Summary:
A professional hitman lives a life of solitude in order to keep things simple, but when there is a witness to his latest contract, things get complicated.
My Thoughts:
It’s funny; when you’ve been a serious cinephile for a while, you start to pick up on where certain people get their inspirations or how certain filmmakers like to pay homage to classic films, but it’s rare that you find a film that so clearly influences a genre as heavily as “Le Samourai”, which, I would argue, is one of the biggest influences I’ve ever seen on the hitman subgenre (particularly “Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai”, “Drive”, and “Leon: The Professional”). This film has everything going for it: a slick, silent killer; an amazing soundtrack; razor sharp cinematography; and above everything else, a real sense of style.
There is no solitude greater than that of the samurai.
Jef Costello (Alain Delon, “The Leopard”) is a hitman for a crime organization that spends his days in isolation. After receiving a new contract we watch as Jef meticulously prepares for and then carries out said contract, only to be seen leaving the scene of the crime. Jef lies low, but his bosses find out that there was a witness to the attack. Now, as the police and his mob bosses alike close in, Jef must navigate the underworld of Paris trying to stay alive.
So; first of all, style and influence. This film is the epitome of cool. Jef is the ultimate contract killer. He barely says a word, his routine is strict and regimented, he has a back up plan for everything, he’s smart, and he makes everything he does look easy. Jef is the prototype for Ryan Gosling’s character in “Drive”, for Ghost Dog in his titular film, for “John Wick” - heck, for Chigurh in “No Country For Old Men”. If there was ever an influential character for action cinema, it’s Jef Costello in this movie. It was crazy to watch this film going into it and knowing very little, and then to have it dawn on me that this must be one of the most influential movies ever made. If we didn’t have this film I doubt the action genre would look the way it does today, and that, in it of itself makes this film worth watching in my opinion.
But not only is this film influential, it’s a ton of fun, and it is incredibly unique in its execution. The sparse use of dialogue (the first ten minutes are dialogue free), the jazzy soundtrack, and the way the camera follows Jef around just draws the viewer right in to the film. There were plenty of scenes that are incredibly intense even by today’s standards because the way Melville takes the time to craft and perfectly execute moments of tension.
Verdict:
I really have nothing bad to say about this movie. Though it is simple in terms of story it is incredibly fun, the characters are incredibly memorable, and the influence of this film is still prevalent today. This is a film that I think almost anyone could enjoy.
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