It stars Yves Montand, Simone Signoret, Michel Piccoli, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Catherine Allégret, Jacques Perrin, Charles Denner and Pascale Roberts.

The film begins with a young woman, Bambi (Catherine Allégret), boarding a train from Avignon to Paris.

Also on her compartment are her fellow passengers, René Cabourg (Michel Piccoli), Georgette Thomas (Pascale Roberts), Rivolani (Paul Pavel), and famed actress Éliane Darrès (Allégret’s real-life mother Simone Signoret).

Police Inspector Grazziani (Yves Montand) and his assistant Jean-Lou Gabert (Claude Mann) is assigned to handle the case.

Cabourg, who was infatuated with Georgette and had been rebuffed by her on the train was the first to contact the police, but before he was able to testify, he was shot and killed by an unknown assailant.

The New York Times said Costa-Gavras "whips it up with a lot of camera trickery and an abundance of cinematic style" but added that "the plot gets so thick and calculated that it becomes temporarily congealed.

"[2] TV Guide called it "an intriguing, highly entertaining thriller" and praised "Costa-Gavras' taut direction" that "propels this somewhat impenetrable mystery along at breakneck speed.

"[3] Time Out said that "the ending is one of those ingenious absurdities that haunt the genre, but the lively pace and attention to detail make up for the implausibility.