Mr Arkadin (1955) (comprehensive version)

In Munich, Guy Van Stratten, a smuggler, is relaying to Jacob Zouk, just having been released from prison due to his critical illness, why he needs him to live, his life in imminent danger beyond his illness. The story is as follows. At the port in Naples, Van Stratten and his burlesque dancer girlfriend Mily came to the aid of a dying man just stabbed, he who quietly told them two names, Gregory Arkadin and Sophie with a Russian sounding surname, whose hidden story coming to light is worth a literal fortune. They discover wealthy businessman Arkadin is currently at his castle in Spain, and unable to get to him directly, Van Stratten goes through the one person Arkadin would do anything for, his daughter Raina Arkadin. For Van Stratten, what starts off as romance of opportunity ends up being true love. Raina is indeed able to gain Van Stratten access to her father, who is well aware of him by the time of their meeting, complete with a dossier about his life. While Arkadin doesn't much like him as Raina's boyfriend and was going to use that dossier to warn her, he does believe Van Stratten, a hustler by nature, would be useful in another context. With a pocketful of Swiss francs in 1927, Arkadin was able to build his empire that exists today. However, he remembers nothing of his life pre-1927, and "hires" Van Stratten to compile that dossier of that pre-1927 life of him in return. With Mily ingratiating herself in Arkadin's social circle, Van Stratten travels the world following the leads he has, speaking to anyone who may have known Arkadin and his association to this yet unknown Russian woman, Sophie. It is Arkadin's past that threatens Zouk, and now Van Stratten and Mily's lives, Raina the indirect and unknowing raison d'etre of that threat.