electrocuted himself to death by urinating on a live wire. Augagneur sends Boissier seize the van. Mahuzard shoots Boissier dead. Karl fires the tank and completely destroys the van containing the gold, killing Mahuzard and Béral instantly. Helene tries to get Augagneur to kill Karl, but he refuses, Karl also reveals Helene made the same offer to him against Augagneur. The two ex-soldiers then loaded the bulk of bullion on the truck, leaving only 300 kilos of gold to Helene while they take 10,000. Augagneur and Karl head south in the tank to sell the gold, but have to stop at a German filling station to refuel. Karl persuades Augagneur to leave the tank so he will not be spotted. The German commander wants the tank. Augagneur escapes into the desert and has to give up the gold. The film concludes with a quote from Blaise Cendrars: "I was the richest man in the world, gold has ruined me. " Cast Jean-Paul Belmondo (Sergent Pierre Augagneur) Michel Constantin (Adjudant Edouard Mahuzard) Marie Laforêt (Hélène de La Roche-Fréon) Michel Creton (Légionnaire Boissier) Jacques Villeret (Brigadier Béral) François Perrot (François de La Roche-Fréon) Maurice Auzel (Légionnaire Borzik) Matthias Habich (Oberstleutnant Karl Brenner) Pierre Semmler (Hauptmann Ulrich Dieterle) Production Verneuil was developing the project for a number of years and was thinking of casting Victor Lanoux when Belmondo read the script and wanted to do it. Filming took place on location in Tunisia. Reception The film was the sixth most popular movie of 1984 in France. However its box office performance was considered a slight disappointment. See also French Foreign Legion in popular culture French cinema References External links Le Morfalous at Le Film Guide 1984 films 1980s adventure comedy films 1980s war comedy films French war comedy films French adventure comedy films French war adventure films 1980s French-language films Films directed by Henri Verneuil Films set in 1943 Films set in Tunisia Films shot in Tunisia Films with screenplays by Michel Audiard French remakes of American films Films about the French Foreign Legion North African campaign films Films scored by Georges Delerue 1984 comedy films 1980s French films