Espions, Les (1957) Movie Script
THE SPIES
Hey, Doctor! Can I borrow
your moped for five minutes?
Of course, Louis.
The boss went to Paris with the 2CV.
I've got to get the bread.
- The spark plug is on the blink.
- Never mind, I'll pedal.
- I'll bring it back.
- I'll get it after dinner.
Thanks!
- Well, Doctor?
- We have to pay before the 15th.
- Not a day more.
- We're in a real mess!
If it was just me...
but there are the patients.
By the 15th, Mr Valette
will have finished his rest cure.
Once he's detoxified,
he won't care what happens to you.
- How was he today?
- He was given drugs. He's asleep.
And what will become of Lucie?
If you didn't believe her play-acting,
she'd have spoken a while ago.
If only I had the money.
There are a lot of things to do here.
Money? This place would cost
millions in plumbing and painting.
- There's no wine?!
- You finished it at lunch.
- Couldn't you by some more?
- We owe the store money.
I'm fed up of being insulted
by the shopkeepers!
Here's 100 francs.
Go get some.
No way! I'm finished for today.
You can drink water. It won't harm you.
I'm not hungry.
Have dinner without me, Mrs Andr.
You're not going to the pub
at this time?!
I'm not going to the pub,
I'm going to buy the newspaper.
- Louis.
- One Muscadet!
So, Mr Bargeau, what's the news?
Not nice! A 20% rise on alcohol.
I may as well shut up shop.
You wanted those men in power.
They won by 25 votes.
Your vote was among them.
- Would you vote for those clowns?
- Me? I don't have an opinion.
I don't have an opinion either,
I have a till.
They held a meeting here.
They spoke well and promised lots.
- Once elected, they do the opposite.
- Haven't you understood yet?
The doctor's right.
And he's a smart fellow. He has studied.
- Can I make a phone call?
- Yes, we'll get you a line.
It's paid.
But I voted for the left.
And they followed right-wing policies,
as usual.
It's always pacifists who declare wars.
It's natural.
Natural?! It's dishonest,
a breach of trust. We should sue them!
To get your ballot paper reimbursed?
You may as well draw lots.
This is the reasoning
of a bourgeois anarchist.
No, it's the reasoning of a man
who has no time to lose.
I want to be left alone to work in peace!
Without these ridiculous taxes.
- Good night.
- Good night.
Doctor!
It was a bad telephone line,
but I'm sure of the address.
It's in Argenteuil.
Charge the night fare.
Your clients are richer than you.
As if I'm used to
working for a pittance!
There's no loony here,
except you maybe!
Leave him, Gaston.
It must be a prank.
If I find out who sent me here,
I'll give him what for!
Dr Malic?
I'm the one who called.
- You? But what the...
- Colonel Howard.
US Institute of Psychological War.
Sorry, Colonel.
Sorry for taking you
to such a gloomy place.
I randomly picked a street on a map.
- You were in the bar earlier.
- I couldn't speak to you there.
What I have to tell you is top secret.
We've been watching you
for a long time in the...
How do you say in French?
Why don't they put
those unfortunate creatures to sleep?
I can't stand seeing an animal suffer.
- You're not feeling well, Colonel?
- Excuse me, it's the smell of blood.
It makes me sick.
That may explain why
I'm in the special services.
I would have been a very bad soldier.
The smell of bombarded cities in '44...
I could still smell it 10,000 feet high!
This is awful.
I was listening to you earlier.
You don't seem to have
clear-cut political views.
To have political views at my age
would be childish.
I'm a practical man.
I would even say... cynical.
Your business
isn't going very well... why?
Because I'm bad
at advertising myself.
Good for you. It's precisely
because you're discreet, honest
and you only have two patients,
one of which is a mute,
that we thought of you in the...
main branches.
And because there's
no woman in your life.
Having a wife
and not being able to spoil her is unfair.
Dr Malic, you're the kind of man I like.
Do you want to earn five million?
Are you serious?
I've got one million in my pocket.
You'll get the rest
at the end of the operation.
And... what will I have to do?
Nothing illegal... or degrading.
- Come and wash your hands.
- What?
Come and wash your hands.
So...
We have a very valuable agent.
An irreplaceable fellow.
Certain countries would pay millions
to get hold of him,
just to talk to him
with no witnesses for an hour.
Could you hospitalise him
for a few days?
- I'd be glad to.
- That's all we ask of you.
- Is that all?
- That's all.
Just shut up and don't interfere.
Put this in your pocket.
- Are you having second thoughts?
- Kind of.
It's the first time I'm earning money
for doing nothing.
It's a bit of an adventure.
We must celebrate our agreement.
- It's the last one, then.
- The last one.
To Alex.
He's really called Alex?
You're too curious. You shouldn't be.
It could become very dangerous.
Don't say anything, don't hear
anything, don't see anything.
- I'm bound to see him.
- Not his face.
You mustn't.
It's for your safety.
Our enemies could try
to kidnap you to make you talk.
You're joking?
This is France, not Chicago.
Yes, but in France, there are people
from Chicago, Madrid and Moscow.
Believe me,
they'll send some rough types.
How would they find me
in my old clinic?
I bet they'll visit you on the first day.
- I won't see them.
- On the contrary.
You'll also get a visit
from a few friends of mine.
You said I only had to
accommodate Alex.
- That's all.
- And the others?
The others will introduce
themselves as patients
and you'll treat them as patients.
But how will I distinguish between
the friends and the enemies?
That's their business, not yours.
They'll handle it between themselves.
Wait! I have an idea.
You know that psychiatric treatments
include insidious questioning.
- If it's done right...
- Don't interfere!
- Do you understand?
- I understand perfectly.
But if I came across some interesting
information, how could I contact you?
Under no circumstances
are you to contact me.
If you don't agree, give me the money
back and let's forget about it.
I was just trying to help.
- To your health, Colonel.
- Cheers, Doctor.
You're back early...
and in a fine state.
Mrs Andr,
I was giving a consultation.
- Have you been paid this time?
- One million, is that enough?
- One million!
- You don't believe me? Look!
- Look.
- Your client gave you that money?
I'm not allowed to say anything.
We're going to have a special patient.
That's how I understand it.
He must be real sick
to pay that price!
Or it must be some dodgy affair.
Lady, I'm not a child. We won't do
anything illegal... or degrading.
You're scaring me.
If this was legal, there was no need
to make you drink that much.
Lucie!
So, Lucie?
You've already had a wash?
You've been very fast this morning.
Let me see.
You haven't brushed your hair.
You call that brushed?
Where's your hairbrush?
There's no hairbrush.
Do you want to make me angry?
Come on, I'm not angry.
I'm just pretending.
You didn't even say hello.
Say hello. Repeat after me.
Hel-Io.
It still won't come out.
Never mind. Tomorrow.
There's no hurry now. Look!
The money I earned for you.
You'll be able to stay here as long
as necessary, until you're cured.
Until you become pretty again.
Like before your illness.
Don't cry!
Don't cry or I'll leave.
Smile.
Won't you smile for me?
That's better.
I'll be back in five minutes.
Go on! I'm coming back.
Mrs Andr, you've got a nerve!
I'm not Mrs Andr. I'm replacing her.
I'm informing myself.
About what? What are you talking about?
Who are you?
My name's Constance Harper.
But everybody calls me Conny.
Mrs Andr doesn't need
a replacement!
- Are you sure?
- Of course I'm sure.
Mrs Andr? Mrs Andr!
Mrs Andr? Where are you?
- Where is she?
- She left.
Without telling me?
I don't believe you.
Believe me, Doctor.
Mrs Andr left this morning.
She took the first train to Saint-Flour
to visit her family.
Her family? How do you know
she has family in Saint-Flour?
- We know many things.
- Who sent her there?
- You.
- Me?
You know. This morning
the cook gave her a letter from you.
No way!
Clotilde!
Do you fancy red currant jam?
Who are you?
What are you doing here?
- We're eating.
- What are you doing in my house?
- We don't know. We're here in case.
- In case of what?
We haven't been told.
And you? Who are you?
I'm Doctor Malic,
the director of this clinic.
Excuse us, we didn't know.
Clotilde shouldn't have let you in.
Answer me, for God's sake!
- Looking for someone?
- The cook!
- We gave her the sack.
- Who did?
- Lon.
- She was rude to Pierre.
You're messing me around!
Please leave immediately.
- You won't leave?
- Not without orders.
I order you to leave.
Funny guy.
You've got a sense of humour, Doc.
- You aren't from the organisation.
- What organisation?
Don't try to make them talk.
They'd be stupid to answer.
The consequences are severe.
I'm just trying to make them leave.
I don't want them here!
- What about me?
- The same goes for you!
You should have
thought about it earlier.
When you commit yourself,
you must think of the consequences.
- I didn't commit...
- We're here for a reason.
My employers never make mistakes.
- What's that?
- My expenses.
- Go on, make yourself at home!
- One moment, Doctor.
Taxi: 940 francs.
You took a taxi?
- We were at the station...
- Bus, like everybody else.
Telephone: 30 francs.
To call who?
You're not going to quibble
over 30 francs.
I'm not the Kremlin
or the White House.
I'm a poor woman
struggling to make ends meet.
You're rich!
And you pay us peanuts.
Nobody forced you to take the job.
Lon... What kind of person
have we landed up with?
A bitch! You didn't know?
They'll get use to it,
you'll see, Doctor.
Well, I won't!
Do me a favour and clear off!
I don't think so.
- Will you shove off?!
- If the decision was mine...
Then scarper! Quick!
Don't make me resort to drastic...
Very well.
I'm going to the authorities.
Doctor.
Don't do that. Believe me.
Fancy that! You're scared.
Me?
I'm saying it for your sake.
The authorities...
the less you see them, the better.
We'll see.
Please, not now.
Get back inside, or you'll catch a cold.
Hello, Doctor.
Louis isn't here?
No, the poor guy broke his leg
last night on his way home.
He sent a replacement.
That's nice of him.
- You too...
- Me too, what?
Nothing... A coincidence.
- A glass of Muscadet, Doctor?
- What?
- You drink Muscadet, don't you?
- Yes...
Victor already knows
the clients better than I do.
Who are these people?
They're not from around here.
A congress of ocarina players.
They're here for a few days.
- Yes... Give me a phone line.
- Is your phone out of order?
I can't get that number from home.
- We'll call telephone exchange.
- No need.
It's very easy. What's the number?
I'm not sure what the number is.
Give me the phone book.
You've got a cheek!
Sorry, I thought you were
looking for your number.
Hello. The US Embassy?
Could you give me the number
of the Institute of Psychological War?
My name? Is it really necessary?
Dr Malic. Villa Les Glycines
in Maisons-Lafitte.
For personal reasons, Miss.
I wish to get in touch
with a member of the Institute.
No, I can't give you his name...
Strictly personal reasons.
Colonel Howard.
No, I can't talk any louder!
Howard. Yes, I'm waiting.
Can you go further away
while I'm on the phone?
You haven't found Colonel Howard?
Nobody knows him?
But at the Institute... The Institute exists.
The Colonel told me...
No, he didn't ask me
to call him back here.
It's strange.
Well, forget what I said.
No, I'm asking you
to please forget this conversation.
You don't have to keep
a record of all calls!
I'm not saying it's not your duty.
No! Miss, you're going too far!
Asking you to forget this conversation
isn't part of the conversation.
You have no right to record it.
Right... very well.
Goodbye, Miss.
You made your phone call?
The person wasn't in.
I got the operator.
Some operators shouldn't be trusted.
They know more than managers.
Of course,
they hear all the conversations.
I know all about it!
What a mess!
Are you proud of yourself?
I can't even leave for five minutes.
One day, you'll set the house on fire.
You want me tie you to your bed
like a baby? Do you?
What have you got in your head?
What's in there?
You think I don't have
enough problems already?
Who did I put myself
in this situation for?
For you.
To have some money.
To be able to cure you.
To keep the clinic so you don't
have to go back to your family.
Is this how you thank me?
I really want to help you.
I really...
Come on, darling, be quiet.
Let me go. Lucie! I'm coming back.
Were you spying on me
when I was with Lucie?
Me? I've been here all the time.
Do your job but don't go near
my patients. Understand?
- Yes, Doctor.
- What's this farce?
- We mustn't raise suspicions.
- You think you look like a nurse?
I don't know, but the people
who just came in treated me like one.
- People? Who did you let in?
- Two clients.
Already?
Pass me my coat.
- Who's first?
- I'm very busy.
If this gentlemen would excuse me...
Sorry, I was here first.
I have a radio show in half an hour:
France speaks to Lithuanians. Live.
- Doctor.
- It's off-peak...
- Are you ill?
- Barmen can't be ill?
Victor, we're neighbours.
Come back tomorrow.
I'll come back, but it's not fair.
Which one of you gentlemen...
- I'll just be a minute.
- I know your minutes. In Berlin in '47...
And Port-Said in '51...
We're not going to start that again!
You know each other?
Long-standing sick people
have many opportunities to meet.
We're always wondering
which one will outlive the other.
Whenever you're ready, sir...
- Are they made of metal?
- Steel. Which day suits you best?
Why set a date?
I'd like to come here from time to time.
Unexpectedly.
Unfortunately, I'm quite busy,
as you can see.
I may be mad, but I'm not stupid.
See? We'll have plenty of time to chat.
I'll pay the normal rate. The work
won't be hard. I know my illness.
- What illness do you suffer from?
- Me? I don't suffer.
The others are suffering.
I'm a kleptomaniac.
- Kleptomaniac?
- Yes, I pinch... mainly small things.
You know, empty envelopes... pens...
Things like that.
I have more than 150 pens at home.
- Your name?
- Sorry?
Ah! Kaminsky. With a K.
Michel.
Klepto... Radio columnist.
Yes, every day I give a bit of hope to
my poor compatriots of Central Europe.
Despite my little flaws,
I speak six languages
and I've lived in the Far East.
I'm a good talker,
you will see.
I'm badly paid but...
greatly appreciated.
Ask me my age, Doctor.
- How old are you?
- Sorry?
- Your age?
- 43, Doctor.
Where were you born?
Lucie!
- There are real lunatics here?
- Nervous types... sometimes agitated.
Funny.
This is a nursing home.
What are you doing here?
It's time for your walk.
Go round the park three times.
And don't cheat! I'm watching you.
- So, sir...
- Goodbye, Doctor.
- We haven't made an appointment.
- You'll see me again.
I'm persistent.
It was very pleasant.
And instructive.
M. Kaminsky!
My forms are totally useless to you.
They are blank.
Blank?
Shame.
At your service.
- Are you looking for something?
- I lost my box of matches.
Never mind, I'll give you a light.
I'm not asking for a light.
I said I lost my box of matches.
- Yes, I understood. Box of matches.
- No, you don't understand at all.
I don't smoke.
- Let's go!
- Please sit down.
I'm Sam Cooper, 62 years old,
born in New Jersey.
A non-drinker, non-smoker.
Excellent health.
- In that case, I don't see...
- Wait!
Everything was fine until...
Three years ago,
I started suffering from...
- Yes, emotional disturbance.
- That's it.
- Tell me what's wrong.
- I can't stand people.
So since three years ago,
you can't stand anybody.
- Where were you three years ago?
- In Moscow.
- I was an embassy attach.
- In Moscow?
- You didn't like it there?
- I did. But these idiots broke me.
- Broke?
- Yes, broke.
- Why were you summoned?
- Stupid stories. Commission of enquiry.
They blamed you for something?
I've been accused of having affinities
with the Soviets.
- Is it true?
- I wasn't a Soviet agent.
I'm not Fourche, Borges or McLain.
I didn't betray anyone. It's a lie.
I'm going to do
an electroencephalogram.
- You know what it is?
- Yes, I've had many already.
So, now... don't move.
Close your eyes.
Relax...
Completely.
You said you didn't betray anyone.
Have you been accused?
No, they're too intelligent.
I would have sued them for libel.
They claimed that my declarations
served the policies of the Soviets.
- They kicked me out.
- You were suspicious of them.
Wasn't the Yalta agreement
advantageous for the Russians?
Did they say that President Roosevelt
was a Soviet agent?
This is stupid.
I told you to close your eyes.
- What did you do after resigning?
- I left my country, like many.
I came to France. They were
looking for an English teacher.
And now I teach Shakespeare
from 9 to 10 and 2 to 5.
But they're hassling me again with
problems of passport and residency.
They're pursuing me.
They won't leave me alone, Doctor.
I'm scared they'll say I'm a lunatic,
so I'm taking precautions.
They won't get me this time!
No, no, they won't get you.
Calm down.
Take a deep breath.
Faster.
Even faster. That's enough.
I can't see anything unusual.
Nothing pathological.
Who told you to come to see me?
Your American friends?
- Or your friends from the East?
- Didn't I tell you? Colonel Howard.
But I don't know any colonel.
Absolutely none.
Why are you denying it?
Howard is a friend.
I don't know him.
Because he works
for the secret services? I know.
I don't know anything about
this Mr Howard. Let's continue.
No! That's enough.
- You won't cure me with lies!
- If you think I'm a liar, I'm sorry.
If a patient doesn't trust his doctor,
the doctor can't help him.
- You don't need to come back.
- You're stubborn!
You always carry a weapon
in your pocket?
- What weapon? I've never had a weapon.
- What's that?
Oh, the gun?
They have the cheek to play gangsters
even during my class. Little rascals!
Let's be friends. I have to go.
Shakespeare is waiting for me.
Romeo and Juliet,
Desdemona and...
- One moment, I'll see you to the door.
- Don't bother. I'm leaving.
What are you doing here?
I said come back another day.
I know, Doctor, but I'm very annoyed.
I lost my box of matches.
- What?
- My box of matches.
How many matches
were there in your box?
In my box? I don't know. Fifteen.
Fifteen, really? Well, well...
- Maybe two.
- Two!
- Three...
- Three! Even better!
Did you see that?
What a cheek!
These swines don't understand
anything, but they want to play a part.
I can't stand them any more.
They disgust me.
And on top that,
they make me waste my time.
What time is it, Doctor?
Ten past four.
Correct!
Don't be afraid. What an idiot!
You animal! Can't you see
you scared the lady? Go away!
And take that ladder. Go away!
No, not you, Miss. Stay.
Here's a liquorice sweet
to comfort you. There.
I'm your friend.
I'm also the doctor's friend.
Do you often come to walk
in this park?
Of course. And you see what happens
in the house and the offices.
Many people come to see
the doctor but they're not ill.
Not at all. What happens in the office?
They talk.
They exchange papers.
Tell me. Quick!
Mr Kaminsky, you've gone too far.
Please leave this house at once!
Don't get angry, Doctor.
I'm a keen botanist.
- I was wondering what this shrub is.
- You think Lucie would tell you?
There's the gate. Continue
your botanical studies in the street.
What a shame!
It's such a rare species. Japanese?
I'd stay for hours in this garden.
Unfortunately,
it is reserved for patients.
My plane!
Miss, my plane!
Please, Miss.
It's not my fault. The wind pushed it.
Give the child his plane.
Is Dr Malic here?
- Do you know that child?
- No. Why?
He's telling her something.
So what?
Know a way to stop children talking?
Yes, I know several.
Tell him, Miss.
It's very important.
What did he say? Tell me, I won't
repeat it. I never repeat anything.
Neither does she. She's a mute.
That's annoying.
How are we going to know?
Wait. Maybe she can write?
Mind your own business!
Try to remember. You understood
what he said, didn't you?
Make an effort, for God's sake.
It's important to me.
Don't be stubborn. You must
remember something. One word!
You're an idiot!
Maybe it was a message from Howard.
I've tried to contact him.
It's driving me crazy.
What kind of a mess did I get
myself into? I must be cursed.
Maybe I had a tiny chance
to get out of this, but no.
You had to blow it!
Please, stop scrawling!
Alex, are you sure? And then?
What else?
I won't shout, I promise. Be nice.
What happened to Alex?
Did he give you an address,
a phone number?
Was it long or short?
Short?
Then it was an order or a warning.
He's not coming any more?
Yes, he's coming?
When, tomorrow?
Later?
Earlier?
Tonight?
- What are you doing here?
- I'm coming to help you.
Look, it's 2 am. At this time,
I deserve to be left alone. Go to bed.
- Let me in. I'll wait for him with you.
- I'm not expecting anybody.
Avenue Jean Jaurs.
I knew it wasn't far!
- Is this the loony bin?
- The psychiatric clinic, yes.
You see, we finally found your joint.
Hey, mister, we're here.
- You don't say!
- Your taxi's empty.
I'm sure I picked someone up.
- Having some trouble?
- Go to bed, I don't need you.
Don't be foolish, Doctor.
Let the old dog deal with new tricks.
You are too young.
What did you do with your client?
Nothing.
I'm just as annoyed as you are.
You're going to be more annoyed!
Where did you lose your fare?
- Try to remember.
- Don't interfere!
People always remember for us.
Where did you drop him?
Nowhere.
We came straight here.
Excuse me, Doctor.
- He jumped on the way, is that it?
- He could have.
When you look for your way
at night in these awful suburbs,
you have to drive slowly.
I had to stop a couple of times
to read some signs.
You would have heard the door.
Don't you start!
You think I don't have enough trouble?
Who's going to pay?
- Up yours!
- Please!
- I will compensate you.
- That's kind of you.
- Do you have change for 10,000?
- Yes. 15 and 3... there you are.
- Give me your papers.
- Are you joking?
- You heard her!
- You'll give them back?
- That depends on you.
- Stay here!
- What did he look like?
- I didn't see him.
- You're lying!
- I swear!
I was in a bar and a friend told me
that a client was waiting in the car.
He was in the corner and he said,
"To Maisons-Laffite".
So I drove off and he gave me
the address on the way.
- You didn't turn round once?
- No.
- You didn't see him in the mirror?
- He was in the corner behind me!
You're starting to get on my nerves!
Give me my papers!
- He's pig-headed.
- You little runt. Nobody asked you!
- Move along!
- Everybody has to live, Mrs Conny.
Earn your living, but shut your mouth.
They're personal papers,
not a newspaper!
Let me finish writing it down.
We won't let you go
without an explanation.
If you want an explanation,
come with me to the police.
The police?
I lost a client, I've got to declare it
to lost property.
Give me his papers!
- At last!
- You're happy now, so no fuss.
Enough! Now, clear off.
I'm out of here!
You don't impress me
with that scrapheap!
We'll get our own back!
What did he come for?
Come on, get back inside.
The joke is over.
- Are you proud of yourself?
- It's not my fault.
You saw it yourself.
There was nobody in the car.
That's not the point. You were
meant to spot the man on arrival.
- Did you spot him, yes or no?
- Spot who?
The taxi driver may have lied.
Maybe that client never existed.
- Can you prove it?
- Of course not.
- Too bad.
- I'm innocent.
- But you were there.
- So were you.
Precisely.
Someone has to be responsible.
- Good night, Miss.
- Yes, sleep well.
But sleep fast, in three hours and
twenty minutes, I'm waking you up.
Well, Doctor. Strange night, huh?
Yes. Strange night.
For your first lesson,
you were taught a lot.
Believe me, this is not a job
for amateurs. Good night.
Yes, good night.
How did you get in?
With these.
But you're not American.
- I'm German. Does that bother you?
- No, but Colonel Howard...
No names.
Well... our mutual friend
mentioned one of his agents.
So what? You're French
and you're working for the US.
Is my room ready?
Listen, I'm sorry you had to take
so many risks, but I'd like to ask you...
to beg you to leave.
Yes, I know.
I tried to contact the Colonel.
If I had reached him,
you wouldn't be here tonight.
I can't stand it any more.
This is too complicated for me.
Here.
- Here's the money I was given.
- I'm very tired.
Is my room ready, yes or no?
Yes.
Can you take me there discreetly?
Switch off the lamp.
Take my hand.
Lead me.
Careful with the first step.
- You didn't need a lesson last night.
- Me?
The taxi was empty
but the room is full.
- I assure you there is nobody here.
- I know, he's not here...
But he's hungry.
- Who's there?
- It's me, Malic.
Why this ridiculous knock?
- So that you know it's me.
- You still play games at your age.
- So? Do you know him?
- I can't see anything.
Shut the blinds!
Have you gone mad?
I'd have reason to!
If only you were in my shoes.
They're everywhere.
They come in and out, day and night.
- It's a nightmare.
- Go for a stroll.
I don't dare cross the street!
Passers-by aren't passers-by.
They're all here, still and motionless.
They wait. Behind each window,
someone is watching me.
- Stay at home.
- They come to my home!
- Don't let them in.
- I've got three here letting them in!
Where do they come from?
What do they want?
They're here. Friends or enemies?
Whose side are they on?
None and all.
They are agents.
But they must serve some country.
Don't be naive. Good information
always lies with your enemy.
To be welcomed
you don't go empty-handed.
You give a small piece of information
in order to get a big one.
And bigger ones
you exchange for what you can.
You don't put all your eggs
in one basket.
With all this giving and taking...
...here and there...
...you end up not knowing
where you're at.
But these people
must have a family, friends.
Like a writer you forbid to write.
Like a scientist
you expel from his laboratory.
Where is his family, his friends?
If you're an immigrant,
where's your country?
Most of them are expatriate,
unwanted people trying to live.
- That world totally puzzles me.
- Ignore it.
It will ignore you.
You're lucky enough to live in a world
where when a woman
sleeps with you,
not to find out
what you did the day before.
Where words have the same meaning
as in the dictionary.
You can drink till you drop without
fearing the last drink is poisoned.
Carry on as you are.
Stick to your profession.
What would you normally do
at this time?
- I'm treating an alcoholic.
- Cure him and forget the rest.
Go.
- But I'm paid to protect you.
- I can look after myself.
- You scared me.
- Are you nervous?
- What about those fingerprints?
- Nothing on the spoon.
- There should be.
- Yes, there should.
- We may be luckier with the bowl.
- I hope so, for your sake.
I don't understand.
I understand... maybe.
- You think someone erases them?
- For example.
Don't look at me when I'm working.
It bothers me.
I didn't know you were so shy.
- It's not shyness, it's...
- Fear.
A legitimate fear.
Somebody erases the prints I need.
You're nervous,
fearing there's one left.
Miss Conny, you don't think...
Mr Poirier, I'm warning you.
Those who try to get me, hit a snag.
And with me, snags are tough!
I went for a coffee in the bar opposite.
They were polite to me.
Too polite.
They were making fun of me.
There is a bastard here
who's betraying me.
- It's not me.
- Admit it now. It will cost you less.
- It's not me, I swear!
- Who is it, then?
You can never be sure but...
...this morning I saw him at the gate
talking to the barman.
What's the matter with this house?
People have been
coming and going all night.
They woke me up
banging on the door.
It's nothing, just a few repairs.
And I'm supposed to rest...
Mr Valette, I'm not responsible
for the noise outside.
Anyway, inside the house,
it's absolutely quiet.
I heard it! A shot!
Leave me alone.
I have other things to do!
No, stay there.
- Are you hurt?
- I fired. Someone tried to break in.
- Who?
- I didn't see. I shot through the door.
- Are you alone?
- Yes.
No, not any more.
While you were overdoing it downstairs,
someone tried to break in.
Are you there?
Where are you going?
I... Were you looking for me?
Anything wrong?
I thought you were watching
the door downstairs.
I was. I came up
when I heard the shot.
- Before or after?
- What?
- Before or after the shot?
- After, of course.
Of course. He let someone in.
There was a shot and he came up.
- I didn't let anyone in.
- Really?
- Then who shot who?
- I don't know.
I think you do.
- It's hot, isn't it?
- Not really. Why?
You have your jacket on your arm
so you must be too hot.
- Put it on. You'll catch a cold.
- No, I'm fine.
Do as you're told!
- It seems serious.
- One second, Doctor.
- Who do you work for?
- You. I wanted us to be the first to know.
- Take off that dirty towel.
- Later, Doctor. Thanks.
It's not possible.
Did I give you all that?
If you're working for us,
then she gave you that money.
I didn't know I was so generous.
I must have gone crazy.
My poor Lon, you failed.
You've been unlucky.
I can't afford to give presents.
- Come on!
- Let go!
Malic!
Come here.
Go, Doctor. He's calling you.
It was Lon.
I told you.
They're traitors.
They betray their country for the party,
then the party for the gang.
Then they betray the gang.
Every man for himself.
Doctor! Help!
Stay where you are!
Stay where you are.
Don't interfere with their business.
Open up!
They're going to kill me!
Please, let me out.
It's for your own good.
Sit down.
It's over.
They're always very fast.
It's terrible.
It's the job.
Tomorrow it may be my turn.
You'll find me here stone dead.
I can't stand it any more.
Come on, be brave.
Just another few days.
- No, that's it. I'm giving up!
- You can't.
- You signed a contract.
- A contract?
Yes, an excellent contract
with a company I won't name.
- I didn't sign anything.
- You didn't put your name on a paper.
But try to go back on your word
and you'll see what happens.
- Can't you help me?
- Nobody can help you. Nobody.
Sorry.
- A drink puts things straight, huh?
- Please!
It's hard at the beginning.
I still remember.
Red taxi... Submarine...
I was only twenty years old.
I fell into the career.
- I don't care!
- You're wrong.
- The experience of older people...
- It doesn't interest me.
- I'm sick of your stories.
- You want to break the contract?
- Isn't it my right?
- Legally yes, but in practice...
I've seen lots of contracts
but I never heard of a broken contract.
Except of course
by the contracting party's death.
- That's quite extreme.
- There are many examples.
We all know some. Little Montana
who wanted to get married.
- Gonzales who felt he was too old.
- Eliminated.
Look at them. If they could resign,
do you think they'd stick to this job?
And to break a contract,
you need to know who you signed it with.
- I know who.
- You think you know.
You've been contacted by someone
who had a name, real or false.
But he was just an intermediary.
Who did he work for?
- Three question marks.
- Maybe he didn't know either.
- It's the same for all of us.
- We've given up on knowing.
- And these men work in Intelligence.
- Well, they're not too smart.
On the contrary.
Mr Petersen is an excellent agent.
- You're still called Petersen?
- Helmut Petersen.
So Mr Petersen, who gave up
on knowing, who do you work for?
- Go on, talk.
- Of course, I know a representative.
A representative who lives in a certain
house and wears a certain uniform.
But does he work for this house
and this uniform?
Or for the competition?
That's the whole point.
Stop! You're too much for me.
I know the man I met was honest.
He didn't look like you.
- When I see him, I'll say...
- You already tried to contact him.
Have you forgotten?
The operator trick.
You'll never see him again.
Intelligence is a rat-trap.
To get in, the door is wide open,
but to get out... closed!
There's always a way out.
- If the door's closed, use the window.
- There are plenty of doors.
Doors that open onto other services,
judicial courts, prison.
And mainly onto other doors.
But never outside.
It's my problem!
Be careful, Malic.
Certain doors shouldn't be opened.
- Are you in trouble, Doctor?
- Absolutely not.
- But he was talking about prison.
- Rubbish!
Boy! Hey, boy!
Wait!
PUPIL MOINE SENIOR FORM
FRANOIS COPPE SCHOOL
SAINT-GERMAIN-EN LAYE
We never call a pupil during class
so as not to disturb his classmates.
But to meet a person like you, Doctor,
certainly has an educative value.
This way, please.
- Do you have any children, Doctor?
- No, I'm single.
It's a shame.
I will never sin again...
Troublemaker!
Sit down.
- It's him.
- I had time to see him.
He stayed for an hour.
He seemed lost.
I said, "there's no loony here."
Ask my wife, she'll recognise him.
He arrived at 11 pm.
There were six clients left.
Sorry, Doctor, I have to agree.
We run a decent bar.
We notice if someone's drunk.
Let me out, for God's sake!
Calm down.
Mr Malic, we're all friends here.
You lured me into a trap.
We only want to talk for five minutes.
We're all honest people.
- Is anybody here suspicious of you?
- Yes, you. You're one of them.
He's a good man. When I told him
who you were he understood immediately.
You said you were in Saint-Flour.
Was that another lie?
What a cheek! I came back because
Mr Cooper said you were in trouble.
Like an idiot I took the train
only to be called a liar by you!
- Why did you leave?
- Because you told me to.
Here.
I still have your letter.
It's my handwriting
but I didn't write a single line.
We are here to solve
all these mysteries.
Mrs Andr, when did you see
the doctor for the last time?
The night before my departure.
He had one million.
Shut up! You're violating
professional secrecy.
This is not about medicine.
I'm trying to get out of a spot.
- It's in your interest.
- I'll be the judge of that.
- You have less judgement than a baby.
- You're fired!
See? You can't even recognise
those who wish you well.
He was given one million
to hide somebody.
Shut up, you old bag!
You heard him?
He called me an old bag.
Come on.
Who was that somebody?
He didn't tell me.
Although he was drunk.
- Drunk!
- As usual. Five or six drinks, no more.
Five or six drinks...
Miss.
He had three Kirsches
with the man in the photo.
Then they went to the toilets
where the money changed hands.
They drank half a bottle of brandy
and toasted a certain Alex.
They were laughing
as if they'd just made a good deal.
So, Doctor, who's Alex?
I don't know any Alex.
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you.
You may now leave the classroom.
Your expenses will be paid
at the bursar's office.
This way, ladies and gentlemen.
Be reasonable.
Tell him everything. You'll feel better.
I can see you're not happy now.
He has no willpower.
He's pig-headed.
Yes, Mrs Andr.
Now we're alone.
Who is Alex?
You think I'm going to confide
in a gangster? I understand.
- You're all gangsters!
- Me? A gangster?
Do you know who I am?
The head of American
special services in France.
Or let's say, one of the heads.
Are you happy now?
Colonel Howard was my subordinate
and my dearest friend.
Was? You mean the Colonel is...
Dead? Certainly not!
He is missing.
That's why I set this little trap for you.
You've caused all this mess
and you must help us clear it up.
- I've got nothing to say.
- Very well. Listen.
Doctor, our services' agents,
sit down,
always work abroad
under a fake name.
Sit down!
In France, Colonel Howard pretended
he was an importer, Donald Murphy.
But one day the embassy informed me
that somebody had phoned
and asked for Colonel Howard
using his real name.
- It's my phone call that...
- Quiet!
You'll speak when I ask you a question.
So a certain Malic
knows the identity of my deputy.
An identity known to nobody in Europe,
except the members of his network.
Two solutions:
Either you're a new recruit
made by the Colonel,
or you're a particularly shrewd
enemy agent.
In order not to upset Howard,
I started a personal investigation.
I went to your house,
and there I found Michel Kaminsky.
He is a real gangster.
I thought, "be careful"
and I gave you the password.
Box of matches?
You couldn't answer, so you were not
part of the Colonel's team.
Yet after a five-minute conversation,
I realised you are a pusillanimous man.
With no will. The opposite
of a dangerous adversary.
Mr Cooper.
I didn't come here to be insulted.
Shut up! Sit down!
Who are you?
An unknown.
I called you "X"
and I summoned Howard.
For two hours, he maintained
that he didn't know you.
Unfortunately,
you heard the witnesses, Howard lied.
That's false!
Howard knew you very well.
He gave you
one million to hide Alex.
What do you have to say to that?
Ask your friend Howard.
Where is he?
As soon as I realised his betrayal,
I sent all my men in search of him.
They didn't find him.
No, Howard didn't betray anyone.
He's a loyal man.
A loyal man
hiding an enemy agent at your place!
Not at all, he's one of your agents.
You fool! If Alex was one of my agents,
Howard would have told me.
Howard is innocent, I'm sure.
- Sure?
- Certain.
Then let me have a chat with Alex.
- I can't let you do that.
- Then bring me a photo of him.
- You think he'll let me?
- You're a doctor, drug him.
You'll only show the photo to me
and we'll burn it immediately.
I'd like to help you,
but it's not possible.
Not possible?
"I promised, I have no right."
But you have the right to take
one million to hide a stranger.
Maybe a criminal.
You didn't say no, then.
You said yes.
Yes sir, give me the money.
My sense of honour allows it.
I gave my word.
You didn't give it. You sold it.
I'll buy it.
For more money.
Isn't it a good deal,
even for a little French doctor?
- I forbid you...
- Nothing! You forbid me nothing!
- Will you give in? Give in!
- Mr Cooper!
Stupid idiot!
Come on, don't get into such a state.
One day, you'll have a stroke.
You haven't got a young man's arteries.
Since you want to protect
your damned conscience,
here is a solution:
Go home, go and see your "client"
and tell him, "Your box of matches
has been found."
If Howard didn't lie,
if Alex works for us,
he'll understand
and he'll pack up and go immediately.
If he doesn't understand, I'll leave you
to draw your own conclusions.
So why aren't you talking?
I'm hesitating.
What I have to tell you
is so important,
your answer
can change so many things...
Alex, I have a message for you.
Your box of matches has been found.
- What do you mean?
- You don't know?
Of course not.
I know. It means you've fooled me,
and Howard fooled me.
- You're an agent of the East.
- No. Where did you hear that?
If you were working for the US,
you'd have understood.
This doesn't prove
that I'm working for the others.
Right, I don't care.
But this time, that's it.
I've had enough.
You have to leave.
All right, I'll leave.
But I'm telling you, they're watching me.
I won't go further than 50 yards.
Would you prefer me
to hand you over to Cooper?
All I can do is give you until tonight.
You can try your luck in the dark.
Goodbye, Alex.
Of course. Instead of killing him,
if you had crossed the street...
We would have done it together,
as friends.
Never mind. I trust you. I'm going
to tell you who Alex probably is.
Very probably.
No!
- Who? I didn't hear you.
- Vogel. Hugo Vogel.
- Who is this Vogel?
- You've heard about the pope, no?
It's not him!
No, but in Germany,
the atomic bomb and him
are like the pope and God.
When he says it won't blow, it won't.
When he says it will blow, it blows.
Listen to this article.
"The secret war continues. Hugo Vogel
chooses freedom and disappears."
"In well-informed circles, it is said that
Hugo Vogel, the father of the 3H bomb,
was aided by
American special services
to disappear
from his East Berlin laboratory."
"The news of this escape
had just started to become known
when a new dramatic turn of events
mobilised counterespionage services."
"After sneaking away
from his Eastern jailers..."
"...Hugo Vogel has allegedly slipped
away from the French small town
where Western powers
had hidden him."
Both sides claim
there is no truth in these reports.
If they deny it, then it's true.
It was on the last page in small print
and they edited it from other editions.
Perhaps it's a hoax.
In a Swiss newspaper?
They don't joke in Geneva.
I don't understand your gibberish.
Vogel used the Americans
to escape from the Russians.
After crossing the Iron Curtain,
he sneaked away from the Americans.
- He doesn't know what he wants.
- Yes, he wants to be left alone.
He must have found something
he wants to hide from both sides.
He's a loser.
A loser who's worth billions
to some people.
And you think he's upstairs.
It can't be a coincidence.
Vogel has a German accent.
He has reasons to hide
and the dates match.
If you're so sure,
why do you need us?
- I need proof.
- That would be perfect.
- So, are you going?
- Tonight.
- Why not now?
- Because Vogel has a weapon.
- He could easily shoot twice.
- He shot at Lon through the door.
Six to eight hours to wait.
We might get pipped at the post.
My dear Victor,
you can count on us.
Except for the doc,
absolutely nobody will go upstairs.
Not even you.
- So will you forgive me?
- You are forgiven.
But remember, I'm not Vogel.
I don't know physics. I'm a nobody.
- My name is still Alex.
- Yes, sir, certainly.
- If only I could do something for you.
- There's nothing to do.
Just lay low and bide our time.
- But if we think hard...
- No!
Hello, Franois Coppe School?
I'd like to speak to your English
teacher, Mr Sam Cooper. It's urgent.
Yes, I'll hold.
Hello, Cooper?
It's Malic.
Well, I thought about it
and I'll take your photo.
Yes, your argument
has convinced me.
You'll have it in an hour.
What's the address?
All right, I'll be there.
No, not a penny... That's right,
for moral reasons. See you in a moment.
Stop! Stop it!
You're hurting me.
- I told you, it's not necessary.
- That's it, it's over.
It will take me an hour to...
My arm... is all stiff...
You don't give a damn, do you?
You doctors don't care.
As long as... they get paid.
Malic is a nice guy...
He could succeed if...
If there wasn't...
It's not him.
The photo trick.
I'll remember the photo trick!
You got me, you bastards!
Stop shouting, Victor.
Nobody tried to get you.
- We lose out as much as you.
- Nobody was supposed to see him.
- Except the doctor.
- You did that to eliminate me.
But I'm not dead yet!
I still have my say.
- Doctor, at last!
- Can't it wait, Victor?
Please, Doctor. You're the only one
who can save my life.
Wait till tomorrow, you'll be fine.
Tomorrow is too late.
I may not be here tonight.
Is it that bad?
All right, come in.
- What's wrong with your hands?
- I burnt them on the coffee machine.
- Is that why you're here?
- No, it's not that.
You have to give me a photo
like you gave Mr Cooper.
- I didn't give anything to anybody.
- Don't lie. The clock is ticking.
If I don't bring what they want,
they'll send me on a journey.
- So what?
- You don't know what that means?
- Is it a punishment?
- It's the ultimate punishment.
You think I'm stupid? Burnt under
the nails with a coffee machine?
Who did that to you?
- What?
- If I talk they'll kill me.
- Don't tell me who but why.
- I can't tell you!
We must never talk,
except to make others talk.
What's the risk? We're alone.
They know everything
that happens here. Everything!
You see, Doctor.
They know I talked. I'm scared!
Hello? Yes, he's here.
Your boss is calling you.
Come.
Yes, it's Victor. Five minutes.
I swear I'll be there in five minutes.
Then two minutes.
Only two minutes. It's not much.
You'll let me come back later?
I'm coming right now then.
They say they'll let you come back,
but it's not true.
It's to make you less scared.
Farewell, Doctor.
Your boss is calling. No need
to make a fuss. You're a waiter after all.
A replacement only. Tomorrow
Louis will be back behind the bar.
I'm waiting for you
to put on your bandage.
Don't bother, Doctor. He's dead.
You killed him.
He had an accident.
The driver
will probably lose his licence.
We're in France!
There are laws!
No law protects you
against accidents.
There's no law against
clumsiness... recklessness.
And yet, if you're clumsy
or reckless... nobody kills you.
You didn't have to torture him.
It's the part of the job I hate the most.
Unfortunately, Victor got caught.
When things go wrong,
the agent is the only one responsible.
He is either
a traitor or a saboteur.
That's no reason to kill him.
No. But he warned you that we installed
some microphones in your office.
You put some microphones in here!
- You didn't understand?
- So someone is listening to us now?
- Everything is recorded.
- Unbelievable!
You want proof?
Nicolas, call the doctor.
Yes... Yes, it's me.
- Are you happy now?
- But who are you?
He's asking me who I am.
It's so funny.
Nicolas, tell him.
What do you want from me?
Victor told you.
We want your neutrality.
You've already given the Americans
a sample of your photographic talent.
Do the same for us.
So, will you make up your mind?
Be careful, Doctor.
We still have cars in the garage.
No.
No? Here, it's loaded.
If you know how to use it,
you won't regret it.
You'll even be able to swap your old
bicycle for a nice second-hand car.
Now, if you prefer a hearse...
it's a question of taste.
You don't want my photo?
I took a picture of one of my patients.
He's about your size.
You photographed
a patient instead of me?!
I did it for your American friends.
The difficult part was putting on the glove.
What? This is madness!
It worked.
Cooper said you were not Vogel.
I'm not Vogel!
Do you understand?
- You're not Vogel?
- I told you earlier!
I thought you were saying it
because you are Vogel.
You really are stupid!
You ruined everything!
Vogel and Howard are lost!
Here.
Look! Where are the spies?
Where is the postman, the roofer,
the newsagent? Gone!
Where are they?
Looking for the real Vogel.
And they'll find him, don't worry.
You'll have it on your conscience.
So, you're not Vogel?
Shut up, you hag!
You took us for a ride.
We have a right to understand.
You do understand.
I took you for a ride.
I'm German.
I'm about the same size as Vogel.
From the back, in the dark,
behind a door, it could work.
And you bought it. Not only you.
Those from the East and the West.
And the doctor too, unfortunately.
That's what ruined it.
We needed an idiot.
Someone who didn't understand anything.
We got what we wanted!
- I've been terrible
- No, you've been heroic.
- Heroic, but a blundering idiot.
- If only I'd known!
You would have been the only one.
I can tell you don't know Howard.
He's a good guy, an idealist.
He saved Vogel from the Soviets
with great enthusiasm.
When he had to do the same
to his country,
save Vogel from his own services,
he must have been torn.
But he did it anyway.
Out of love for mankind.
But his love for mankind
doesn't stretch to trusting men.
He manipulated you like a pawn.
- He hired Conny...
- It was him?!
You see? She didn't even know.
Of course, I was sent here
without any instructions!
Instructions, you idiot? Your only
function was to draw attention.
To convince all these imbeciles that
Vogel was here, we had to lure them.
So we built a reputation
on your house
so that everybody knew
something fishy was going on here.
We couldn't have found a better bait.
- Thank you!
- You're welcome.
One hour after her arrival, you had
fifty of them breathing down your neck.
And big shots too! Cooper, Kaminsky...
All thick as a brick
and as nasty as anything.
They must be furious.
If Howard and Vogel
fall into their clutches...
- We must warn Howard.
- Can you contact him?
- No.
- Well, then.
- Are you leaving?
- Yes.
- Quickly and as far away as possible.
- You're afraid.
Lon is dead and so is Victor.
Bad luck comes in threes.
I'm not superstitious.
It's up to you.
Here... a little souvenir.
- I'd give anything to find Howard.
- You have nothing to give.
- I have one million.
- Well...
Well, well, well...
You know where to contact
the Colonel?
No, but I have contacts.
And for one million,
I'll make an effort.
- A packet of Gauloises "corn paper".
- They don't exist.
Then give me a box of matches.
- A box?
- A book.
- Well?
- You have the money?
The Colonel is upstairs,
on the fourth floor.
- You're not coming with me?
- I'm no longer interested in this matter.
- Thanks, anyway.
- Good luck, Doctor.
Are you here?
- Doctor, what a timely arrival.
- You got him?
No. When he saw me, he lost
his mind and took some poison.
Help me get him on the bed.
I need to know what he took.
What was it, Howard? Tell us.
Get this from the chemist.
Hurry up, Cooper.
Every minute counts.
Am I disturbing you?
- Have you killed him?
- He took some poison.
- Mr Cooper, time is passing!
- But I can't leave him with him.
- Then you go, Mr Kaminsky.
- Do you take me for a fool?
Please, gentlemen, look at him!
We'll go together, all right?
All right.
We'll have a chat.
Forgive me, Howard.
It's all my fault. I acted like a fool.
- I'm going to get you out of here.
- I don't want to.
- Let me die.
- I can't, I'm a doctor.
They'll make me talk.
Save Vogel.
Marseilles?
You want me to take Vogel
to Marseilles?
He'll be on the blue train?
And then?
Howard, what then?
Car... go...
Bo... li... var.
Blue train, Departure at 8 pm,
First class sleeper only,
Calling at Dijon, Lyons, Avignon,
Marseilles St Charles,
Toulon, St-Raphal,,,
- Single 17.
- 17? Great.
- You don't have any luggage?
- No.
- My tickets?
- We keep them, sir.
,,, direct to San Remo,
Restaurant and bar,
Ladies and gentlemen,
we wish you a pleasant journey,
- Do you have a message for me?
- No, sir.
- You didn't take my ticket earlier.
- My colleague is having dinner.
- It's ready, sir.
- Thank you.
Would you like a bottle
of mineral water?
No, a bottle of dry white wine.
- Half?
- No, a bottle.
- Meursault, champagne, riesling?
- No, ordinary.
- Then it will be chablis.
- Whatever.
- Excuse me, sir.
- No, stay!
I'm replacing Howard.
Are you Professor Vogel?
- Where's Howard?
- He killed himself.
My God!
He didn't suffer too much.
He died in my arms.
Why?
- Were you two close?
- I didn't know him well.
We met in Berlin once
and understood each other straightaway.
When I told him
what I had found out,
he helped me escape
from the Russians... and the others.
We deserted together.
- What is it?
- White wine, sir.
- Not now. It's too late.
- Very well, sir.
That scared me.
Me, too.
Are you travelling in this car?
- No, I'm nowhere.
- I'm proud to be able to help you.
The whole world is proud of me.
My country is proud of me.
But I'm not proud of myself.
- And you, what do you do for a living?
- I'm a psychiatrist.
You're a doctor.
You try to cure people, to save them.
Me, everything I invented
leads to a massacre.
If you knew what's in my head.
It's appalling.
- A new bomb?
- Less than that... and a lot more.
For the price of one bomb,
I can build two to three hundred.
Instead of using ten kilos of uranium
or plutonium to blow a hydrogen bomb,
I use the equivalent of a button.
I managed to reduce the critical mass
of a chain reaction, that's all.
That means a very cheap bomb.
A massacre available to everyone.
The end of the world.
And to think it was all by chance.
Ideas turn round inside the neurons.
Then they cling on and it's over.
You can't unhook them.
You're not responsible.
No. And yet...
Let's see, Doctor,
you're a psychiatrist.
Isn't there a way to erase an idea,
to expel it from the brain?
To destroy it so completely that even
torture can't make it resurface again.
No, I don't think so.
Then it's the brain
that has to be destroyed.
My only way out is suicide,
like Howard.
To never speak again.
You don't have the right. You can
invent other things than bombs.
But they won't allow it.
This is what they want: Death.
Other people's death.
The blackmail of death.
They all want to be right
and the last reason...
...is this one.
DIJON - CITY
Dijon: Three-minute stop,
Fast train number three
calling at Lyons,,,
Where are we?
In Dijon.
We've done a third of the journey.
Something is worrying you?
Wait.
I must have been mistaken.
I missed the train. Luckily
I had a fast car and a good driver.
We nearly rolled over three times.
- Did you hear the guy who spoke?
- Do you know him?
- I'm afraid so.
- They picked up my trail?
- I don't know.
- We must know.
Remember what I said?
I'll kill myself or they'll kill me,
but they won't get me alive.
Go.
Have you seen a man who...
Doctor, what a surprise!
Would you like a drink?
- No, thanks.
- Stay here. Don't go back there.
- What did you do to him?
- Nothing. I was in the bar.
Bastard!
- We keep bumping in to each other.
- Let me through!
- What's the matter?
- The doctor is losing his mind.
- Where is Vogel? Murderer!
- Don't be silly, Malic. It's over now.
I've only just started.
You kill a man, destroy the evidence
and I should shut up?
- Don't make such a fuss!
- You'll go to jail, you bloody spies!
Gentlemen, keep the noise down.
People are sleeping.
Stop the train.
They are spies.
They killed Hugo Vogel,
a great physicist.
- They threw him out of the window.
- This window? You saw them?
Almost. When I arrived,
Vogel's hat was on the bed.
- What did you do with it?
- They threw it out.
- In which car was Mr Vogel travelling?
- He wasn't in any car.
He was hiding.
This train is full of spies.
- They even have a membership badge.
- May I?
"Association of ocarina players".
Your colleague must have seen Vogel
when he brought the wine.
- My colleague?
- While you were having dinner.
I haven't had dinner yet.
I've been here all the time.
You're with them!
Doctor, calm down!
Dr Malic is a distinguished psychiatrist.
- You're going to say I'm mad.
- Just a bit overworked.
Overworked?! I'll get off at the next
stop and tell everything to the police.
I'll tell them all about you.
Bastards! Swines!
I went to the police
and told them everything in detail.
They didn't even listen to me.
Of course,
I needed proof or witnesses.
Some people know and could
back me up, but no-one's talking.
When I ask them,
they look at me as if I'm mad.
Ocarina players?
Victor? What Victor?
Mr Cooper? What Mr Cooper?
Mrs Andr, please! What about
the school and your trip to St-Flour?
You must have dreamt it, Doctor.
Wake up.
That's it. All of them were bribed.
They don't want any trouble.
And I'm all alone.
Without support or anything.
You? Sweet pea, in your state,
nobody will take you seriously.
I...
I... can... speak.
Did you say that?
Is it true? You're cured?
That's wonderful!
I was beginning to lose hope.
Then we're two now! You saw many
things, you'll be able to back me up.
I... will tell... everything.
It's you, Nicolas?
It's him.
Never mind!
We'll risk it anyway!
- No!
- Now you don't want to?
You're abandoning me as well.
You're afraid.
For you.
I don't care if I die.
I want to get them, you understand?
THE END
Hey, Doctor! Can I borrow
your moped for five minutes?
Of course, Louis.
The boss went to Paris with the 2CV.
I've got to get the bread.
- The spark plug is on the blink.
- Never mind, I'll pedal.
- I'll bring it back.
- I'll get it after dinner.
Thanks!
- Well, Doctor?
- We have to pay before the 15th.
- Not a day more.
- We're in a real mess!
If it was just me...
but there are the patients.
By the 15th, Mr Valette
will have finished his rest cure.
Once he's detoxified,
he won't care what happens to you.
- How was he today?
- He was given drugs. He's asleep.
And what will become of Lucie?
If you didn't believe her play-acting,
she'd have spoken a while ago.
If only I had the money.
There are a lot of things to do here.
Money? This place would cost
millions in plumbing and painting.
- There's no wine?!
- You finished it at lunch.
- Couldn't you by some more?
- We owe the store money.
I'm fed up of being insulted
by the shopkeepers!
Here's 100 francs.
Go get some.
No way! I'm finished for today.
You can drink water. It won't harm you.
I'm not hungry.
Have dinner without me, Mrs Andr.
You're not going to the pub
at this time?!
I'm not going to the pub,
I'm going to buy the newspaper.
- Louis.
- One Muscadet!
So, Mr Bargeau, what's the news?
Not nice! A 20% rise on alcohol.
I may as well shut up shop.
You wanted those men in power.
They won by 25 votes.
Your vote was among them.
- Would you vote for those clowns?
- Me? I don't have an opinion.
I don't have an opinion either,
I have a till.
They held a meeting here.
They spoke well and promised lots.
- Once elected, they do the opposite.
- Haven't you understood yet?
The doctor's right.
And he's a smart fellow. He has studied.
- Can I make a phone call?
- Yes, we'll get you a line.
It's paid.
But I voted for the left.
And they followed right-wing policies,
as usual.
It's always pacifists who declare wars.
It's natural.
Natural?! It's dishonest,
a breach of trust. We should sue them!
To get your ballot paper reimbursed?
You may as well draw lots.
This is the reasoning
of a bourgeois anarchist.
No, it's the reasoning of a man
who has no time to lose.
I want to be left alone to work in peace!
Without these ridiculous taxes.
- Good night.
- Good night.
Doctor!
It was a bad telephone line,
but I'm sure of the address.
It's in Argenteuil.
Charge the night fare.
Your clients are richer than you.
As if I'm used to
working for a pittance!
There's no loony here,
except you maybe!
Leave him, Gaston.
It must be a prank.
If I find out who sent me here,
I'll give him what for!
Dr Malic?
I'm the one who called.
- You? But what the...
- Colonel Howard.
US Institute of Psychological War.
Sorry, Colonel.
Sorry for taking you
to such a gloomy place.
I randomly picked a street on a map.
- You were in the bar earlier.
- I couldn't speak to you there.
What I have to tell you is top secret.
We've been watching you
for a long time in the...
How do you say in French?
Why don't they put
those unfortunate creatures to sleep?
I can't stand seeing an animal suffer.
- You're not feeling well, Colonel?
- Excuse me, it's the smell of blood.
It makes me sick.
That may explain why
I'm in the special services.
I would have been a very bad soldier.
The smell of bombarded cities in '44...
I could still smell it 10,000 feet high!
This is awful.
I was listening to you earlier.
You don't seem to have
clear-cut political views.
To have political views at my age
would be childish.
I'm a practical man.
I would even say... cynical.
Your business
isn't going very well... why?
Because I'm bad
at advertising myself.
Good for you. It's precisely
because you're discreet, honest
and you only have two patients,
one of which is a mute,
that we thought of you in the...
main branches.
And because there's
no woman in your life.
Having a wife
and not being able to spoil her is unfair.
Dr Malic, you're the kind of man I like.
Do you want to earn five million?
Are you serious?
I've got one million in my pocket.
You'll get the rest
at the end of the operation.
And... what will I have to do?
Nothing illegal... or degrading.
- Come and wash your hands.
- What?
Come and wash your hands.
So...
We have a very valuable agent.
An irreplaceable fellow.
Certain countries would pay millions
to get hold of him,
just to talk to him
with no witnesses for an hour.
Could you hospitalise him
for a few days?
- I'd be glad to.
- That's all we ask of you.
- Is that all?
- That's all.
Just shut up and don't interfere.
Put this in your pocket.
- Are you having second thoughts?
- Kind of.
It's the first time I'm earning money
for doing nothing.
It's a bit of an adventure.
We must celebrate our agreement.
- It's the last one, then.
- The last one.
To Alex.
He's really called Alex?
You're too curious. You shouldn't be.
It could become very dangerous.
Don't say anything, don't hear
anything, don't see anything.
- I'm bound to see him.
- Not his face.
You mustn't.
It's for your safety.
Our enemies could try
to kidnap you to make you talk.
You're joking?
This is France, not Chicago.
Yes, but in France, there are people
from Chicago, Madrid and Moscow.
Believe me,
they'll send some rough types.
How would they find me
in my old clinic?
I bet they'll visit you on the first day.
- I won't see them.
- On the contrary.
You'll also get a visit
from a few friends of mine.
You said I only had to
accommodate Alex.
- That's all.
- And the others?
The others will introduce
themselves as patients
and you'll treat them as patients.
But how will I distinguish between
the friends and the enemies?
That's their business, not yours.
They'll handle it between themselves.
Wait! I have an idea.
You know that psychiatric treatments
include insidious questioning.
- If it's done right...
- Don't interfere!
- Do you understand?
- I understand perfectly.
But if I came across some interesting
information, how could I contact you?
Under no circumstances
are you to contact me.
If you don't agree, give me the money
back and let's forget about it.
I was just trying to help.
- To your health, Colonel.
- Cheers, Doctor.
You're back early...
and in a fine state.
Mrs Andr,
I was giving a consultation.
- Have you been paid this time?
- One million, is that enough?
- One million!
- You don't believe me? Look!
- Look.
- Your client gave you that money?
I'm not allowed to say anything.
We're going to have a special patient.
That's how I understand it.
He must be real sick
to pay that price!
Or it must be some dodgy affair.
Lady, I'm not a child. We won't do
anything illegal... or degrading.
You're scaring me.
If this was legal, there was no need
to make you drink that much.
Lucie!
So, Lucie?
You've already had a wash?
You've been very fast this morning.
Let me see.
You haven't brushed your hair.
You call that brushed?
Where's your hairbrush?
There's no hairbrush.
Do you want to make me angry?
Come on, I'm not angry.
I'm just pretending.
You didn't even say hello.
Say hello. Repeat after me.
Hel-Io.
It still won't come out.
Never mind. Tomorrow.
There's no hurry now. Look!
The money I earned for you.
You'll be able to stay here as long
as necessary, until you're cured.
Until you become pretty again.
Like before your illness.
Don't cry!
Don't cry or I'll leave.
Smile.
Won't you smile for me?
That's better.
I'll be back in five minutes.
Go on! I'm coming back.
Mrs Andr, you've got a nerve!
I'm not Mrs Andr. I'm replacing her.
I'm informing myself.
About what? What are you talking about?
Who are you?
My name's Constance Harper.
But everybody calls me Conny.
Mrs Andr doesn't need
a replacement!
- Are you sure?
- Of course I'm sure.
Mrs Andr? Mrs Andr!
Mrs Andr? Where are you?
- Where is she?
- She left.
Without telling me?
I don't believe you.
Believe me, Doctor.
Mrs Andr left this morning.
She took the first train to Saint-Flour
to visit her family.
Her family? How do you know
she has family in Saint-Flour?
- We know many things.
- Who sent her there?
- You.
- Me?
You know. This morning
the cook gave her a letter from you.
No way!
Clotilde!
Do you fancy red currant jam?
Who are you?
What are you doing here?
- We're eating.
- What are you doing in my house?
- We don't know. We're here in case.
- In case of what?
We haven't been told.
And you? Who are you?
I'm Doctor Malic,
the director of this clinic.
Excuse us, we didn't know.
Clotilde shouldn't have let you in.
Answer me, for God's sake!
- Looking for someone?
- The cook!
- We gave her the sack.
- Who did?
- Lon.
- She was rude to Pierre.
You're messing me around!
Please leave immediately.
- You won't leave?
- Not without orders.
I order you to leave.
Funny guy.
You've got a sense of humour, Doc.
- You aren't from the organisation.
- What organisation?
Don't try to make them talk.
They'd be stupid to answer.
The consequences are severe.
I'm just trying to make them leave.
I don't want them here!
- What about me?
- The same goes for you!
You should have
thought about it earlier.
When you commit yourself,
you must think of the consequences.
- I didn't commit...
- We're here for a reason.
My employers never make mistakes.
- What's that?
- My expenses.
- Go on, make yourself at home!
- One moment, Doctor.
Taxi: 940 francs.
You took a taxi?
- We were at the station...
- Bus, like everybody else.
Telephone: 30 francs.
To call who?
You're not going to quibble
over 30 francs.
I'm not the Kremlin
or the White House.
I'm a poor woman
struggling to make ends meet.
You're rich!
And you pay us peanuts.
Nobody forced you to take the job.
Lon... What kind of person
have we landed up with?
A bitch! You didn't know?
They'll get use to it,
you'll see, Doctor.
Well, I won't!
Do me a favour and clear off!
I don't think so.
- Will you shove off?!
- If the decision was mine...
Then scarper! Quick!
Don't make me resort to drastic...
Very well.
I'm going to the authorities.
Doctor.
Don't do that. Believe me.
Fancy that! You're scared.
Me?
I'm saying it for your sake.
The authorities...
the less you see them, the better.
We'll see.
Please, not now.
Get back inside, or you'll catch a cold.
Hello, Doctor.
Louis isn't here?
No, the poor guy broke his leg
last night on his way home.
He sent a replacement.
That's nice of him.
- You too...
- Me too, what?
Nothing... A coincidence.
- A glass of Muscadet, Doctor?
- What?
- You drink Muscadet, don't you?
- Yes...
Victor already knows
the clients better than I do.
Who are these people?
They're not from around here.
A congress of ocarina players.
They're here for a few days.
- Yes... Give me a phone line.
- Is your phone out of order?
I can't get that number from home.
- We'll call telephone exchange.
- No need.
It's very easy. What's the number?
I'm not sure what the number is.
Give me the phone book.
You've got a cheek!
Sorry, I thought you were
looking for your number.
Hello. The US Embassy?
Could you give me the number
of the Institute of Psychological War?
My name? Is it really necessary?
Dr Malic. Villa Les Glycines
in Maisons-Lafitte.
For personal reasons, Miss.
I wish to get in touch
with a member of the Institute.
No, I can't give you his name...
Strictly personal reasons.
Colonel Howard.
No, I can't talk any louder!
Howard. Yes, I'm waiting.
Can you go further away
while I'm on the phone?
You haven't found Colonel Howard?
Nobody knows him?
But at the Institute... The Institute exists.
The Colonel told me...
No, he didn't ask me
to call him back here.
It's strange.
Well, forget what I said.
No, I'm asking you
to please forget this conversation.
You don't have to keep
a record of all calls!
I'm not saying it's not your duty.
No! Miss, you're going too far!
Asking you to forget this conversation
isn't part of the conversation.
You have no right to record it.
Right... very well.
Goodbye, Miss.
You made your phone call?
The person wasn't in.
I got the operator.
Some operators shouldn't be trusted.
They know more than managers.
Of course,
they hear all the conversations.
I know all about it!
What a mess!
Are you proud of yourself?
I can't even leave for five minutes.
One day, you'll set the house on fire.
You want me tie you to your bed
like a baby? Do you?
What have you got in your head?
What's in there?
You think I don't have
enough problems already?
Who did I put myself
in this situation for?
For you.
To have some money.
To be able to cure you.
To keep the clinic so you don't
have to go back to your family.
Is this how you thank me?
I really want to help you.
I really...
Come on, darling, be quiet.
Let me go. Lucie! I'm coming back.
Were you spying on me
when I was with Lucie?
Me? I've been here all the time.
Do your job but don't go near
my patients. Understand?
- Yes, Doctor.
- What's this farce?
- We mustn't raise suspicions.
- You think you look like a nurse?
I don't know, but the people
who just came in treated me like one.
- People? Who did you let in?
- Two clients.
Already?
Pass me my coat.
- Who's first?
- I'm very busy.
If this gentlemen would excuse me...
Sorry, I was here first.
I have a radio show in half an hour:
France speaks to Lithuanians. Live.
- Doctor.
- It's off-peak...
- Are you ill?
- Barmen can't be ill?
Victor, we're neighbours.
Come back tomorrow.
I'll come back, but it's not fair.
Which one of you gentlemen...
- I'll just be a minute.
- I know your minutes. In Berlin in '47...
And Port-Said in '51...
We're not going to start that again!
You know each other?
Long-standing sick people
have many opportunities to meet.
We're always wondering
which one will outlive the other.
Whenever you're ready, sir...
- Are they made of metal?
- Steel. Which day suits you best?
Why set a date?
I'd like to come here from time to time.
Unexpectedly.
Unfortunately, I'm quite busy,
as you can see.
I may be mad, but I'm not stupid.
See? We'll have plenty of time to chat.
I'll pay the normal rate. The work
won't be hard. I know my illness.
- What illness do you suffer from?
- Me? I don't suffer.
The others are suffering.
I'm a kleptomaniac.
- Kleptomaniac?
- Yes, I pinch... mainly small things.
You know, empty envelopes... pens...
Things like that.
I have more than 150 pens at home.
- Your name?
- Sorry?
Ah! Kaminsky. With a K.
Michel.
Klepto... Radio columnist.
Yes, every day I give a bit of hope to
my poor compatriots of Central Europe.
Despite my little flaws,
I speak six languages
and I've lived in the Far East.
I'm a good talker,
you will see.
I'm badly paid but...
greatly appreciated.
Ask me my age, Doctor.
- How old are you?
- Sorry?
- Your age?
- 43, Doctor.
Where were you born?
Lucie!
- There are real lunatics here?
- Nervous types... sometimes agitated.
Funny.
This is a nursing home.
What are you doing here?
It's time for your walk.
Go round the park three times.
And don't cheat! I'm watching you.
- So, sir...
- Goodbye, Doctor.
- We haven't made an appointment.
- You'll see me again.
I'm persistent.
It was very pleasant.
And instructive.
M. Kaminsky!
My forms are totally useless to you.
They are blank.
Blank?
Shame.
At your service.
- Are you looking for something?
- I lost my box of matches.
Never mind, I'll give you a light.
I'm not asking for a light.
I said I lost my box of matches.
- Yes, I understood. Box of matches.
- No, you don't understand at all.
I don't smoke.
- Let's go!
- Please sit down.
I'm Sam Cooper, 62 years old,
born in New Jersey.
A non-drinker, non-smoker.
Excellent health.
- In that case, I don't see...
- Wait!
Everything was fine until...
Three years ago,
I started suffering from...
- Yes, emotional disturbance.
- That's it.
- Tell me what's wrong.
- I can't stand people.
So since three years ago,
you can't stand anybody.
- Where were you three years ago?
- In Moscow.
- I was an embassy attach.
- In Moscow?
- You didn't like it there?
- I did. But these idiots broke me.
- Broke?
- Yes, broke.
- Why were you summoned?
- Stupid stories. Commission of enquiry.
They blamed you for something?
I've been accused of having affinities
with the Soviets.
- Is it true?
- I wasn't a Soviet agent.
I'm not Fourche, Borges or McLain.
I didn't betray anyone. It's a lie.
I'm going to do
an electroencephalogram.
- You know what it is?
- Yes, I've had many already.
So, now... don't move.
Close your eyes.
Relax...
Completely.
You said you didn't betray anyone.
Have you been accused?
No, they're too intelligent.
I would have sued them for libel.
They claimed that my declarations
served the policies of the Soviets.
- They kicked me out.
- You were suspicious of them.
Wasn't the Yalta agreement
advantageous for the Russians?
Did they say that President Roosevelt
was a Soviet agent?
This is stupid.
I told you to close your eyes.
- What did you do after resigning?
- I left my country, like many.
I came to France. They were
looking for an English teacher.
And now I teach Shakespeare
from 9 to 10 and 2 to 5.
But they're hassling me again with
problems of passport and residency.
They're pursuing me.
They won't leave me alone, Doctor.
I'm scared they'll say I'm a lunatic,
so I'm taking precautions.
They won't get me this time!
No, no, they won't get you.
Calm down.
Take a deep breath.
Faster.
Even faster. That's enough.
I can't see anything unusual.
Nothing pathological.
Who told you to come to see me?
Your American friends?
- Or your friends from the East?
- Didn't I tell you? Colonel Howard.
But I don't know any colonel.
Absolutely none.
Why are you denying it?
Howard is a friend.
I don't know him.
Because he works
for the secret services? I know.
I don't know anything about
this Mr Howard. Let's continue.
No! That's enough.
- You won't cure me with lies!
- If you think I'm a liar, I'm sorry.
If a patient doesn't trust his doctor,
the doctor can't help him.
- You don't need to come back.
- You're stubborn!
You always carry a weapon
in your pocket?
- What weapon? I've never had a weapon.
- What's that?
Oh, the gun?
They have the cheek to play gangsters
even during my class. Little rascals!
Let's be friends. I have to go.
Shakespeare is waiting for me.
Romeo and Juliet,
Desdemona and...
- One moment, I'll see you to the door.
- Don't bother. I'm leaving.
What are you doing here?
I said come back another day.
I know, Doctor, but I'm very annoyed.
I lost my box of matches.
- What?
- My box of matches.
How many matches
were there in your box?
In my box? I don't know. Fifteen.
Fifteen, really? Well, well...
- Maybe two.
- Two!
- Three...
- Three! Even better!
Did you see that?
What a cheek!
These swines don't understand
anything, but they want to play a part.
I can't stand them any more.
They disgust me.
And on top that,
they make me waste my time.
What time is it, Doctor?
Ten past four.
Correct!
Don't be afraid. What an idiot!
You animal! Can't you see
you scared the lady? Go away!
And take that ladder. Go away!
No, not you, Miss. Stay.
Here's a liquorice sweet
to comfort you. There.
I'm your friend.
I'm also the doctor's friend.
Do you often come to walk
in this park?
Of course. And you see what happens
in the house and the offices.
Many people come to see
the doctor but they're not ill.
Not at all. What happens in the office?
They talk.
They exchange papers.
Tell me. Quick!
Mr Kaminsky, you've gone too far.
Please leave this house at once!
Don't get angry, Doctor.
I'm a keen botanist.
- I was wondering what this shrub is.
- You think Lucie would tell you?
There's the gate. Continue
your botanical studies in the street.
What a shame!
It's such a rare species. Japanese?
I'd stay for hours in this garden.
Unfortunately,
it is reserved for patients.
My plane!
Miss, my plane!
Please, Miss.
It's not my fault. The wind pushed it.
Give the child his plane.
Is Dr Malic here?
- Do you know that child?
- No. Why?
He's telling her something.
So what?
Know a way to stop children talking?
Yes, I know several.
Tell him, Miss.
It's very important.
What did he say? Tell me, I won't
repeat it. I never repeat anything.
Neither does she. She's a mute.
That's annoying.
How are we going to know?
Wait. Maybe she can write?
Mind your own business!
Try to remember. You understood
what he said, didn't you?
Make an effort, for God's sake.
It's important to me.
Don't be stubborn. You must
remember something. One word!
You're an idiot!
Maybe it was a message from Howard.
I've tried to contact him.
It's driving me crazy.
What kind of a mess did I get
myself into? I must be cursed.
Maybe I had a tiny chance
to get out of this, but no.
You had to blow it!
Please, stop scrawling!
Alex, are you sure? And then?
What else?
I won't shout, I promise. Be nice.
What happened to Alex?
Did he give you an address,
a phone number?
Was it long or short?
Short?
Then it was an order or a warning.
He's not coming any more?
Yes, he's coming?
When, tomorrow?
Later?
Earlier?
Tonight?
- What are you doing here?
- I'm coming to help you.
Look, it's 2 am. At this time,
I deserve to be left alone. Go to bed.
- Let me in. I'll wait for him with you.
- I'm not expecting anybody.
Avenue Jean Jaurs.
I knew it wasn't far!
- Is this the loony bin?
- The psychiatric clinic, yes.
You see, we finally found your joint.
Hey, mister, we're here.
- You don't say!
- Your taxi's empty.
I'm sure I picked someone up.
- Having some trouble?
- Go to bed, I don't need you.
Don't be foolish, Doctor.
Let the old dog deal with new tricks.
You are too young.
What did you do with your client?
Nothing.
I'm just as annoyed as you are.
You're going to be more annoyed!
Where did you lose your fare?
- Try to remember.
- Don't interfere!
People always remember for us.
Where did you drop him?
Nowhere.
We came straight here.
Excuse me, Doctor.
- He jumped on the way, is that it?
- He could have.
When you look for your way
at night in these awful suburbs,
you have to drive slowly.
I had to stop a couple of times
to read some signs.
You would have heard the door.
Don't you start!
You think I don't have enough trouble?
Who's going to pay?
- Up yours!
- Please!
- I will compensate you.
- That's kind of you.
- Do you have change for 10,000?
- Yes. 15 and 3... there you are.
- Give me your papers.
- Are you joking?
- You heard her!
- You'll give them back?
- That depends on you.
- Stay here!
- What did he look like?
- I didn't see him.
- You're lying!
- I swear!
I was in a bar and a friend told me
that a client was waiting in the car.
He was in the corner and he said,
"To Maisons-Laffite".
So I drove off and he gave me
the address on the way.
- You didn't turn round once?
- No.
- You didn't see him in the mirror?
- He was in the corner behind me!
You're starting to get on my nerves!
Give me my papers!
- He's pig-headed.
- You little runt. Nobody asked you!
- Move along!
- Everybody has to live, Mrs Conny.
Earn your living, but shut your mouth.
They're personal papers,
not a newspaper!
Let me finish writing it down.
We won't let you go
without an explanation.
If you want an explanation,
come with me to the police.
The police?
I lost a client, I've got to declare it
to lost property.
Give me his papers!
- At last!
- You're happy now, so no fuss.
Enough! Now, clear off.
I'm out of here!
You don't impress me
with that scrapheap!
We'll get our own back!
What did he come for?
Come on, get back inside.
The joke is over.
- Are you proud of yourself?
- It's not my fault.
You saw it yourself.
There was nobody in the car.
That's not the point. You were
meant to spot the man on arrival.
- Did you spot him, yes or no?
- Spot who?
The taxi driver may have lied.
Maybe that client never existed.
- Can you prove it?
- Of course not.
- Too bad.
- I'm innocent.
- But you were there.
- So were you.
Precisely.
Someone has to be responsible.
- Good night, Miss.
- Yes, sleep well.
But sleep fast, in three hours and
twenty minutes, I'm waking you up.
Well, Doctor. Strange night, huh?
Yes. Strange night.
For your first lesson,
you were taught a lot.
Believe me, this is not a job
for amateurs. Good night.
Yes, good night.
How did you get in?
With these.
But you're not American.
- I'm German. Does that bother you?
- No, but Colonel Howard...
No names.
Well... our mutual friend
mentioned one of his agents.
So what? You're French
and you're working for the US.
Is my room ready?
Listen, I'm sorry you had to take
so many risks, but I'd like to ask you...
to beg you to leave.
Yes, I know.
I tried to contact the Colonel.
If I had reached him,
you wouldn't be here tonight.
I can't stand it any more.
This is too complicated for me.
Here.
- Here's the money I was given.
- I'm very tired.
Is my room ready, yes or no?
Yes.
Can you take me there discreetly?
Switch off the lamp.
Take my hand.
Lead me.
Careful with the first step.
- You didn't need a lesson last night.
- Me?
The taxi was empty
but the room is full.
- I assure you there is nobody here.
- I know, he's not here...
But he's hungry.
- Who's there?
- It's me, Malic.
Why this ridiculous knock?
- So that you know it's me.
- You still play games at your age.
- So? Do you know him?
- I can't see anything.
Shut the blinds!
Have you gone mad?
I'd have reason to!
If only you were in my shoes.
They're everywhere.
They come in and out, day and night.
- It's a nightmare.
- Go for a stroll.
I don't dare cross the street!
Passers-by aren't passers-by.
They're all here, still and motionless.
They wait. Behind each window,
someone is watching me.
- Stay at home.
- They come to my home!
- Don't let them in.
- I've got three here letting them in!
Where do they come from?
What do they want?
They're here. Friends or enemies?
Whose side are they on?
None and all.
They are agents.
But they must serve some country.
Don't be naive. Good information
always lies with your enemy.
To be welcomed
you don't go empty-handed.
You give a small piece of information
in order to get a big one.
And bigger ones
you exchange for what you can.
You don't put all your eggs
in one basket.
With all this giving and taking...
...here and there...
...you end up not knowing
where you're at.
But these people
must have a family, friends.
Like a writer you forbid to write.
Like a scientist
you expel from his laboratory.
Where is his family, his friends?
If you're an immigrant,
where's your country?
Most of them are expatriate,
unwanted people trying to live.
- That world totally puzzles me.
- Ignore it.
It will ignore you.
You're lucky enough to live in a world
where when a woman
sleeps with you,
not to find out
what you did the day before.
Where words have the same meaning
as in the dictionary.
You can drink till you drop without
fearing the last drink is poisoned.
Carry on as you are.
Stick to your profession.
What would you normally do
at this time?
- I'm treating an alcoholic.
- Cure him and forget the rest.
Go.
- But I'm paid to protect you.
- I can look after myself.
- You scared me.
- Are you nervous?
- What about those fingerprints?
- Nothing on the spoon.
- There should be.
- Yes, there should.
- We may be luckier with the bowl.
- I hope so, for your sake.
I don't understand.
I understand... maybe.
- You think someone erases them?
- For example.
Don't look at me when I'm working.
It bothers me.
I didn't know you were so shy.
- It's not shyness, it's...
- Fear.
A legitimate fear.
Somebody erases the prints I need.
You're nervous,
fearing there's one left.
Miss Conny, you don't think...
Mr Poirier, I'm warning you.
Those who try to get me, hit a snag.
And with me, snags are tough!
I went for a coffee in the bar opposite.
They were polite to me.
Too polite.
They were making fun of me.
There is a bastard here
who's betraying me.
- It's not me.
- Admit it now. It will cost you less.
- It's not me, I swear!
- Who is it, then?
You can never be sure but...
...this morning I saw him at the gate
talking to the barman.
What's the matter with this house?
People have been
coming and going all night.
They woke me up
banging on the door.
It's nothing, just a few repairs.
And I'm supposed to rest...
Mr Valette, I'm not responsible
for the noise outside.
Anyway, inside the house,
it's absolutely quiet.
I heard it! A shot!
Leave me alone.
I have other things to do!
No, stay there.
- Are you hurt?
- I fired. Someone tried to break in.
- Who?
- I didn't see. I shot through the door.
- Are you alone?
- Yes.
No, not any more.
While you were overdoing it downstairs,
someone tried to break in.
Are you there?
Where are you going?
I... Were you looking for me?
Anything wrong?
I thought you were watching
the door downstairs.
I was. I came up
when I heard the shot.
- Before or after?
- What?
- Before or after the shot?
- After, of course.
Of course. He let someone in.
There was a shot and he came up.
- I didn't let anyone in.
- Really?
- Then who shot who?
- I don't know.
I think you do.
- It's hot, isn't it?
- Not really. Why?
You have your jacket on your arm
so you must be too hot.
- Put it on. You'll catch a cold.
- No, I'm fine.
Do as you're told!
- It seems serious.
- One second, Doctor.
- Who do you work for?
- You. I wanted us to be the first to know.
- Take off that dirty towel.
- Later, Doctor. Thanks.
It's not possible.
Did I give you all that?
If you're working for us,
then she gave you that money.
I didn't know I was so generous.
I must have gone crazy.
My poor Lon, you failed.
You've been unlucky.
I can't afford to give presents.
- Come on!
- Let go!
Malic!
Come here.
Go, Doctor. He's calling you.
It was Lon.
I told you.
They're traitors.
They betray their country for the party,
then the party for the gang.
Then they betray the gang.
Every man for himself.
Doctor! Help!
Stay where you are!
Stay where you are.
Don't interfere with their business.
Open up!
They're going to kill me!
Please, let me out.
It's for your own good.
Sit down.
It's over.
They're always very fast.
It's terrible.
It's the job.
Tomorrow it may be my turn.
You'll find me here stone dead.
I can't stand it any more.
Come on, be brave.
Just another few days.
- No, that's it. I'm giving up!
- You can't.
- You signed a contract.
- A contract?
Yes, an excellent contract
with a company I won't name.
- I didn't sign anything.
- You didn't put your name on a paper.
But try to go back on your word
and you'll see what happens.
- Can't you help me?
- Nobody can help you. Nobody.
Sorry.
- A drink puts things straight, huh?
- Please!
It's hard at the beginning.
I still remember.
Red taxi... Submarine...
I was only twenty years old.
I fell into the career.
- I don't care!
- You're wrong.
- The experience of older people...
- It doesn't interest me.
- I'm sick of your stories.
- You want to break the contract?
- Isn't it my right?
- Legally yes, but in practice...
I've seen lots of contracts
but I never heard of a broken contract.
Except of course
by the contracting party's death.
- That's quite extreme.
- There are many examples.
We all know some. Little Montana
who wanted to get married.
- Gonzales who felt he was too old.
- Eliminated.
Look at them. If they could resign,
do you think they'd stick to this job?
And to break a contract,
you need to know who you signed it with.
- I know who.
- You think you know.
You've been contacted by someone
who had a name, real or false.
But he was just an intermediary.
Who did he work for?
- Three question marks.
- Maybe he didn't know either.
- It's the same for all of us.
- We've given up on knowing.
- And these men work in Intelligence.
- Well, they're not too smart.
On the contrary.
Mr Petersen is an excellent agent.
- You're still called Petersen?
- Helmut Petersen.
So Mr Petersen, who gave up
on knowing, who do you work for?
- Go on, talk.
- Of course, I know a representative.
A representative who lives in a certain
house and wears a certain uniform.
But does he work for this house
and this uniform?
Or for the competition?
That's the whole point.
Stop! You're too much for me.
I know the man I met was honest.
He didn't look like you.
- When I see him, I'll say...
- You already tried to contact him.
Have you forgotten?
The operator trick.
You'll never see him again.
Intelligence is a rat-trap.
To get in, the door is wide open,
but to get out... closed!
There's always a way out.
- If the door's closed, use the window.
- There are plenty of doors.
Doors that open onto other services,
judicial courts, prison.
And mainly onto other doors.
But never outside.
It's my problem!
Be careful, Malic.
Certain doors shouldn't be opened.
- Are you in trouble, Doctor?
- Absolutely not.
- But he was talking about prison.
- Rubbish!
Boy! Hey, boy!
Wait!
PUPIL MOINE SENIOR FORM
FRANOIS COPPE SCHOOL
SAINT-GERMAIN-EN LAYE
We never call a pupil during class
so as not to disturb his classmates.
But to meet a person like you, Doctor,
certainly has an educative value.
This way, please.
- Do you have any children, Doctor?
- No, I'm single.
It's a shame.
I will never sin again...
Troublemaker!
Sit down.
- It's him.
- I had time to see him.
He stayed for an hour.
He seemed lost.
I said, "there's no loony here."
Ask my wife, she'll recognise him.
He arrived at 11 pm.
There were six clients left.
Sorry, Doctor, I have to agree.
We run a decent bar.
We notice if someone's drunk.
Let me out, for God's sake!
Calm down.
Mr Malic, we're all friends here.
You lured me into a trap.
We only want to talk for five minutes.
We're all honest people.
- Is anybody here suspicious of you?
- Yes, you. You're one of them.
He's a good man. When I told him
who you were he understood immediately.
You said you were in Saint-Flour.
Was that another lie?
What a cheek! I came back because
Mr Cooper said you were in trouble.
Like an idiot I took the train
only to be called a liar by you!
- Why did you leave?
- Because you told me to.
Here.
I still have your letter.
It's my handwriting
but I didn't write a single line.
We are here to solve
all these mysteries.
Mrs Andr, when did you see
the doctor for the last time?
The night before my departure.
He had one million.
Shut up! You're violating
professional secrecy.
This is not about medicine.
I'm trying to get out of a spot.
- It's in your interest.
- I'll be the judge of that.
- You have less judgement than a baby.
- You're fired!
See? You can't even recognise
those who wish you well.
He was given one million
to hide somebody.
Shut up, you old bag!
You heard him?
He called me an old bag.
Come on.
Who was that somebody?
He didn't tell me.
Although he was drunk.
- Drunk!
- As usual. Five or six drinks, no more.
Five or six drinks...
Miss.
He had three Kirsches
with the man in the photo.
Then they went to the toilets
where the money changed hands.
They drank half a bottle of brandy
and toasted a certain Alex.
They were laughing
as if they'd just made a good deal.
So, Doctor, who's Alex?
I don't know any Alex.
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you.
You may now leave the classroom.
Your expenses will be paid
at the bursar's office.
This way, ladies and gentlemen.
Be reasonable.
Tell him everything. You'll feel better.
I can see you're not happy now.
He has no willpower.
He's pig-headed.
Yes, Mrs Andr.
Now we're alone.
Who is Alex?
You think I'm going to confide
in a gangster? I understand.
- You're all gangsters!
- Me? A gangster?
Do you know who I am?
The head of American
special services in France.
Or let's say, one of the heads.
Are you happy now?
Colonel Howard was my subordinate
and my dearest friend.
Was? You mean the Colonel is...
Dead? Certainly not!
He is missing.
That's why I set this little trap for you.
You've caused all this mess
and you must help us clear it up.
- I've got nothing to say.
- Very well. Listen.
Doctor, our services' agents,
sit down,
always work abroad
under a fake name.
Sit down!
In France, Colonel Howard pretended
he was an importer, Donald Murphy.
But one day the embassy informed me
that somebody had phoned
and asked for Colonel Howard
using his real name.
- It's my phone call that...
- Quiet!
You'll speak when I ask you a question.
So a certain Malic
knows the identity of my deputy.
An identity known to nobody in Europe,
except the members of his network.
Two solutions:
Either you're a new recruit
made by the Colonel,
or you're a particularly shrewd
enemy agent.
In order not to upset Howard,
I started a personal investigation.
I went to your house,
and there I found Michel Kaminsky.
He is a real gangster.
I thought, "be careful"
and I gave you the password.
Box of matches?
You couldn't answer, so you were not
part of the Colonel's team.
Yet after a five-minute conversation,
I realised you are a pusillanimous man.
With no will. The opposite
of a dangerous adversary.
Mr Cooper.
I didn't come here to be insulted.
Shut up! Sit down!
Who are you?
An unknown.
I called you "X"
and I summoned Howard.
For two hours, he maintained
that he didn't know you.
Unfortunately,
you heard the witnesses, Howard lied.
That's false!
Howard knew you very well.
He gave you
one million to hide Alex.
What do you have to say to that?
Ask your friend Howard.
Where is he?
As soon as I realised his betrayal,
I sent all my men in search of him.
They didn't find him.
No, Howard didn't betray anyone.
He's a loyal man.
A loyal man
hiding an enemy agent at your place!
Not at all, he's one of your agents.
You fool! If Alex was one of my agents,
Howard would have told me.
Howard is innocent, I'm sure.
- Sure?
- Certain.
Then let me have a chat with Alex.
- I can't let you do that.
- Then bring me a photo of him.
- You think he'll let me?
- You're a doctor, drug him.
You'll only show the photo to me
and we'll burn it immediately.
I'd like to help you,
but it's not possible.
Not possible?
"I promised, I have no right."
But you have the right to take
one million to hide a stranger.
Maybe a criminal.
You didn't say no, then.
You said yes.
Yes sir, give me the money.
My sense of honour allows it.
I gave my word.
You didn't give it. You sold it.
I'll buy it.
For more money.
Isn't it a good deal,
even for a little French doctor?
- I forbid you...
- Nothing! You forbid me nothing!
- Will you give in? Give in!
- Mr Cooper!
Stupid idiot!
Come on, don't get into such a state.
One day, you'll have a stroke.
You haven't got a young man's arteries.
Since you want to protect
your damned conscience,
here is a solution:
Go home, go and see your "client"
and tell him, "Your box of matches
has been found."
If Howard didn't lie,
if Alex works for us,
he'll understand
and he'll pack up and go immediately.
If he doesn't understand, I'll leave you
to draw your own conclusions.
So why aren't you talking?
I'm hesitating.
What I have to tell you
is so important,
your answer
can change so many things...
Alex, I have a message for you.
Your box of matches has been found.
- What do you mean?
- You don't know?
Of course not.
I know. It means you've fooled me,
and Howard fooled me.
- You're an agent of the East.
- No. Where did you hear that?
If you were working for the US,
you'd have understood.
This doesn't prove
that I'm working for the others.
Right, I don't care.
But this time, that's it.
I've had enough.
You have to leave.
All right, I'll leave.
But I'm telling you, they're watching me.
I won't go further than 50 yards.
Would you prefer me
to hand you over to Cooper?
All I can do is give you until tonight.
You can try your luck in the dark.
Goodbye, Alex.
Of course. Instead of killing him,
if you had crossed the street...
We would have done it together,
as friends.
Never mind. I trust you. I'm going
to tell you who Alex probably is.
Very probably.
No!
- Who? I didn't hear you.
- Vogel. Hugo Vogel.
- Who is this Vogel?
- You've heard about the pope, no?
It's not him!
No, but in Germany,
the atomic bomb and him
are like the pope and God.
When he says it won't blow, it won't.
When he says it will blow, it blows.
Listen to this article.
"The secret war continues. Hugo Vogel
chooses freedom and disappears."
"In well-informed circles, it is said that
Hugo Vogel, the father of the 3H bomb,
was aided by
American special services
to disappear
from his East Berlin laboratory."
"The news of this escape
had just started to become known
when a new dramatic turn of events
mobilised counterespionage services."
"After sneaking away
from his Eastern jailers..."
"...Hugo Vogel has allegedly slipped
away from the French small town
where Western powers
had hidden him."
Both sides claim
there is no truth in these reports.
If they deny it, then it's true.
It was on the last page in small print
and they edited it from other editions.
Perhaps it's a hoax.
In a Swiss newspaper?
They don't joke in Geneva.
I don't understand your gibberish.
Vogel used the Americans
to escape from the Russians.
After crossing the Iron Curtain,
he sneaked away from the Americans.
- He doesn't know what he wants.
- Yes, he wants to be left alone.
He must have found something
he wants to hide from both sides.
He's a loser.
A loser who's worth billions
to some people.
And you think he's upstairs.
It can't be a coincidence.
Vogel has a German accent.
He has reasons to hide
and the dates match.
If you're so sure,
why do you need us?
- I need proof.
- That would be perfect.
- So, are you going?
- Tonight.
- Why not now?
- Because Vogel has a weapon.
- He could easily shoot twice.
- He shot at Lon through the door.
Six to eight hours to wait.
We might get pipped at the post.
My dear Victor,
you can count on us.
Except for the doc,
absolutely nobody will go upstairs.
Not even you.
- So will you forgive me?
- You are forgiven.
But remember, I'm not Vogel.
I don't know physics. I'm a nobody.
- My name is still Alex.
- Yes, sir, certainly.
- If only I could do something for you.
- There's nothing to do.
Just lay low and bide our time.
- But if we think hard...
- No!
Hello, Franois Coppe School?
I'd like to speak to your English
teacher, Mr Sam Cooper. It's urgent.
Yes, I'll hold.
Hello, Cooper?
It's Malic.
Well, I thought about it
and I'll take your photo.
Yes, your argument
has convinced me.
You'll have it in an hour.
What's the address?
All right, I'll be there.
No, not a penny... That's right,
for moral reasons. See you in a moment.
Stop! Stop it!
You're hurting me.
- I told you, it's not necessary.
- That's it, it's over.
It will take me an hour to...
My arm... is all stiff...
You don't give a damn, do you?
You doctors don't care.
As long as... they get paid.
Malic is a nice guy...
He could succeed if...
If there wasn't...
It's not him.
The photo trick.
I'll remember the photo trick!
You got me, you bastards!
Stop shouting, Victor.
Nobody tried to get you.
- We lose out as much as you.
- Nobody was supposed to see him.
- Except the doctor.
- You did that to eliminate me.
But I'm not dead yet!
I still have my say.
- Doctor, at last!
- Can't it wait, Victor?
Please, Doctor. You're the only one
who can save my life.
Wait till tomorrow, you'll be fine.
Tomorrow is too late.
I may not be here tonight.
Is it that bad?
All right, come in.
- What's wrong with your hands?
- I burnt them on the coffee machine.
- Is that why you're here?
- No, it's not that.
You have to give me a photo
like you gave Mr Cooper.
- I didn't give anything to anybody.
- Don't lie. The clock is ticking.
If I don't bring what they want,
they'll send me on a journey.
- So what?
- You don't know what that means?
- Is it a punishment?
- It's the ultimate punishment.
You think I'm stupid? Burnt under
the nails with a coffee machine?
Who did that to you?
- What?
- If I talk they'll kill me.
- Don't tell me who but why.
- I can't tell you!
We must never talk,
except to make others talk.
What's the risk? We're alone.
They know everything
that happens here. Everything!
You see, Doctor.
They know I talked. I'm scared!
Hello? Yes, he's here.
Your boss is calling you.
Come.
Yes, it's Victor. Five minutes.
I swear I'll be there in five minutes.
Then two minutes.
Only two minutes. It's not much.
You'll let me come back later?
I'm coming right now then.
They say they'll let you come back,
but it's not true.
It's to make you less scared.
Farewell, Doctor.
Your boss is calling. No need
to make a fuss. You're a waiter after all.
A replacement only. Tomorrow
Louis will be back behind the bar.
I'm waiting for you
to put on your bandage.
Don't bother, Doctor. He's dead.
You killed him.
He had an accident.
The driver
will probably lose his licence.
We're in France!
There are laws!
No law protects you
against accidents.
There's no law against
clumsiness... recklessness.
And yet, if you're clumsy
or reckless... nobody kills you.
You didn't have to torture him.
It's the part of the job I hate the most.
Unfortunately, Victor got caught.
When things go wrong,
the agent is the only one responsible.
He is either
a traitor or a saboteur.
That's no reason to kill him.
No. But he warned you that we installed
some microphones in your office.
You put some microphones in here!
- You didn't understand?
- So someone is listening to us now?
- Everything is recorded.
- Unbelievable!
You want proof?
Nicolas, call the doctor.
Yes... Yes, it's me.
- Are you happy now?
- But who are you?
He's asking me who I am.
It's so funny.
Nicolas, tell him.
What do you want from me?
Victor told you.
We want your neutrality.
You've already given the Americans
a sample of your photographic talent.
Do the same for us.
So, will you make up your mind?
Be careful, Doctor.
We still have cars in the garage.
No.
No? Here, it's loaded.
If you know how to use it,
you won't regret it.
You'll even be able to swap your old
bicycle for a nice second-hand car.
Now, if you prefer a hearse...
it's a question of taste.
You don't want my photo?
I took a picture of one of my patients.
He's about your size.
You photographed
a patient instead of me?!
I did it for your American friends.
The difficult part was putting on the glove.
What? This is madness!
It worked.
Cooper said you were not Vogel.
I'm not Vogel!
Do you understand?
- You're not Vogel?
- I told you earlier!
I thought you were saying it
because you are Vogel.
You really are stupid!
You ruined everything!
Vogel and Howard are lost!
Here.
Look! Where are the spies?
Where is the postman, the roofer,
the newsagent? Gone!
Where are they?
Looking for the real Vogel.
And they'll find him, don't worry.
You'll have it on your conscience.
So, you're not Vogel?
Shut up, you hag!
You took us for a ride.
We have a right to understand.
You do understand.
I took you for a ride.
I'm German.
I'm about the same size as Vogel.
From the back, in the dark,
behind a door, it could work.
And you bought it. Not only you.
Those from the East and the West.
And the doctor too, unfortunately.
That's what ruined it.
We needed an idiot.
Someone who didn't understand anything.
We got what we wanted!
- I've been terrible
- No, you've been heroic.
- Heroic, but a blundering idiot.
- If only I'd known!
You would have been the only one.
I can tell you don't know Howard.
He's a good guy, an idealist.
He saved Vogel from the Soviets
with great enthusiasm.
When he had to do the same
to his country,
save Vogel from his own services,
he must have been torn.
But he did it anyway.
Out of love for mankind.
But his love for mankind
doesn't stretch to trusting men.
He manipulated you like a pawn.
- He hired Conny...
- It was him?!
You see? She didn't even know.
Of course, I was sent here
without any instructions!
Instructions, you idiot? Your only
function was to draw attention.
To convince all these imbeciles that
Vogel was here, we had to lure them.
So we built a reputation
on your house
so that everybody knew
something fishy was going on here.
We couldn't have found a better bait.
- Thank you!
- You're welcome.
One hour after her arrival, you had
fifty of them breathing down your neck.
And big shots too! Cooper, Kaminsky...
All thick as a brick
and as nasty as anything.
They must be furious.
If Howard and Vogel
fall into their clutches...
- We must warn Howard.
- Can you contact him?
- No.
- Well, then.
- Are you leaving?
- Yes.
- Quickly and as far away as possible.
- You're afraid.
Lon is dead and so is Victor.
Bad luck comes in threes.
I'm not superstitious.
It's up to you.
Here... a little souvenir.
- I'd give anything to find Howard.
- You have nothing to give.
- I have one million.
- Well...
Well, well, well...
You know where to contact
the Colonel?
No, but I have contacts.
And for one million,
I'll make an effort.
- A packet of Gauloises "corn paper".
- They don't exist.
Then give me a box of matches.
- A box?
- A book.
- Well?
- You have the money?
The Colonel is upstairs,
on the fourth floor.
- You're not coming with me?
- I'm no longer interested in this matter.
- Thanks, anyway.
- Good luck, Doctor.
Are you here?
- Doctor, what a timely arrival.
- You got him?
No. When he saw me, he lost
his mind and took some poison.
Help me get him on the bed.
I need to know what he took.
What was it, Howard? Tell us.
Get this from the chemist.
Hurry up, Cooper.
Every minute counts.
Am I disturbing you?
- Have you killed him?
- He took some poison.
- Mr Cooper, time is passing!
- But I can't leave him with him.
- Then you go, Mr Kaminsky.
- Do you take me for a fool?
Please, gentlemen, look at him!
We'll go together, all right?
All right.
We'll have a chat.
Forgive me, Howard.
It's all my fault. I acted like a fool.
- I'm going to get you out of here.
- I don't want to.
- Let me die.
- I can't, I'm a doctor.
They'll make me talk.
Save Vogel.
Marseilles?
You want me to take Vogel
to Marseilles?
He'll be on the blue train?
And then?
Howard, what then?
Car... go...
Bo... li... var.
Blue train, Departure at 8 pm,
First class sleeper only,
Calling at Dijon, Lyons, Avignon,
Marseilles St Charles,
Toulon, St-Raphal,,,
- Single 17.
- 17? Great.
- You don't have any luggage?
- No.
- My tickets?
- We keep them, sir.
,,, direct to San Remo,
Restaurant and bar,
Ladies and gentlemen,
we wish you a pleasant journey,
- Do you have a message for me?
- No, sir.
- You didn't take my ticket earlier.
- My colleague is having dinner.
- It's ready, sir.
- Thank you.
Would you like a bottle
of mineral water?
No, a bottle of dry white wine.
- Half?
- No, a bottle.
- Meursault, champagne, riesling?
- No, ordinary.
- Then it will be chablis.
- Whatever.
- Excuse me, sir.
- No, stay!
I'm replacing Howard.
Are you Professor Vogel?
- Where's Howard?
- He killed himself.
My God!
He didn't suffer too much.
He died in my arms.
Why?
- Were you two close?
- I didn't know him well.
We met in Berlin once
and understood each other straightaway.
When I told him
what I had found out,
he helped me escape
from the Russians... and the others.
We deserted together.
- What is it?
- White wine, sir.
- Not now. It's too late.
- Very well, sir.
That scared me.
Me, too.
Are you travelling in this car?
- No, I'm nowhere.
- I'm proud to be able to help you.
The whole world is proud of me.
My country is proud of me.
But I'm not proud of myself.
- And you, what do you do for a living?
- I'm a psychiatrist.
You're a doctor.
You try to cure people, to save them.
Me, everything I invented
leads to a massacre.
If you knew what's in my head.
It's appalling.
- A new bomb?
- Less than that... and a lot more.
For the price of one bomb,
I can build two to three hundred.
Instead of using ten kilos of uranium
or plutonium to blow a hydrogen bomb,
I use the equivalent of a button.
I managed to reduce the critical mass
of a chain reaction, that's all.
That means a very cheap bomb.
A massacre available to everyone.
The end of the world.
And to think it was all by chance.
Ideas turn round inside the neurons.
Then they cling on and it's over.
You can't unhook them.
You're not responsible.
No. And yet...
Let's see, Doctor,
you're a psychiatrist.
Isn't there a way to erase an idea,
to expel it from the brain?
To destroy it so completely that even
torture can't make it resurface again.
No, I don't think so.
Then it's the brain
that has to be destroyed.
My only way out is suicide,
like Howard.
To never speak again.
You don't have the right. You can
invent other things than bombs.
But they won't allow it.
This is what they want: Death.
Other people's death.
The blackmail of death.
They all want to be right
and the last reason...
...is this one.
DIJON - CITY
Dijon: Three-minute stop,
Fast train number three
calling at Lyons,,,
Where are we?
In Dijon.
We've done a third of the journey.
Something is worrying you?
Wait.
I must have been mistaken.
I missed the train. Luckily
I had a fast car and a good driver.
We nearly rolled over three times.
- Did you hear the guy who spoke?
- Do you know him?
- I'm afraid so.
- They picked up my trail?
- I don't know.
- We must know.
Remember what I said?
I'll kill myself or they'll kill me,
but they won't get me alive.
Go.
Have you seen a man who...
Doctor, what a surprise!
Would you like a drink?
- No, thanks.
- Stay here. Don't go back there.
- What did you do to him?
- Nothing. I was in the bar.
Bastard!
- We keep bumping in to each other.
- Let me through!
- What's the matter?
- The doctor is losing his mind.
- Where is Vogel? Murderer!
- Don't be silly, Malic. It's over now.
I've only just started.
You kill a man, destroy the evidence
and I should shut up?
- Don't make such a fuss!
- You'll go to jail, you bloody spies!
Gentlemen, keep the noise down.
People are sleeping.
Stop the train.
They are spies.
They killed Hugo Vogel,
a great physicist.
- They threw him out of the window.
- This window? You saw them?
Almost. When I arrived,
Vogel's hat was on the bed.
- What did you do with it?
- They threw it out.
- In which car was Mr Vogel travelling?
- He wasn't in any car.
He was hiding.
This train is full of spies.
- They even have a membership badge.
- May I?
"Association of ocarina players".
Your colleague must have seen Vogel
when he brought the wine.
- My colleague?
- While you were having dinner.
I haven't had dinner yet.
I've been here all the time.
You're with them!
Doctor, calm down!
Dr Malic is a distinguished psychiatrist.
- You're going to say I'm mad.
- Just a bit overworked.
Overworked?! I'll get off at the next
stop and tell everything to the police.
I'll tell them all about you.
Bastards! Swines!
I went to the police
and told them everything in detail.
They didn't even listen to me.
Of course,
I needed proof or witnesses.
Some people know and could
back me up, but no-one's talking.
When I ask them,
they look at me as if I'm mad.
Ocarina players?
Victor? What Victor?
Mr Cooper? What Mr Cooper?
Mrs Andr, please! What about
the school and your trip to St-Flour?
You must have dreamt it, Doctor.
Wake up.
That's it. All of them were bribed.
They don't want any trouble.
And I'm all alone.
Without support or anything.
You? Sweet pea, in your state,
nobody will take you seriously.
I...
I... can... speak.
Did you say that?
Is it true? You're cured?
That's wonderful!
I was beginning to lose hope.
Then we're two now! You saw many
things, you'll be able to back me up.
I... will tell... everything.
It's you, Nicolas?
It's him.
Never mind!
We'll risk it anyway!
- No!
- Now you don't want to?
You're abandoning me as well.
You're afraid.
For you.
I don't care if I die.
I want to get them, you understand?
THE END