The 400 Blows

Angel faces hell-bent for violence.

1959 • 99 min • Drama

Join the Angel Guild Write your review Sign in to rate and review

Synopsis

For young Parisian boy Antoine Doinel, life is one difficult situation after another. Surrounded by inconsiderate adults, including his neglectful parents, Antoine spends his days with his best friend, Rene, trying to plan for a better life. When one of their schemes goes awry, Antoine ends up in trouble with the law, leading to even more conflicts with unsympathetic authority figures.

Our family guide

Best from age 12

Movie Knight Score

2359 reviews

100 Reviewers · 1 · 51%
80 Audience · 2358 · 49%

Antoine, a young boy in Paris, faces a harsh home life and strict school, leading him to skip classes. His mischievous adventures with his friend Rene escalate, ultimately bringing him into conflict with the law and unsympathetic adults.

Violence & peril: 2/10
Language: 1/10
Drinking, drugs & smoking: 1/10
Romance & sensuality: 0/10
Scary moments: 2/10

Heads up

Some scenes show a child being slapped
Brief scenes of petty theft
Themes of neglect and delinquency

What it models well

Resilience in difficult circumstances
Friendship and loyalty
Seeking independence

Talk about it after

The challenges of growing up without support
Why adults sometimes fail to understand children
The importance of empathy and kindness

Written by the Movie Knight editorial team for The 400 Blows. Our own words, our own scoring — always double-check against your family's standards.

Where to watch

Country

Stream

HBO Max Amazon Channel
YouTube TV
Criterion Channel
HBO Max

Free

Kanopy

Free with ads

Shout! Factory TV
YouTube Free
Plex
Tubi TV

Rent

Buy

Links go straight to each service. Some are affiliate links that support Movie Knight at no cost to you. Availability data by JustWatch via TMDB.

Top billed cast

Director: François Truffaut • Crew: François Truffaut

Trailers & clips

Mark Kermode reviews The 400 Blows (1959) | BFI Player

New trailer for The 400 Blows - in cinemas from 7 January 2022 | BFI

Robert Weide on THE 400 BLOWS

Jean-Pierre Léaud at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival for 400 Blows

Reviewer notes

RecommendedTrusted family reviewers
Jean-Pierre Léaud is super in this story of a troubled young lad who goes from having troubles at school to petty crime, all under the not so very watchful gazes of his adulteress mother (Claire Maurier) and happy-go-lucky father (Albert Rémy) who spend most of their time squabbling with each other.…
CinemaSerf, TMDB Community

Fan reviews

Be the first fan to review this.

Gallery

Details

TMDB audience: 8.0/10 (2,358)
Age rating: NR
Status: Released
Franchise: The Adventures of Antoine Doinel Collection
IMDb: tt0053198

Keywords