Magnet of Doom (L'Aîné des Ferchaux)

L'Aîné des Ferchaux, known in English as Magnet of Doom, is a 1963 French-Italian co-production that Jean-Pierre Melville wrote and directed. It is counted among the French noir films, mixing drama with crime-story elements, and it is adapted from the novel of the same title by Georges Simenon. Made in French, it runs 101 minutes. It also circulated as An Honorable Young Man, and in Germany it is known as Die Millionen eines Gehetzten and in Spanish-speaking countries as El guardaespaldas.

At the heart of the story is Michel Maudet, a Frenchman who once served as a paratrooper and then turned to amateur boxing. He takes a job as bodyguard to the banker Ferchaux, a man tangled up in corruption who is now a fugitive.

Jean-Paul Belmondo takes the lead, with Charles Vanel, Michèle Mercier and Stefania Sandrelli beside him. The cast also includes André Certes, Andrex, Maurice Auzel, Dominique Zardi and Charles Bayard.