Breathless
1960 · Movie · NR · 90 min · ★ 7.5 · 96% critics
After stealing a car, a small-time thief kills a policeman and becomes the target of an intense manhunt. Hiding out in Paris, he tries to gather money and convince a young woman to flee with him to Italy, even as pressure closes in and their relationship grows more complicated.
Also known as By a Tether · Out of Breath
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Streaming on HBO Max.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Original title
- À bout de souffle
- Years
- 1960
- Release date
- 1960-03-16
- Language
- French
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 90 min
- Critic score
- 96/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.5/10 (2,042 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you’re curious about influential French New Wave crime romance and don’t mind a loose, talky ride; Not for you if you want a tight thriller or constant action like The 400 Blows.
Pros: bold, energetic vibe; memorable Paris setting; engaging central duo | Cons: loose, rambling story; uneven pacing; dialogue can feel dull
Themes
- hotel room
- dying and death
- newspaper
- journalist
- friendship
- paris, france
- fight
- loss of loved one
- gun
- car thief
- marseille, france
- journalism
- +11 more
Awards & recognition
- French Syndicate of Cinema Critics Awards · 1961
- Prix Jean Vigo · 1960
- Silver Bear — Best Director · 1960
- British Academy of Film and Television Arts · nominated
- Golden Bear · nominated
Cast & crew
Jean-Paul Belmondo
as Michel Poiccard / László Kovács
Jean Seberg
as Patricia Franchini
Daniel Boulanger
as Police Inspector Vital
Henri-Jacques Huet
as Antonio Berrutti
Roger Hanin
as Carl Zubart
Van Doude
as American Journalist, Patricia's Friend
Claude Mansard
as Claudius Mansard
Liliane Dreyfus
as Liliane / Minouche
- MF
Michel Fabre
as Police Inspector #2
Jean-Pierre Melville
as Parvulesco the Writer
Directed by Jean-Luc Godard