As a blind man ascends the stairs of an oddly stand-alone, narrow, six-story working class apartment building, angry voices rise in a top story room, a shot rings out, a snappily-dressed body rolls down the stairs, and the first flics to arrive are greeted by a fusillade of bullets from the apparent killer, right through the door. He is, of course, Jean Gabin, and after his door is shredded by cops’ volleys (director Carné used real ammo), he settles down to chain smoke till dawn... and then the flashbacks begin.