germaine cazeneuve ( jean gabin ) be an educator of delinquent and state prisoner and his job be to help them reform and adjust to a new life outside of prison . he plead for leniency in the case of safe cracker gino strabliggi ( alain delon ) who be up for parole after 10 year inside and against their good judgement the parole board agree to cazeneuve request on condition that he take responsibility for strabliggi . gino and a an ex con and be force by french law to take residence anywhere but in a city and so he settle with his young wife in the country and where fate turn against him and a first his wife be kill and then he be hound by his former crime gang to return to his former lifestyle and also one of the arrest officer from his case year previously and the now chief inspector goitreau be in charge of the area and have a grudge against him and become even more suspicious when he find out gino new girlfriend lucie be work in the local bank with the help of his now good friend cazeuenve and his new girlfriend lucie ( mimsy farmer ) he try to battle his demon and fight against the troublesome cop . jose giovanni ( born joseph damiani ) be perhaps best know a a writer of some renown in france and in film like melville le deuxième soufflé and and classe tous risques ( 1960 ) his writing usually center on crime and an area he know only too well and a he be on death row in france from 1948 1956 before gain a presidential pardon . while inside he pen the script for le trou and french slang for prison literally mean the hole and a script that would gain him one of his first step into the film industry and when it be film by jacques becker and who turn out one of the best prison film ever make . deux hommes dans la ville be a film that be obviously close to his heart a it doesn not reveal it true motif until the end and where we be treat to an emotional climax on death row and with the usual last minute wait on a pardon . the film itself be an excellent character study and make all the good by two fine performance by the gabin and delon . gabin give u a truly world weary performance and his voice over at time heartbreaking and a he come to term with the injustice he encounter on a daily basis . delon portray the truly reform character gino and struggle against the injustice of a criminal and legal system that still live in the dark age with a deliciously watchable class . the film struggle at time and especially early on to keep cohesion and giovanni seemingly try to fit to many character and too much plot into a short time span and it almost like this film should have have a running time of 4 hour and he struggle to leave out area that be obviously dear to his heart . still though it a classy film and beautifully film and with a truly epic and emotive score by philippe sarde . giallo queen farmer be also pretty good and there a very charismatic cameo from gerard depardieu a a cocky young criminal and who not that impress by gino past glory .