The Great Riviera Bank Robbery

Bert and Jean, ex-military members of a right-wing nationalist organisation linked to the Organisation armée secrète, operate in Nice. They are drawn into crime to raise cash for weapons. Bert, nicknamed 'The Brain', conceives a plan to dig into a bank vault from below.

They persuade local French gangsters to join the heist in exchange for a cut of the loot. The gangsters are motivated by money, while Bert insists his true motive is political. The alliance binds political aims with criminal risk.

Over several nights, the team digs through a wall in a sewer to reach the bank vault. They plan routes, tools, and timing to avoid attention. The operation is tense and requires constant coordination.

They break into the safe deposit area and start removing boxes. The crew works quickly to gather valuables while avoiding alarms and security measures. Tension rises as the risk of discovery increases.

To prevent an immediate police response, they weld the vault shut, making the bank appear to have a faulty door. This strategic delay buys them crucial time to vanish. The heist continues to destabilize the bank's operations and investigations.

The gang retreats to a villa to lie low and divide the loot. They work out a fair split, but tensions surface as underlying political motives clash with greed. The distribution of shares begins the unraveling of trust.

Police struggle to identify a lead, while the gangsters begin spending their shares, attracting attention. Investigators track unusual financial activity and patterns of cash use. The case starts narrowing toward the criminals.

Notes traced back to the gangsters trigger a wave of arrests. The investigation closes in and the net tightens around the crew. The gang's members are apprehended one by one.

Dominant fascist factions move the gold bars by exploiting corrupt officials to send them on a flight to Japan, disguised as camera equipment. The operation shows the criminal network's reach and willingness to bypass safeguards. The scheme secures money to finance further arms deals.

Proceeds from the gold are spent on buying weapons for the organisation. The arms purchases solidify the political motive behind the crime. The operation underscores how crime funds extremist activity.

Police obtain a lead from the gang's network about The Brain's whereabouts. He and most of the others are arrested and the arms are recovered. The arrest marks a significant blow to the operation.

The Brain attempts to strike a deal, offering full disclosure of how the robbery was carried out in exchange for dropping the arms charges. The offer highlights his willingness to trade information for leniency. The authorities weigh the potential risk of further exposure.

Before his trial, remaining accomplices who are free abduct The Brain from custody and he escapes to South America. The escape leaves his fate and the political network in question. The film ends with an unresolved sense of threat.