Le Cercle Rouge (1970)

As freedom's doors swung open for Corey (played by), a Marseille prisoner paroled for exemplary behavior, the warden's parting gift was a tantalizing prospect: a prized jewelery shop in Paris ripe for plunder. Seething with resentment towards Rico, his former partner who had betrayed him and now shared a roof with his ex-girlfriend, Corey stormed into Rico's lair, extracting a wad of cash and a handgun from the safe. With newfound determination, he fled to a local billiard hall, where Rico's goons lay in wait. In a flash of violence, Corey dispatched one and left the other reeling before snatching his gun. Next, he commandeered a gleaming American roadster, secreting both handguns in the trunk as he set his sights on the City of Light.

Meanwhile, Vogel (played by), another Marseille detainee bound for Parisian questioning at the hands of the esteemed Commissaire Mattei, engineered an audacious escape during the train's stop. As Mattei and his men scrambled to recapture Vogel, Corey, attuned to the chaos unfolding on the radio, found himself ensnared in the manhunt. With his car's trunk still unlocked from his own recent exploit, Vogel slipped into the boot, hoping to evade detection by crossing a nearby stream and sending his scent off the dogs' radar.

Corey, anticipating this development, parked his vehicle at a rural diner smack in the heart of the pursuit zone, beckoning Vogel to emerge. The tense standoff that ensued saw Vogel brandishing one of Corey's own handguns before recognizing the recently paroled prisoner's plight and aligning himself with his would-be savior. United, they sped away into open terrain. Their partnership was short-lived, as a pair of Rico's henchmen soon forced Corey off the road, relieved him of his cash, and prepared to send him to an early grave. However, Vogel, bursting forth from the trunk with the guns, sent both thugs to their maker, ensuring Corey's freedom – at least for now.

As Corey and Vogel converge on his Parisian apartment, the seeds of their elaborate heist begin to take root. In a calculated move, they assemble a team comprising Jansen, an erstwhile police officer with a penchant for precision marksmanship, and a fence, whose expertise lies in acquiring illicit goods. Meanwhile, Mattei remains hot on Vogel's trail, driven by a dual quest to identify Rico's killer and recapture the elusive fugitive. His efforts are focused on Santi, a nightclub proprietor who wields significant influence within the underworld, but Santi proves reluctant to cooperate.

Undeterred, Corey recruits Jansen and the fence for a daring jewellery shop heist, which unfolds over the course of a long, sleepless night. With Vogel by his side and Jansen's deadly accuracy providing cover, Corey successfully executes the plan, only to be left high and dry when the fence refuses to take possession of the stolen goods. The reason soon becomes apparent: Rico, still seething from Vogel's initial betrayal, has somehow managed to intimidate the fence, warning him off with an implicit threat.

As the trio regroups to reassess their strategy, Jansen and Vogel propose that Corey seek out a new fence, someone who might be willing to take a chance on them. Mattei, however, is one step ahead, using his leverage over Santi to extract information about a clandestine meeting scheduled for that evening at the nightclub. Disguising himself as the intended fence, Mattei extends an invitation to Corey to bring the stolen jewels to a secluded country estate.

Corey and Jansen heed the call, with Vogel – ever the cautious one – choosing to remain behind, armed with the cryptic red rose that had been left on his doorstep by Santi's enigmatic flower girl. As they arrive at the country house, Corey begins to display the spoils of their robbery before Mattei, but Vogel's sudden appearance, fueled by a growing suspicion about the true nature of this new fence, prompts him to urge Corey to make a swift exit with the loot. A tense standoff ensues, punctuated by the sound of gunfire and police sirens in the distance. Jansen, alerted to the chaos unfolding in the mansion's park, arrives just in time to intervene, but ultimately finds himself, along with his companions, cut down by Mattei's officers as they struggle to reclaim the stolen jewels.