Le Samourai
Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville
Written by Jean-Pierre Melville and Georges Pellegrin from a novel by Joan McLeod
1967/France/Italy
CICC/Fida Cinematografica/etc.
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
[box] Jef Costello: I never lose. Never really.[/box]
Melville’s excellent neo-noir and its anti-hero influenced many Hollywood films of the late sixties and beyond.
Jef Costello (Alain Delon) is a hit man. His meticulous attention to detail has ensured that he has no criminal record. We follow him, sans dialogue, as he plans his next contract on a night club owner. The hit is successful but he is spotted leaving the club by its pianist (Cathy Rosier). He gets lucky when she gives him a break during the police line-up. This does not persuade a crafty and persistent Police Commissaire (Francois Perier) and he begins a relentless pursuit of his man.
His employers did not expect “problems” and Jef finds that they are now after him as well. The chase is on and he becomes increasingly desperate. Will he get sloppy after all these years? With real-life wife Nathalie Delon as Jef’s prostitute “girlfriend”.
I really enjoyed this movie – perhaps more on this second viewing than I did on the first. The metro chase that is the crowning set-piece reminds me so much of others I have seen in later Hollywood movies. Delon is at his icy best and Perier is fantastic as a very smart cop. The jazzy score is a gem. Highly recommended.
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