Le samouraï (1967)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Jean-Pierre Melville

Writers:

Jean-Pierre Melville (writer)
Georges Pellegrin (writer)

Release Date:

25 October 1967 (France)

Genre:

Thriller | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

De kaldte ham Samoraien - den ensomme morder

Plot:

Hitman Jef Costello is a perfectionist who always carefully plans his murders and who never gets caught...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Hitman | Alibi | Tiger | Robbery

Cast

Alain Delon	...	Jef Costello
François Périer	...	The Superintendant
Nathalie Delon	...	Jane Lagrange
Cathy Rosier	...	Valérie, la pianiste (as Caty Rosier)
Jacques Leroy	...	Gunman
Michel Boisrond	...	Wiener
Robert Favart	...	Barkeeper
Jean-Pierre Posier	...	Olivier Rey
Catherine Jourdan	...	Hatcheck Girl
Roger Fradet	...	1st inspector
Carlo Nell	...	2nd inspector
Robert Rondo	...	3d inspector
André Salgues	...	Garage keeper
André Thorent	...	Policeman / cab driver
Jacques Deschamps	...	Policeman

Also Known As:

Frank Costello, faccia d'angelo (Italy)
The Godson (USA)

Runtime:

105 min | USA:101 min

Country:

France | Italy

Language:

French

Colour:

Colour (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Châtelet, Paris Metro, Paris 1, Paris, France

Company:

Compagnie Industrielle et Commerciale Cinématographique (CICC)

Trivia:

When director Jean-Pierre Melville brought a copy of the script to Alain Delon, Delon asked him what the title was. When he was told the title was Le Samourai, Delon had Melville follow him to his bedroom, where there was only a leather couch and a samurai blade hanging on the wall.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: (At 00:40:45) Jef exits a taxi in the pouring rain, but a clear blue sky can be seen reflected in a foreground car hood and bright sunlight on background buildings.

Quotes:

[pulls a gun on her, she just looks disappointed]
Valérie: Why Jeff?
Jeff Costello: I've been paid to.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Un flic (1972)

Melville's masterpiece is pure seduction...

This film starts off with the same sound like Sergio Leone's 'C'era un volta il west', but it's just that here the sound is made not by a plate, but a canary, the cold-blooded killer's canary.

This film was made in 1967, the French nouveau vague already apparent all over the place, but with much more subtle undertones than, say, a work by Truffaut.

No, Melville's films were old-school, but at the same time revolutionary, in a delicate way. Take for example the 'chase' scene through the Metro. Practically nothing happens: there are no gunfights, no combat sequences, perhaps just a small chase. But it is Melville's camera and Delon's inimitable performance that keep the audience mesmerized all the way.

The camera practically flirts with the audience throughout the whole movie, picking the most interesting angles and achieving so much practically without any effort. Delon's character changes his expression only once or twice during the movie, shoots faster than even Leone's gunslingers and never forgets to feed his canary. To me, one of the most accomplished antiheroes of the whole genre.

The dialogue is barely there, but when it is, then it's something you'd probably wish you would have come up with yourself. It is a minimalist work that achieves the absolute maximum. Simply put: one of the best crime noirs ever made.