Henry Decoin made an interesting movie dealing with what was a taboo subject back in 1955.His depiction of the crepuscular world of drugs displays no leniency,and the screenplay often drops the main story and uses documentary vignettes:the little dealers who use the candies machines in the subway for instance .A sober Jean Gabin does not outshadow the rest of the cast:particularly Marcel Dalio,as a big shot ,and Lila Kedrova ,as a junkie ,begging for a few more in the impressive last sequence which gathers near all the cast!