The Hotshots (Les Cracks)

1901. All Paris eagerly awaits the Race of the Century.

Paris - San Remo

the newest bicycle model from La Gauloise: 33 kilos

1300 kilometers, finish in San Remo.

Meanwhile, Jules Auguste Duroc is secretly putting the finishing touches...

to a revolutionary bicycle.

His beloved wife Delphine...

accepts the hardships and provides bread on the table.

Jules Duroc has put everything the couple owns into the prototype.

Plus everything the couple does not own.

All hope rests on Delphine's brother Lucien.

But fate knocks at the door.

But Jules keeps a cool head.

Paris - San Remo can start at any moment...

Marquis de Lion, the organizer of the race.

Commandatore Pifarelli, the Milanese patron.

Pioneers of the first Paris - San Remo:

One day you can proudly say, like the soldiers who fought at Austerlitz:

I was there!

Disastrous! Lucien is riding in the jersey of La Gauloise.

As the only reaction...

the villain laughs.

Farewell, beautiful dreams of the future.

Jules.

Mr. bailiff, there's the bicycle. We are saved.

Removal from seizure: three months in jail.

My husband is not a cyclist. This is a misunderstanding.

Madam, I will not be fooled.

Look, boys. I'm no longer pedaling. I'm not pedaling.

Have you ever seen that?

Just look. Just look.

- What do you say to this? - Stop whining. Out of the way.

- Are you satisfied with your bicycle? - There is nothing better.

Yes, yes...

My bicycle weighs only fifteen kilos.

Then you won't get far with it.

Do you see my toe clips? This way you never slip off the pedals.

With those things you'll end up on your face. Damn...

Damn. Listen, boys...

Gentlemen?

Whoever takes my bicycle will surely win the race.

Really, gentlemen riders. Just listen...

That's my brother-in-law. He's not right in the head.

Why don't you keep such a good bicycle yourself?

I am not a cyclist, but an inventor.

Just look...

Just listen, boys.

Forward.

Hey there, odd fellow.

What do you want with that strange bicycle?

It was for my brother-in-law, Lucien Médard.

Nothing to do with it. Get lost.

No, you may not pass.

Mr. Mulot, bailiff. I have come to seize property.

- Nothing of the sort. - Law is law.

Ride.

Lelièvre!

Mr. Lelièvre, I want to ride. May I join your team?

No, you may not pass.

You may not pass.

Not so fast.

Get out of here. Scram.

- Mouton, full speed. - Yes, Mr. Marquis.

Lelièvre, who is that madman without an armband disrupting the race?

A stowaway who wants to ride.

What is his record?

What is your record?

He won a cargo bicycle race in 1898.

Commandatore.

Do you object to an unregistered participant?

Dear Marquis de Lion...

Whatever you decide, it has the approval...

of La Voce Sportiva d'Italia.

Stop, Jules. Soon you'll end up in jail.

Get lost with that stupid cart.

Lelièvre, behave yourself, damn it.

Madam, would you please leave? Women are not admitted.

I protest.

The marquis has one weakness: his daughter Jocelyne...

whom he can refuse nothing.

Keep riding.

No, that is forbidden.

No, that is forbidden.

There is Jules. We must stop him.

I can already see him.

Jules, stop. We need to talk to you.

Then go after him. Jules, it's for your own good.

Come on.

What are you waiting for?

On the basis of a warrant...

I, Mr. Mulot, court bailiff, demand...

at the Paris district court...

Jules, surrender.

Give it here, give it here.

Hey, let me go.

Sleep well.

Watch out, here comes the train.

Watch out. The train.

You'll hear from me. Complicity in handling stolen goods...

Lower that barrier.

Crime in progress - stop. Taking longer than expected - stop.

Cancel the appointment tomorrow morning - stop. Mr Mulot.

Dad and I are doing the shopping. Eat without us. Behave. Mum.

Out of the way, boys.

Out of the way, boys. Out of the way.

I have something useful.

Patent number 2627.

Without state guarantee.

That surprises you, huh?

Go on, boys. Go.

- Swap, old man? - For that rattletrap of yours?

Just a joke?

Carpet tacks.

Come on, Orlandi. Come on, Carsubo. Come on, Mandolini.

Commandatore, I have a flat tire.

Loser.

Idiot.

Sabotage.

Hurry up.

There's the peloton. Stop.

Damn, flat tire.

This is what I was waiting for. I'll show you something.

Pay attention, boys.

You've never seen this.

In one minute, no second longer...

I put a new tire on.

One: I loosen the wing nuts.

Watch.

I protest against this disgusting sabotage.

Commandatore, the culprits are unmasked and punished.

Two: I take off my patented tire.

I take a new one.

Are you going to patch it, Médard?

Three: I put the wheel back.

And that's that.

Four... I, Mr Mulot, bailiff...

seize your bicycle in the name of the law.

Five: I, Jules Duroc, will chew you up.

Help.

Boss, the offender is in the Loiret.

Insulting a public official in the performance of duty.

You're right. Master, the rules are clear.

We may undertake nothing outside the departmental boundary. Neither may you.

What a guy.

Bailiff Mulot...

never falters.

- Six... - Swap, old man?

- Shut up. - Don't get angry, Jules.

Take it on. You're just as much a traitor as your brother.

You hit me, for the first time.

Take it on, brat. Your just deserts.

Stay behind the line. This is our department.

- And my bicycle then? - Seized.

- But me then? - Unfortunately, that is not our department.

Wait a minute, gentlemen. I didn't study like you.

Let's suppose, purely suppose...

that I stand on this side.

And my bicycle on the other side.

Then we arrest you and stay away from the bicycle.

Clever, huh.

And if we're both on this side?

Then we can do nothing.

See you then. And thanks.

We need to figure out who benefits from this crime.

An old Sicilian saying.

Who benefits, comma...

to sabotage the French-Italian cooperation? Question mark.

More I say not. Period, period, period.

But the good news is: by this act of vandalism, comma...

we have been able to get acquainted with a special bicycle and a special man.

It is no longer about that bicycle, but about my professional honor.

The race of the century: Paris - San Remo.

In this picturesque spa...

famous for its alkaline water...

an enthusiastic crowd waits for the arrival of the pedal knights.

On his 'De Lion Grand Sport',

arrives the lightning-fast Théo Lelièvre...

who is popular for his daring and impressive height,

first.

Lemonade.

Bailiff Mulot never falters.

Bravo, long live the riders.

With a final effort of strength, the great Orlandi breaks away...

and wins by a few lengths...

the prize of 500 francs donated by the local casino.

Serrurier crosses the finish in second place, just ahead of Médard,

the hope of Levallois and the strong-riding Cassuto, son of Emilia.

- Bravo. Very nice. - I know.

Let me a moment, commandatore. Wait a moment.

Tasty lemon lemonade.

I give up.

In my time you only gave up when you were dead, not before.

Don't push so much. There is enough for everyone.

Swap, old man?

Give me some too.

- Everything is gone. - Give it here.

You drink like a wild man.

Now I only have one left.

- I stole this for you. - I prefer that.

Jules, are you going to keep cycling like this for long?