To my mother, to my daughter, to my wife
1805.
Consul Bonaparte has just been crowned Emperor.
He wants to consolidate his achievements of the Revolution and
integrate the territory of the Republic.
But the abolition of privileges and the execution of the King was worth
many enemies to the country. Europe fears the contagion of republican ideals
and the ambitions of the French emperor.
As always in such circumstances, insecurity and difficult times
prove to be propitious to extraordinary destinies.
therefore, while the Emperor challenges Europe on the battlefields,
a man forges his own legend, through the streets of Paris...
Who wants some?
You can't say that you were not well received.
Look, we're taking you to bed.
So that's Vidocq?
Welcome aboard!
Come on, get up! Get up!
Come on!
Smoking?
I'm Courtaud.
Vidocq. Yeah...
"The perpetual escapee". Only the deaf and blind don't know
who you are.
You sawed it off! No!
With what?
If you want to escape, they throw you
overboard.
Tell me, I'm interested.
Come on, get him out!
Who's doing what here?
Maillard is the leader. The other one over there,
Green hat. Like you, a dangerous guy.
In cahoots with the guards..
He prevents escapes and in exchange the guards let him do what he wants.
Be careful of him.
You're everything he doesn't want on board.
Come on! Go on, kill him!
Go on and bleed him out!
Eel! On Thorn Blossom.
Thorn Blossom.
On Eel.
Come on, Thorn Blossom, Bleed him out!
Kill him!
Bleed him out!
Come on!
On Eel! Kill him!
Eel!
Come on Eel!
So?
Bleed him out!
Kill him, Thorn Blossom! Bleed him out!
It's time.
Go on Eel!!
Killing Vidocq builds a reputation.
My name is Nathanaël de Wenger. You owe me a life.
He was the first one. He'll send you more.
You're gonna need someone to watch your back.
I've fixed my chains too.
If you escape,
I'm in.
I travel alone.
Go on, bleed!
Kill!
Back off!
To the water!
The important thing is what you feel under your fingertips.
Feel this fabric! It makes you want to stroke it. Otherwise,
I just received a toile de Jouy
Touch this combed cotton.
Close these pretty eyes. How sweet it is!
Look, I have three colors available. That's good.
I would like six meters, is this possible? Yes. What color?
The red one. Here for you,
Six meters of red. A wise and elegant choice.
Bravo, madam!
Ha, ha, ha... Annette!
Where have you been?
You got something for me? Talk.
I was looking for you... Bullshit!
Gentlemen...
Please.
You're scaring my customers.
You're not from here, right?
I'm a street vendor. I'm on the road.
Your name,
papers.
You, you don't move.
Duval.
Jules Duval.
You get your supplies from Masin?
No. Rochefort in Valenciennes.
He stolen my watch! Stop thief!
Mine too!
Give us back the watches! Don't accuse me!
It's you! I'm an honest man!
The whole market knows me!
Justly, how do you explain that it was just the two of us?
Thief!
Is that coming.
From England? Excuse me?
Isn't that from England?
What do you take me for?
I don't know, that's the point.
Thank you.
Either you give names at me, or you can go back to Prison.
Do you understand?
You pig!
Valenciennes?
Pardon me? Or Cambrai?
Anyway, you're from the North.
Is it that obvious?
I feel it.
My mother was from Calais.
Lace.
Oh, yeah? You must know,
if you're...
What are you looking for?
Is that it?
Give it back to me.
Shhh...
Give it back to me.
That's a fake. I'll leave it to you. I'm keeping this one.
The pension is expensive. That's right!
You have to pay to learn, sweetheart. I need that watch.
Calm down. I'm here for a few days.
And I need a room.
Do you know a landlord? Maybe.
There's a room at the end of my corridor.
Oh, yeah? I can ask the boss.
If you give me back the watch.
Which watch?
Hmm?
Stop it!
Come on, here, take this.
You're pretty.
I'm offering you a scarf.
A scarf?
Do you take it?
Yes.
For the water, the fountain is outside.
But you have to change the pierced jug. All right.
Are you coming to warm me up? Yes.
After you.
Come in.
I was there.
With Davout, Soult, Murat!
Ney!
They were all there. And the Emperor
who refuses to back down, standing up
in the cemetery, in plain sight. For the first time ever,
he has the imperial guard given.
And we held on. We held on!
And then the earth began to shake.
It was Murat and his 12,000 riders,
charging the Prussians, Polish and the
Russians with saber! Eylau's charge!
The Courage and Panache!
The blood of my brothers!
Long live the Emperor!
LONG LIVE THE EMPEROR!
"VICTORY BY SINGING..."
"OPENS THE BARRIER TO US..."
"FREEDOM GUIDES OUR STEPS..."
"AND FROM NORTH TO SOUTH..."
"THE WAR TRUMPET..."
Titine, we're thirsty!
Not for you, you're not a soldier.
Soldiers don't drink, they die.
"KINGS DRUNK WITH BLOOD AND PRIDE..." "THE SOVEREIGN PEOPLE ADVANCE..."
"TYRANTS, GET DOWN TO THE COFFIN..." "THE REPUBLIC CALLS US..."
Is my beer good?
"A FRENCHMAN MUST LIVE FOR HER..."
"FOR HER, A FRENCHMAN MUST DIE..."
Come on, baby, come, I'll warm you up.
"AH, HOW SWEET HER CONVERSATION IS, HOW MUCH MERIT AND GLORY IT HAS..."
"SHE LIKES TO LAUGH, SHE LIKES TO DRINK" "SHE LIKES TO SING LIKE US..."
I saw you had two watches! You're hurting me!
Who took the watch from you? I don't know his name.
Stop lying! I'm not lying to you!
You're the queen of liars! Give me the watch.
It's you! I only have one, I tell you!
Who took the watch from you? Who?
On the market, there were several of them shouting.
The other one was taken from me!
Who? What's going on?
What do you want,
You?
Is that,
what you're after?
She's telling the truth. She had stashed away
her junk in my fabrics. I took it.
I'll give it back to you,
if you want.
If you're a draper, I'm a duchess.
Don't you remember me?
98. Bicêtre.
Perrin.
We were on the same chain...
No, I don't know what you're talking about.
You can keep the watch. You can
take the girl too.
But we're a team.
What's the matter with you? It's Vidocq.
Huh?
They said you were dead.
I'm a draper.
We're robbing some bourgeois tonight, rue Saint-Honoré.
Do you want to be in? Of course he wants to come
with us. It would be inappropriate for them to learn
that the draper's name is Vidocq.
Yes, you're not going to
drop an old companion?
I'm a draper. You are mistaken. Take back your belonging
and we'll leave it at that.
No!
Stop it!
Stop it, I told you!
You're going to kill him.
Let him go.
Please.
Come on!
Are you leaving?
Yes.
I don't care what your name is.
You, maybe, but others don't.
I'm coming with you.
No.
Why not?
You don't owe me anything, you know.
I know.
Camille Desmoulins
Mirabeau, Lafayette,
Olympe de Gouges?
De Gouges, are you kidding? I have to know everything.
A hysterical courtesan.
She took "Human Rights" and replaced "man" with "woman".
What a story! When we went to pick up the king at Versailles,
After three kilometers: her feet hurt.
Your library deserves other women.
Mrs. Roland, Mrs. de Staël, Théroigne de Mericourt.
Théroigne and her amazon fingers. What a spirit of initiative! What a woman!
They put her in an asylum. But I interrupted you.
No, no...
I was just wondering if...
I mean, about...
I mean, from...
From the Legion of Honour.
If you had had time to...
Ah, the men and the decorations!
I'll talk to Joseph about it.
Ah... The Emperor's brother?
No! Mr. Fouché.
Ah! Of course.
Your supervisor. Of course.
Now, my friend, please...
Sit down and give me news from Paris.
What would you like to know?
What do you think women talk about among themselves?
The Emperor's campaigns?
The crimes, my dear Henry.
Nothing pleases the ladies so much than crimes.
I'm listening to you.
So...
What is it?
Sorry to bother you.
Mr. Dubillard is here. Here?
He is not alone.
I apologize for that.
What's the matter?
Mr. Director. What do you want?
Receive the scoop of my last arrest.
It's not a show for a lady. I'll get over it.
It's Sunday, for God's sake!
It couldn't have been
wait until tomorrow?
Who the hell is this guy?
Vidocq, sir.
Vidocq? "The" Vidocq?
Exactly.
A meeting that will please the court.
(It's good for your buttonhole.)
Sir.
I'll walk you to the door. I'm sorry.
Come on, come on.
Hey!
I'm innocent! No one
is innocent, you know.
I must confess.
That I never believed
you were dead. I thought you were
rather... in America.
I didn't do anything.
Yes, but at the same time, there's a guy named Flandrin
who was found murdered, rue Saint-Honoré.
You are accused of murder. Who the hell is "we"?
I don't know. The letter is not signed.
But it doesn't change the fact that the man named Flandrin is dead.
So, this time...
It's the guillotine.
I know who did it. He is an accomplice.
No! They want to
to blame me.
I give you my word. Let me go, I'll bring them back to you.
Release Vidocq?
And what else?
No, no... Take him away.
Let go of me, I tell you! Out!
No!
Stop it!
Leave him alone.
François.
What do you want?
That you spare him.
I need him alive.
What did he do?
He insulted my name.
That's not true!
We were playing dice. And he started to explain to me that the Republic
confiscated its property domains.
Considering his blase, it made me laugh.
His name is... Duke Loïc de Neufchâteau.
Oh yes...
Captain to the 5th Hussar Regiment.
So why are you wearing the uniform
of the Empire? Monarchy, republic, empire,
I serve France first and foremost.
Leave him safe and I'll make it up to you: you have my word.
A convict's word?
François Vidocq's word.
You were in Valmy.
And in Jemmapes. Remarkable battles.
For beggars.
For Republic soldiers...
Come by here again one night, you'll pay for your round.
You are my debtor.
Don't trust what you saw. I'm doing better than that.
We could be a team.
No.
You did your five years.
Or did you escape? I've done my five years.
Barely outside that their fucking army was calling me.
I had to blow myself up two toes to be quiet.
I don't dance anymore, but at least I'm not being a soldier.
Ask me anything you want, I'm your man.
Farge and Perrin, two pimps from the Halles.
Forget it, François.
Except they denounced me to the cops. So?
Do you remember Maillard?
The gargoyle of Toulon? Yes.
He got it, his pardon letter.
They're his men.
They're guys to avoid.
They don't do anything.
Without asking him.
They sold you with his consent. Don't ask me that.
Farge and Perrin.
Punchinello, Punchinello, Punchinello...
Punchinello, Punchi...
If you fail to comply with our laws, it'll be my knife,
and no longer my nail.
He's one of us.
Farge and Perrin
got caught!
Explain yourself.
I was with them.
And you're free?
He gave me a message.
Who?
Vidocq.
Speak.
He says he'll send you back to prison.
- Did you let him say that?
Farge and Perrin.
The murderers of Flandrin.
And their signed confessions.
Not to be guilty, is not being innocent.
There's not much there. I mean, yes,
a little restlessness, even a lot.
Still, It's these escapes.
That are wrong for you.
That's it.
I come from Arras. I like wide open spaces.
At the same time, you didn't end up
in prison
by chance. There was a complaint
at the beginning, wasn't there? Yes.
What's the cause, the motive?
The cause? The motive?
A duel with a jealous husband.
I am only guilty of that.
- Yes...
- Capdeville,
Beaumont, Florentine,
Yeah.
I could have done without these.
- All these shelves carry the files
the most wanted men in France.
- Yes. - Hmm?
- And on this one, what do you put on? - This part is reserved for
dangerous men currently under lock and key.
- It shows the effectiveness of your policy. - Don't laugh
at my archives, for God's sake!
They are unique in their kind.
- You need me.
- What?
- Let me do it.
I'll fill your shelf for you.
Criminals are my field of expertise.
I'm not yet recruiting
convicts!
Nicolin! Aka the baker. Murders his victims by stuffing them
flour in the throat. Sensitive, he doesn't like screams.
Was begging in Ghent with Baptiste Spillman.
After four-five years, he starts on his own as a climbing knight.
A climbing knight...?
Apartment thief!
Ah! Yes...
Not respected by his own, the use being
not to kill the owner.
Henri Pinson!
Says Thorn Blossom. Moniker received during the Egyptian campaign.
A madman, a dangerous one, a ruthless one.
He would have sawed off a priest's neck by candlelight,
hoping to see his soul come out.
Knowing him, it seems true.
He would have become the damned soul of Maillard.
- Another of your friends, Maillard.
I didn't get for him any commutation of sentence.
He was granted a pardon.
You let bread thieves languish in prison and you release this murderer.
Someone intervened with the Minister without consulting me.
Como Maillard!
Slavery-maker in Santo Domingo, September mass murderer,
he makes his fortune with the guillotine
and allows 44 prisoners to be butchered in his custody.
He rules the underworld like the Emperor over the Empire.
You don't introduce a fox in a henhouse.
You'll regret this.
You're out of line, Vidocq.
You really know the files.
Of these men?
Yes, their backgrounds and faces.
I don't hold a grudge, but I don't forget anything.
So go ahead: please.
Go ahead.
- Millet!
Broken nose, strong neck, empousteur, 4 years in Toulon.
Dupin! He's missing the left lobe. From the ear, eaten by a rat.
He also has a woman's tattoo. On the left shoulder.
Mr. Director of Security,
you know absolutely nothing about it.
You want me to send my inspectors in prison
so they can learn slang?
What about this one?
Nathanael of Wenger. I've never heard of it.
Yes, he's one of your escape buddies.
The Alsatian? Yes.
He never gave me his name.
He's in the process of making one.
It is claimed that he would want to dethrone Maillard.
In London, he has built a solid reputation. And here he comes back.
As if I didn't have enough to worry about. To fight against such men,
you need to know their habits, their world.
I forgot you were one of them,
that's true.
No, I'm not one of them.
It's all words.
These are not words. This is my life you're talking about.
I'm not one of them.
So, Yes...
we need results. I can provide them for you.
But at what price? My pardon letter.
Nothing but that!?
I gave these men away. Now Maillard is going to want to kill me.
It's him against me.
I want to buy you my freedom.
You are not in position to demand anything.
All the same...
Tell me, is it yes or no?
How much?
What, "how much"?
Who says work, says salary! Do you hear what I'm saying?
I'm offering you a reputation. And your lunches!
With what you're swallowing, it's a win-win situation.
Yeah...
By the way, I'm a little wanted. A few mistakes.
My men will be pardoned. Take this opportunity to redeem yourself.
So, do you answer?
Wait.
So,
Have you thought about it?
Napoleon returns their belongings to the monarchists
who have not carried arms against France.
Under these conditions, I'm your man.
I can't promise you anything.
You're not going to make a deal
with that swordsman? Let me do it...
My son Charles.
Since it's about clearing our name, he'll be one of us.
All right.
Until now, Maillard wanted
my head. But if we attack him, he'll want yours too.
Anyway, I never liked my head.
I admit that this vermin could murder as a traitor,
but your walker, she's supposed to be
used for what?
How do you do it without the street ear?
And the street is my home.
Ah?
We'll report to Henry only.
Our results will determine the price of our graces.
So?
Hey, Titine!
What, Moon Mouth?
Two jugs of Navarre! "Monsieur régale".
Long live the Emperor! LONG LIVE THE EMPEROR!
Long live the Emperor!
To the murderer!
To the assassin!
Too bad!
Tut, tut, tut, tut!
Madam.
I didn't do anything, I tell you!
A thief is still a thief.
Yes. And results are results,
Dubillard.
Mr. Director,
the worst noises are circulating on Vidocq's account.
He's in cahoots with several bands. Yes, but I need proof.
Not slander, huh?
We would have seen the man called Shorty...
"We would have seen"?
I want proof, not conditional...
You're ridiculous, pathetic...
Do you know what you are? A eunuch.
A eunuch of seraglio.
Since you're impotent, you think that others are incapable.
You don't understand anything, Dubillard. This man is hoping for his grace.
It's right there in my hand. I control him.
I got him.
I understand that it's easier to slander
rather than displaying the efficiency of a Vidocq.
Even if you multiply your results by five, six, eight,
you're not up to the task.
Not you, not anyone in this house. No one!
With all due respect...
No, not now! I have an appointment.
Mr. Fouché talks about giving to me the Legion of Honour.
It's not thanks to you.
There's no loot up there!
Where is it,
the loot?
Come on, talk!
Hey!
Hold this for me.
For me?
I'll talk to the Empress about you.
I should be able to to get you this favor.
Excuse me, I have a game
to finish.
My respects, Baroness.
I won again.
What's next?
Where is the Baroness?
Get outta there, Mamluk.
Mehmet?
Dear friend.
I already told you not to come here.
Who do you think you're talking to? Have you forgotten where you come from?
I haven't forgotten.
When it came to killing your husband Who did you call?
Who smothered the baron with the pillow? Who allowed you to inherit?
Without me, you'd have nothing. This is my home!
Keep it down. So,
get rid of Vidocq!
It can't go on like this.
He locked up about 20 of my men
and three of my lieutenants.
Mansart, Bransier and Dupin are languishing in jail!
At this rate, I'm going to run out of men!
Nothing's been right for two months and
you're playing cards?
Suck on whoever you want but get him off the police force.
Don't ever touch me again.
I'll pay for it.
Pay, you think that's what power is?
You poor fool! You don't know what power is.
I only have one word to say and you no longer exist.
Help me. Talk to Fouché.
Tell him that Vidocq's place is in prison.
You did it wrong.
You're going to have to do it yourself.
Don't move!
Send the trunk!
Get out!
Hey!
What will you do when this is all over?
I don't know. We'll see about that.
Me, what I'd like, is to see the countryside.
Because I've never known anything else than Paris.
I was born next door.
And I never moved. Hmm?
If I have kids,
I'd like them to see some grass, trees, birds...
Cows, chickens,
ducks, pigs...
Are you making fun of me? Trout...
Ow! Stop it!
No, not here! Hey!
No! Go away!
Go away! Fields of wheat...
I'm going to rip you off
the tongue and I'll open you up in two.
Goodbye, Thorn Blossom.
Nathanaël de Wenger: an old friend of your man's.
Thank you. François frightens them.
They don't dare to face him.
They're looking for a bargaining chip.
I'd like to see him tomorrow,
at one o'clock at the monkey fountain.
I have something to show him.
He'll be interested.
Hello.
François.
It's good you came.
Thank you.
For Annette. Oh?
Glad to be of service.
How are you, François?
What do you want?
- I missed you.
- Why am I here?
I don't know.
Yeah, you know, but I've made a name for myself.
Perhaps not yet worthy
of yours, but I'm working on it.
They will be proud of themselves the day they cut off my head.
In my family, we usually end up on the scaffold.
My brother, my father...
five uncles, seventeen cousins...
The tribute of Wenger's to the Revolution.
And I'm not talking about women.
I was baptized
with my family's blood. I am a a child of Terror, François.
My place is on the guillotine. What about yours?
It's up to you to answer me. Why am I here?
We're going to enjoy the show.
I love markets. It reminds me of my childhood in Strasbourg.
The Christmas markets.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Actually, I have a gift for you.
You have to be careful
of habits.
It's easy. You sent almost all of them to prison.
All you had to do was finish your work. I'll even get his men back.
- What do you want from me?
Look at this.
These.
And the others.
The people.
They are ours. All of them.
I've been traveling since our getaway.
In the water: Austria, England, Prussia.
I even lived in Switzerland.
But nothing beats Paris.
Move, please! Go away!
There's nothing to see! Back off!
Go back to your stalls! Back off!
We'll have to get organized.
That you're messing with the prefecture,
that's clever. But in the forest
of Sénart, we were face-to-face.
This must not happen again.
Do you agree?
You keep picking up amateurs,
and I'm making us the emperors of Paris.
There will never be more than one emperor.
Not if we team up.
I travel alone. I already told you that, though.
I thought we were friends.
Thank you.
I'll get used to it... Living here.
Pardon me.
Thank you.
To us.
And long live the Emperor!
Maillard and Thorn Blossom
the same week, you're going hard.
I would have preferred arrests, but it's not so bad
like that.
Let me introduce you to Annette.
I'm glad you accepted. To be here today.
After all, you're not for nothing. In today's event.
We had an agreement.
I know, but the administration of the Empire has its shortcomings.
Don't rush it,
that's all. Look... at me, for example,
I've been promised this medal for years.
Today, I receive it.
That's it.
That's the way it is.
I am living proof that patience always pays off.
What are these secrets that you're whispering to each other?
Any state secrets?
I present to you the Baroness of Giverny.
A friend of mine. You look better
that the first time where we met.
Have you forgotten?
Oh, I don't forget much.
I've heard a lot about you. Rarely in a good way, certainly.
Isn't the essential thing to get people talking about themselves?
No, it's about surviving. The living always have the last word.
We lend you a lot of assets, but I didn't know you were a philosopher.
Yes... A lot of things are said about me
I'm stealing the hero of the day, the time to get enough to
make the ladies shudder.
Baronesses
like that, I see some of them. Every day on the sidewalk.
Honestly, do you believe her act?
You don't always show your true face. But you do.
They should decorate you.
Oh, yeah? Let them already give me my letter of grace!
Exactly...
Hold this, I'll be right back.
Stay there. You're the most beautiful.
Dubillard, they say that you were in Austerlitz. Is that true?
Oh, my god! And I thought you were a scumbag!
You know what? I'm proud to be a colleague.
Mister!
I would like to have a word with you.
You must be Vidocq, right? To serve you.
I thought you'd be taller.
They call you an observer.
Isn't human comedy the most exciting of them all?
The human comedy? The formula is pleasant.
You should take her to one of our playwrights.
His Excellency must know that I have been promised a letter of grace.
It was there.
The guillotine, it was there.
Have you ever attended to a public execution, Vidocq?
Yes.
Everyone should see this. Once in his life.
The screaming crowd, who insults,
who wants heads... Heads and shoes.
For Marie-Antoinette, it was their obsession.
They were asking for her shoes.
They execute a queen and they think about their feet.
This is a serious mistake. To confuse the people and the crowd.
The people are sovereign.
This is the greatest legacy of our Revolution.
But the crowd is a fierce beast
that you have to feed, manipulate, dominate...
I saw dozens of heads rolling on the ground from that terrace.
Royalist, orleanistic, jacobins, girondins...
The screams of the crowd were the same.
No one was asking for pardon. Everyone wanted blood.
Yet it was the Empire that put an end to the chaos and restored order.
It must therefore be consolidated.
Do you believe?
Louis XVI and Robespierre were guillotined,
not for who they were,
but for what they symbolized.
I'm afraid the Emperor eventually becomes a symbol.
The rumours would they be true?
They are rarely completely false.
The Empire would miss Fouché if he were to leave.
The Empire belongs to the Emperor. He's a man: he makes mistakes.
The important thing is France.
She will survive the Empire, and so will I.
Napoleon's strength is in all of them make them work together:
Bonapartistes, monarchists, republicans.
Without him, we'd still be in a civil war.
That's what I like about you too.
You have a Vendean seeking to recover his property,
an old Republican drunkard, a bonapartist streetwalker
and an ex-convict obsessed with the idea of redeeming himself,
for a place in society.
I love deeply your conception of France, Vidocq.
You should be in politics.
I have been promised this letter.
- The only question is: will you really be useful?
"Napoleon, what have you done with my toes?"
"Tire-lire-lire-lire-rantanplan!"
"Tire-lire-lire-lire..." "If I find them again"
"I'll shove them up your ass." "Tire-lire-lire..."
Long live the Emperor!
Crac!
YOU don't remember? Father...
I was two years old at the forfeiture.
The 200 hectares of forest, the three lakes,
the view of the plain the sober, powerful castles
like our home. My mother used to talk to me about it a lot.
We were happy there.
And you will be too.
Charles.
Charles?
Charles... Charles!
Charles.
(Dad...)
No... No...
No... No!
Charles, no! No!
No! No! No! No!
Charles! Charles!
"-It's not
"a simple decoration that is being presented to you today, gentlemen..
"It's a cordon.
"A red cordon like the blood spilled in the defence of the country.
"A red cordon like passion that you have demonstrated
"to serve the Empire.
"A red cordon
"as the one who connects you to your mother.
"A red cordon that will bind you forever
"to France."
Gentlemen,
be worthy of this cordon.
Be worthy of the Legion of Honour.
I wish you wouldn't arrest anyone tonight.
I went to a lot of trouble for his medal. Don't ruin the party.
Thank you, sir.
I have the impression that we've known each other all our lives.
Roxane Restovitch, you served in the harem of the mother Liébaut.
Biter of deputies under the Terror, you were the bait of a man named Verdier
that you help to trap the aristocrats on the way out.
You took three years off in the prisons of Saint-Lazare.
On the way out, your protector having passed away,
you've been messing with the mob. You found there
a young lover, a certain Maillard.
Then you harpooned a baron, the old Giverny,
who was found dead in his bed.
A happy ending. Unless we helped him.
Then you enter the courtyard
through the bed of an Empire general,
and since then, you've been trading of favors, shall we say...
Did I forget something? Yes.
To invite me to dinner. Tomorrow?
You are now Emperor of Paris.
I can provide
services...
Obtain a letter of grace, for example.
What should I do?
Let's be friends already.
I'm not the only one to have a bodyguard.
He wanted to live.
To serve his country, to be worthy of his name, to cover us with honour. And you killed him!
You killed him!
The only thing you're interested in, it's revenge.
Waging war on the bastards that stick to your skin.
You despise them, but you're no better.
You're one of them.
A bully.
An animal.
A snitch.
Open for Mr. Vidocq!
Mr. Vidocq. Where are these going?
Toulon. They're leaving for the prison tomorrow.
You snitch! You snitch!
Open.
Do you want to come in?
They'll gut you. Do as I say.
Guys, I need some help! Let me do it.
What's the point of yelling?
It was when I caught you that you had to do something!
Now it's too late!
You've gone to court!
There are no more innocent people here!
Your dirty faces of guilty people!
Is there anyone here who can claim that I worked with him?
Or that I betrayed him?
Huh?
No one.
I've never given anyone!
Simply because I've always been alone.
And you know that!
And all the people I see here who have already tried to kill me,
whether it's at the Toulon prison or Brest,
what did you expect from me?
Solidarity?
That I let myself be accused?
Again?
Snitch.
I have no respect for you. For none of you!
But I've been here before.
I've been in your shoes.
And I know what awaits you.
All I can tell you is that
is to hold on.
Who goes there?
I'm from the prefecture.
Mr. Henry was stabbed in his bed. He wants to see you.
Wait for me.
Mister? Yes.
Sir, you can't!
What's the matter?
Annette...
Annette?
Good evening, Annette.
How are you?
I offered him to work with me.
He pushed me away.
Why?
Huh?
Why did he do that?
Shh...
Annette...
Annette! Annette!
Hello, François.
It's a Mehmet remedy. A decoction
of poppy flower.
(Come on...)
There you go.
When I heard about this, I was afraid that you don't do something stupid.
I only warned him if something happened to you,
I wouldn't forgive him.
He's very attached to me.
No! Shhh...
You have to stay put.
You need warmth.
A lot of heat.
You have to live, François.
To live.
Dear Count
of Puymerans.
Sir, I've been here
for almost three hours. Have you announced me?
Yes, Madam.
Joseph.
Mr. Fouché.
What are you doing here, madam?
We have some outstanding issues. A Legion of Honour.
Still? We'll end up giving it to anyone.
And also the confiscated property for which we had thought
that they could be returned. I have other priorities.
I also wanted to draw your attention to some people
that could be useful to us.
Us?
I meant to say... Times are changing, madam.
I don't have time for fun anymore.
I'm sorry, sir. Let Mr. Puymerans in.
Goodbye, Madam.
What do you mean, gone? We haven't seen him in weeks.
Since the fire.
Is he among the corpses? No.
He was seen leaving the building.
So what about it? And then he can't be found.
On the other hand, we've located Nathanaël de Wenger.
I'll bring him back to you. I don't care.
I want Vidocq: find him!
I want him in my office or in jail, but not free.
Not free!
It took you long enough. I thought my messenger didn't find you.
Repeat what you told me.
There's a passage at the back of the cellar.
How many are there?
Ten, twelve... no more.
And what are you doing here?
I came to get some wine. The skins are near the gate.
I swear, spit... it's the truth!
Were you planning to tie him up?
Vidocq.
The director would like to see you.
Now.
How did you find us?
You're not the only good cop.
There's only two of you?
Are you proposing reinforcements?
Who's going there? It's the booze.
Can you help me? Yes.
Come on, Poitou! Three pieces that he doesn't make it ring.
Don't ring the bells!
Make me win my bet and I'll buy you a girl!
Come on, get up!
For Poitou!
You're almost there!
I got it!
That's my Poitou!
The important thing is to not hesitate.
For the last one, we stopped the carriage
and I came in. Bam! A bullet in the kid's belly.
You should have seen his eyes, his uniform full of blood...
One less in Napoleon's army!
And there will be others, won't there?
I'm warning you, it's your round. You need to spit out
your venom.
- Shhh...
Are you hit?
Come on!
He's getting away. Go ahead, I don't need you.
What's your name?
Poitou.
How old are you?
Go home, boy.
Go away!
Go home!
Go away!
- So,
you came to join your bastard?
You were someone, François!
Look at you!
Who are you today?
Look at you.
A snitch.
You're even worse than a policeman.
A snitch!
I admired you, you know.
The eternal escapee...
A snitch!
François...
It's the perfect place for a coronation. Come on.
You and me... it's the same!
François,
when you receive this letter, I would have left France.
I'm going to miss Paris.
But I'm starting to get there. A little too popular.
And it becomes difficult to keep a secret there.
My past is chasing me.
And it seems to me that you are able to understand me.
When will we meet again?
If only I could
you wanted it,
we could accomplish great things together.
I already miss you.
See you soon, François.
In another country or under another regime.
I kiss you.
Roxane.
If only we knew why we were here...
I'd like to know the fool who's been
keeping us waiting here for two hours.
And look at this!
What?
Your boots! They're pooped.
That's not how you present yourself. In front of Mr. Fouché anyway!
Thank you.
Your turn!
Oh, still... No, not you.
Mr. Vidocq.
But...
He will then see you.
What?
For your letter of grace, I've been thinking.
That's a no.
We had an agreement.
We?
With Mr. Henry, your director of safety.
The former director of safety... I still have to tell him.
In fact, the position is vacant.
I told you that...
I have big plans for you.
Weren't you supposed to leave?
My enemies will have underestimated me.
And then there's still so many things to do.
You'll have to choose, Vidocq.
Serving your country
or stay in the shadows and mediocrity.
I'll let you think about it.
Bring in the other two.
Have a good day, Mr. Vidocq.