Chain Reaction (film, 1963)

Travel company "321" is located in a high-rise building, each floor of which symbolizes a step in the hierarchy. Those who go up are resettled on the floor above, and so on until they get to the top one. Petty employee Paul Martin ( Jean-Claude Brialy ) works on the lowest floor, but his cherished dream is to climb as high as possible. For this, Paul is ready for much. The beginning of his ascent should be the idea to change the emblem of the company. Delighted with his proposal, the director of the company Norbert Charoleis ( Louis de Funes ) decides to raise him in office and transfer to the second floor, making the head of the department. Marten, who is confident in the future promotion, finally decides to make an offer to the head's daughter from the second floor. Preparation for the wedding begins, Martin takes loans to buy an apartment and an expensive car, because his new social status requires it. But politicians are preparing him a terrible blow: the country's parliament decides to increase the retirement age. For this reason, his future father-in-law and head of the department Monsieur Brossard, whose place Marten intended to take, must remain in his chair for a few more years. The director of the company sees nothing wrong with that, after only a couple of years, Martin will get the coveted place. But for Martin, everything looks not so simple - without raising it, he is in for financial collapse, family problems, and besides his girlfriend informs him that he is expecting a child from him that he is obliged to contain.

One day, when leaving the parking lot of the company, Marten gets stuck in a traffic jam and for a long time observes how the next car takes the place of the left car, whose place also takes the next one. And here it dawns on Martin: in order to take someone’s place, you must first free him. A criminal plan is ripening in his head ... To begin with, he prints an anonymous letter for Charolais, in which he informs him that his wife is cheating on him with his deputy, Bohmanois, who is two floors below. Thus, Martin expects to get rid of Bohmanua and climb to the floor above. However, his calculation was not confirmed - Charolais and Bohmanua continue to communicate as good friends. But Marten cannot know that Charolais decided to punish his opponent and file a balcony railing in his office. Therefore, the young careerist finds another solution to the problem - he makes a homemade bomb and, under the guise of a box of cigars from the British embassy, ​​sends it to Charolais. But that day the director does not have a free minute to open the box, and she remains lying on his desk.

In the evening, the company celebrates its 25th anniversary on a large scale. During the holiday, Charolais decides to get rid of Bohmanois and invites him to an unfinished dining room on the top floor, but an accident occurs, and Charolais falls into the shaft of an unfinished elevator. The investigation is being carried out by the Commissioner of the secret police of Bodiu ( Michel Cerro ), and all the senior employees of the company rise to the floor above - Monsieur Daleirak, Bomanois, Frepillon, Brossard and, finally, Marten. Soon the first Marten trap is triggered: the inspector discovers an anonymous letter and finds out that it was typed on a Daleirac typewriter. The new director falls suspicion of bringing Charolais to suicide and he is forced to leave his post. The remaining chain rises to one floor - Bomanois, Frepeillon, Brossard, Martin. Meanwhile, Commissioner Bodiu discovers evidence indicating that Bomanois was near Charolais on that ill-fated evening. He accuses Baumanois of murder and sends him to jail, again freeing the director. Freillon, Brossard and Martin again celebrate the promotion. But after a few minutes, the second trap of Martin, a homemade bomb, is working in the director’s office, and the director’s place is free again. Inspector Bodiu falls off a hemmed-up balcony, Brossard is going insane from fear of a deadly post, and Marten is at the top of the hierarchy. Very soon, he notices among the employees of a young, ambitious Monsieur Lambert ( Alain Delon ), very similar to himself, and begins to prepare for the worst ...

• In 1963, the film was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

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• " Chain Reaction ” (Eng.) On the Internet Movie Database
• Info and photo gallery on Gaumont.ru
• Movie Review on LouisDeFunes.ru Watch Movie