Swords of Blood

Louis-Dominique Bourguignon is the champion robber of the Paris underground, but leads a failed revolt against the abusive king of thieves Malichot, who keeps an excessive share. Forced to flee, Dominque joins the army with two loyal friends, shrewd La Taupe and giant La Douceur, under an incompetent colonel and a senile marshal, who praise them as sole survivors -actually cowardly hiding- in a battle against the Austrians, but fail to actually reward them. Dominique deserts, assuming the alias Cartouche, starting his own, brilliant brigand career. He robs his way back to Paris, where his proteges are abused by both Malichot, who violates Dominique's true lover Venus, and the royal authorities, notably sadistic police chief Gaston de Ferrussac, whose equally aristocratic wife Isabelle has a crush on Cartouche. Despite his skills, he ends up captured, but a rescue is mounted.