With almost documentary realism, it shows how in a tragic breach of procedure a young married police lieutenant is killed by a suspect and how the head of his squad doggedly tracks down the killer, who is shot dead trying to escape.

Graduating from police academy as a lieutenant, Antoine chooses a place on a detective squad in a busy quarter of Paris, leaving his young wife in their home town of Le Havre.

Now on her own and recovering, she takes an interest in her keen young assistant and in a quiet moment the two even share a joint.

After a bad evening when she buys herself gin and goes to the home of an ex-lover, she recovers her energy and her determination to catch the killer.

The site's consensus reads, "A gritty, languidly paced crime drama that blends old-fashioned ambiance with modern cynicism".