René la Canne on AllMovie

In this sardonic crime comedy, Rene (Gerard Depardieu) and Marchand (Michel Piccoli) are best friends. What makes their friendship special is that Rene is a professional thief, and Marchand is a policeman, albeit somewhat corrupt. They have even shared the same girlfriend, for Krista (Sylvia Kristel) began as Rene's girl and then became Marchand's. During the German occupation, they were both sent to a German labor camp, and they teamed up to outwit the Germans and have as good a time as they could, under the circumstances.