This French crime thriller was the directorial debut of screenwriter Jacques Audiard and won three Césars. Jean Yanne stars as Simon Hirsch, a bored, middle-aged salesman who accompanies his best friend, cop Mickey (Yvon Back), on a stakeout for the sake of excitement. When Mickey is shot and put into a coma, Simon sets aside his job and family in order to catch the would-be killers. In a parallel story that takes place a few years earlier, a thug and gambler named Marx (Jean-Louis Trintignant) teaches a simple-minded youth named Johnny (Mathieu Kassovitz) the finer points of thug life, including shakedowns and professional hits. The paths of Marx and Johnny don't cross with that of Simon until the film's surprising climax.
~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide