Going Places 1974

Comedy

Drama

Runtime

117 mins

Language

French

Directed by

Bertrand Blier

Made by

C.A.P.A.C.

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Going Places Plot Summary

Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for Going Places (1974). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.

In a bleak suburb, two young men, Jean-Claude Gérard Depardieu and Pierrot Patrick Dewaere, set out on a brutal spree that fuses petty theft with a dangerous, predatory edge. They harass an older woman, snatch her purse, and after a tense chase they discover there’s little money to show for it. They steal a Citroën DS for a joyride, but when they return it at night, the owner is waiting with a gun. Pierrot is wounded in the groin, and Jean-Claude overpowers the owner, taking the gun, the car, and kidnapping Marie-Ange Miou-Miou along with the man’s escape partner. They pick up Pierrot and drive to a nearby mechanic they know, hoping to swap the DS for another car, while offering the mechanic a chance to rape Marie-Ange.

Leaving with the other car, they force a doctor at gunpoint to treat Pierrot’s superficial wounds and steal the doctor’s money before fleeing. Back at the mechanic’s place, anger bubbles as Marie-Ange is described as passive during the attempted assault. Pierrot fears he may be impotent and suggests sabotaging the DS’s steering to cause an accident on a winding road; they carry out the plan and let Marie-Ange go, but not before obtaining her address.

The trio heads to the country, stealing bicycles and a local car along the way. They pause at a train crossing when police appear, flee their car, and board an almost empty train. A breastfeeding woman is coerced into letting Pierrot nurse from her; the trio share kisses as the moment unfolds, but the woman’s husband arrives at the station, triggering a tense interruption. Pierrot laments that he cannot achieve an erection.

They retreat to a deserted coastal resort, burglarizing a vacation home owned by a family of three, where they discover their daughter Jacqueline. They find her bathing suit and estimate she is around sixteen. Jacqueline Is Isabelle Huppert becomes a focal point of their scheming and predatory gaze.

Back with Marie-Ange, they force her to have sex with both men; this time Pierrot manages an erection. Marie-Ange remains largely passive and mentions that the owner has sold the sabotaged DS. With Marie-Ange’s help, they break into the hair salon where she works; when she protests and screams, they shoot her in the leg and leave her bound to a chair.

When their plan to lure other young women stalls, Jean-Claude proposes seeking an inmate in a women’s prison who is starved for sex. They wait outside a prison and see Jeanne released. Jeanne Jeanne Moreau reluctantly agrees to travel with them after several refusals, and their roadside argument ends with a driver being frightened away by a gun. Jeanne receives money to buy clothes, they head to the beach for an extravagant oyster dinner, and check into a hotel for a night of passion. Yet in sleep, Jeanne suicides by shooting herself in the groin, leaving Jean-Claude and Pierrot to flee with her belongings.

While going through Jeanne’s effects, they learn she has a son named Jacques, Jacques Chailleux who is in jail. After his release weeks later, the trio tell him Jeanne asked them to help him because she is in Portugal. They bring Jacques to a cottage where Marie-Ange waits and urge him to have sex with her. Jacques’s later reactions hint at arousal, and he voices a plan to joint-rob an elderly person, prompting the others to accompany him. They then raid a warden’s house, where Jacques pulls a gun on the warden and shoots him, forcing Jean-Claude and Pierrot to flee with Marie-Ange. They steal another car, and Marie-Ange has sex with each of them while driving, seemingly enjoying it more than before.

News of the murder arrest drives them to press onward, hoping to sever ties with Marie-Ange to avoid implicated guilt. She refuses to be abandoned, and the trio continues stealing cars and hitch-hiking. They encounter a rural family and insist on exchanging their old Citroën Traction Avant for the family’s brand-new DS; the daughter—the Jacqueline they had previously found—amuses herself by trying to intervene with her parents’ consent. When she is struck by her father, she pleads to be allowed to join them, and they take her along, only to realize she is the Jacqueline they had spotted earlier. They smell her and, upon this discovery, drop her by the roadside and press on.

Going Places Timeline

Follow the complete movie timeline of Going Places (1974) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.

Purse theft after assault

They harass and sexually assault an older woman in a banlieue, steal her purse, and flee from pursuing witnesses. They search the purse and are disappointed to find almost no money.

banlieue

Car theft and confrontation with owner

They steal a Citroën DS for a joyride. When they bring it back at night, the owner waits with a gun drawn. Pierrot tries to flee but is shot in the groin. Jean-Claude overpowers the owner, steals the gun and the car, and abducts Marie-Ange.

night owner's street/outside the owner's home

Exchange DS with a mechanic

After picking up Pierrot, they drive to a car mechanic they know to exchange the stolen DS for another car. They offer the mechanic the chance to rape Marie-Ange as a condition of the exchange.

mechanic's workshop

Forced medical treatment and robbery

Leaving with the other car, they force a doctor at gunpoint to treat Pierrot's wounds, which are superficial. They steal the doctor's money and flee.

doctor's office

Mechanic's outrage and plan to sabotage car

Back at the mechanic's workshop, he is angry that Marie-Ange was passive during the assault. Pierrot fears the injury may render him impotent and suggests sabotaging the steering of the DS before returning it to the owner, hoping for an accident. They go through with the plan and release Marie-Ange, but they obtain her address.

mechanic's workshop

Flight by train; odd moment on train

They head to the countryside, stealing bicycles and a car from locals. At a train crossing they spot approaching police and flee their car, boarding an almost empty train. They meet a young woman who is breastfeeding her child and force Pierrot to suckle; the three kiss before the woman departs at a station with her husband. Pierrot laments that he cannot get an erection.

train carriage

Deserted coastal resort and Jacqueline

Following the police, they lie low at a deserted coastal resort and break into a vacation home. They discover the family’s daughter Jacqueline and enthusiastically smell her bathing suit, guessing she is around 16.

deserted coastal resort / vacation home

Return to Marie-Ange; forced sex and sabotage news

They return to Marie-Ange and force her to have sex with both of them, during which Pierrot finally achieves an erection. Marie-Ange again remains passive, and she tells them that the car owner has sold the sabotaged DS.

with Marie-Ange

Hair salon break-in; Marie-Ange shot

With Marie-Ange's help, they break into the hair salon where she works. When she resists and pleads to be kissed, they shoot her in the leg and leave her bound to a chair.

hair salon

Jeanne joins; hotel sex; suicide

After failing to seduce other women, they target Jeanne, a woman released from prison. They lure her with money, take her to the beach for an oyster dinner, and check into a hotel for passionate sex. While Jean-Claude and Pierrot sleep, Jeanne commits suicide, taking the gun and her belongings and they flee the hotel.

hotel; beach

Jacques released; Marie-Ange plan

They learn Jeanne has a son named Jacques who is in jail. Weeks later, Jacques is released and they tell him Jeanne asked them to help him in Portugal. They bring Jacques to a cottage where Marie-Ange is waiting and encourage him to have sex with her, which she says is driven by his timidity.

weeks later cottage

Jacques leads robbery; warden killed; road sex

They accompany Jacques as he proposes robbing an elderly person. They go to a house where a warden welcomes them, but Jacques shoots him. Jean-Claude and Pierrot flee with Marie-Ange, steal another car, and during the drive, Marie-Ange has sex with each of them.

warden's house and road

Final hijinks; Jacqueline revealed and abandoned

Having learned they are wanted for murder, they decide to leave Marie-Ange behind, but she refuses. They continue stealing cars and hitch-hiking until they force a countryside family to swap their old Citroën for a new DS identical to the sabotaged one. The daughter, Jacqueline, begs to join but they discover she is a virgin and smell her; they drop her off on the roadside and drive on.

countryside / roadside

Going Places Characters

Explore all characters from Going Places (1974). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.

Jean-Claude (Gérard Depardieu)

Charismatic and volatile, Jean-Claude drives most of the duo’s schemes with casual brutality. He treats people as instruments to achieve their goals, using violence as a tool to control situations. His confidence and ruthlessness mask a willingness to escalate risk to satisfy his impulses.

🔥 Violent 🎭 Charismatic 🧭 Manipulative

Pierrot (Patrick Dewaère)

Young, impressionable, and emotionally volatile, Pierrot often acts as a foil to Jean-Claude’s boldness. He craves male validation and a sense of power, yet his insecurity makes him dependent on the other’s planning. His aggression is more impulsive than calculated, and his fear of consequences grows over the course of their crimes.

💥 Impulsive 🧭 Insecure 🎯 Dependent

Marie-Ange (Miou-Miou)

A recurring victim-like figure who becomes entangled in the trio’s schemes. She vacillates between fear and a resigned complicity, manipulated by the criminals for their purposes. Her experiences highlight power imbalances and the transactional nature of the protagonists’ interactions.

😶 Passive 💔 Victim 🧭 Complex

Jeanne Pirolle (Jeanne Moreau)

Released from prison, Jeanne is drawn into the criminals’ dangerous orbit and wavers between resistance and seduction. Her choices blur moral lines and illuminate the emotional costs of the group’s predatory behavior. Her arc ends tragically, underscoring the consequences of their actions.

🗝️ Enigmatic 💔 Tragic 🌀 Manipulated

Jacqueline (Isabelle Huppert)

A teenage girl introduced as innocence itself, who becomes a focal point of the criminals’ predatory actions. The trio’s interactions with her reveal their willingness to exploit youth and vulnerability. Her presence intensifies the tension and moral stakes of the narrative.

👧 Innocence 🎯 Targeted 🧭 Naivete

Jacques Pirolle (Jacques Chailleux)

A prison releasee drawn into the web surrounding Jeanne and Marie-Ange. Jacques embodies naive susceptibility that can be exploited by more dominant players, escalating the group’s violent dynamics. His involvement helps propel key confrontations and betrayals in the latter parts of the story.

🤝 Naive 🔗 Connected ⚔️ Violent

Going Places Settings

Learn where and when Going Places (1974) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.

Time period

1970s

Set in the 1970s, a period marked by social upheaval and a liberal attitude toward sexuality. The film uses a liberated era backdrop to fuel impulsive behavior and a sense of aimless rebellion. The road-movie structure amplifies the characters’ disregard for rules and the consequences of their actions.

Location

Parisian banlieue, coastal resort town, countryside

The action moves from a gray Parisian banlieue to sunlit coastal retreats and then to the surrounding countryside, tracing a road-trip of crime through changing scenery. The urban setting grounds the youths in a rough, restless milieu, while the seaside and rural areas become stages for pursuit, escape, and predatory encounters. The shifting locations mirror the escalating danger and the shifting power dynamics among Jean-Claude, Pierrot, and their victims.

🏙️ Suburban 🏖️ Coastal 🚗 Road trip

Going Places Themes

Discover the main themes in Going Places (1974). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.

💥

Criminality

Two young men drift from petty theft to violent transgressions, driven by a mix of bravado and callousness. The film examines how easily manipulation and threats can coerce others into complicity. It also portrays how criminal acts spiral, drawing in more victims and escalating stakes.

💋

Sexuality

Sexual violence and coercion are central to the plot, with power imbalances shaping many encounters. The story portrays how desire is weaponized by the protagonists and how victims are manipulated or forced into acts. The sexual dynamics reveal the predatory nature of the main characters and the impact on those around them.

🎭

Moral ambiguity

The film juxtaposes charm and brutality, making the protagonists superficially appealing while committing severe crimes. This tension invites viewers to question where sympathy ends and culpability begins. The tonal mix of humor, hedonism, and violence underscores the ambiguity at the heart of the narrative.

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Going Places Spoiler-Free Summary

Discover the spoiler-free summary of Going Places (1974). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.

In a drab suburb that hums with a restless, almost theatrical energy, two young men drift through the city with no clear direction beyond a hunger for the comforts of a world that feels just out of reach. Jean‑Claude moves with a swagger that disguises his emptiness, while Pierrot oscillates between fragile bravado and a quiet, simmering loneliness. Together they wander the streets, slipping between moments of crude aggression and unexpected charm, turning everyday encounters into a strange dance of power and vulnerability. Their aimless pursuit is less a plan than a series of impulses that lead them to covet the symbols of middle‑class stability—cars, quiet moments, even the promise of a future that belongs to someone else.

Amid this chaotic tableau lives Marie‑Ange, a weary hairdresser whose routine is fractured by a yearning for her own form of fulfillment. She becomes the reluctant confidante and partner to the two drifters, a figure who simultaneously anchors and is drawn into their volatile orbit. Her presence adds a layer of bittersweet intimacy to the trio’s wandering, highlighting the thin line between exploitation and companionship in a world where desire is constantly reshaped by need.

The film’s tone balances bleak realism with a whimsical, almost absurdist edge. The cityscape—filled with muffled traffic, flickering streetlights, and indifferent storefronts—serves as a silent witness to the characters’ restless searches for meaning. Dialogues ripple with dark humor, and scenes unfold with a fluidity that feels both improvised and deliberately stylized, underscoring the characters’ precarious grip on control.

Through its wandering narrative, the story paints a portrait of youthful aimlessness colliding with the yearning for an imagined stability. The uneasy chemistry among the three protagonists suggests that, in a world where the ordinary is constantly under threat, the lines between predator and lover, victim and participant, remain perpetually blurred.