Certainly not a masterpiece, but we see a lot of Paris and west suburb (where the director Yannick Andréi lived) with cars, roads, clothes, ... from the 60's-70's, sort of document. And the movie is well shot and edited, especially for the cars pursuits. Quite nervous hostage taking story, certainly shot very quickly with low budget. Michel Bouquet and Michel Constantin are both very tense, Bouquet wearing a frightening mask of death till the desperate end. The original title was "Between fear and death", maybe closer to the desperate family victim of that tragedy. Michel Creton as Constantin's associate was to be played by Patrick Dewaere, it would have a good choice. And there was an option for Mario Adorf as Michel Constantin's character. And an option for Maurice Garrel as inspector Bourrier. Yannick Andréi edited two versions, one for theatres, the other for television with less violence, which one did we finally see?
All the ending is shot in a district in a town of the west suburb of Paris, and that district was dangerous in the evening, it was razed and replaced by big buildings after the shooting. And before all the shops vanished, Yannick Andréi shot these streets in long travellings as to honour that area.
"Au-delà de la Peur" is the second and last movie Yannick Andréi shot for cinema, he did much better for television, but "Au-delà de la peur" should be released on DVD.