. Tony dies in his car as police and bystanders close in on him and his remaining loot.
