Novelist and filmmaker Jose Giovanni turned to the remarkable true story of how his father helped him escape a date with the guillotine for this drama, which is based closely on events from his own life. During World War II, Manu (Vincent Lecoeur, as a character Giovanni modeled after himself) fought with the French Resistance, but near the end of the war he fell into a life of crime, and in 1947, 22-year-old Manu was arrested for his part in a bungled robbery that left a man dead. While Manu did not pull the fatal trigger, he refuses to say who did, since it would mean implicating his uncle, one of the few members of his family who has stood by him; Manu's brother is dead, and he turned his back on his father Joe (Bruno Cremer) years ago. Manu is sentenced to death, and while he protests his innocence, his attempts to escape from prison do little to convince anyone that he's telling the truth.
25th April 2001
25 years ago
1 hour 55 minutes
Finishes at 6:32am
1 win
6.8/10
70%
50%
63%
What Maisie Knew
Hardball
Street Flow 3
Adieu Philippine
At Work
Chaos
Hungry Hearts
Brotherly Love
For My Country
My Little Princess
Movie data last updated 2 months ago on 30th May 2026 at 4:10am (BST). Ratings last updated 1 year ago on 12th February 2025 at 6:34pm (GMT). All film data including images and actor information is provided by the TMDb API, but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb. Film ratings provided by OMDb. IMDb, IMDb.COM, and the IMDb logo are trademarks of IMDb.com, Inc. or its affiliates. All product names, logos, trademarks and brands are property of their respective owners. All company, product and service names used in this website are for identification purposes only. Use of these names, logos, and brands does not imply endorsement.
