I saw this film when it was shown on BBC2 in 1989, but had absolutely no memory of it, so watched it again today. It's a good-looking, agreeable potboiler, set in a fictitious Latin American country in order to avoid controversy (obviously gangsters couldn't operate at large in law-abiding Vichyite France the way they openly do here).

Closer to a comedy thriller than a straight crime film, and brightly lit for adventure rather than drama by cameraman Nicolas Hayer, 'Dernier Atout' stars Raymond Rouleau as a jaunty crack-shot detective who takes the place of American gangster Gaston Modot in a gang led by dastardly Pierre Renoir. Although sloe-eyed, immaculately coiffed pre-war temptress Mireille Balin slinks through the narrative, her rather puzzling absence from the film's concluding scene is symptomatic of the film's rather casual attitude towards its characters.

I'm a little surprised that the previous poster omitted to mention three earlier films made by Becker between 1935 and this one in 1942, one of them co-directed with Pierre Prevert but I do tend to agree that this film is undistinguished despite boasting dialogue by Pierre Bost. This was, in fact, one of the seven films that Bost worked on before beginning his distinguished collaboration with Jean Aurenche the next year (1943). Although some 300 films were made in France during the Occupation this is the only one I have come across - and I've seen something like 50 of the 300 - where the filmmakers remain coy about the location, resorting to our old friend the 'mythical' country. Otherwise it's that old chestnut the 'undercover' cop story crossed with a vague attempt at comedy. The ultimately tragic Mireille Balin does the best she can with an underwritten leading role and Noel Rocquevert, is as always, reliable. Otherwise there is little to recommend.