Film: Le Samouraï
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville
Country: France
Released: October 1967
Runtime: 105 minutes
Genre: Film Noir
Studio: Filmel, CICC
Influenced: John Woo, Jim Jarmusch, Anton Corbijn, Nicolas Winding Refn, Madonna, Jacques Audiard
« Il n'y a pas de solitude plus profonde que celle du Samouraï, si ce n'est celle du tigre dans la jungle »
“There is no deeper loneliness than that of the Samurai, except for that of the tiger in the jungle”
No French directors did film noirs quite like Jean-Pierre Melville. As well as Bob Le Flambeur (1956) and Le Doulos (1962), Melville made a trio of neo-noir movies in the space of four years – Le Samouraï (1967), L'Armée des Ombres (1969) and Le Cercle Rouge (1970) – which redefined the genre. In Le Samouraï, he employs a number of stylistic techniques that have since become hallmarks of the genre, including the use of silence, stillness and cool understatement, all of which was a departure from the more bombastic and overtly violent approach of earlier film noirs. The movie's depiction of violence is also notable for its realism and detachment, with Melville eschewing the glamour and romance of earlier depictions of crime, instead presenting it in a matter-of-fact way.
Le Samouraï features Alain Delon as Jef Costello, a hitman who becomes embroiled in a web of betrayal and deception. Set in a bleak and colourless Paris, where the seedy underworld of crime thrives and the Metro is a dark labyrinth, Costello is a solitary figure, who lives his life according to the code of the samurai. He's described by the gangsters who hire him as a "loup solitaire" (lone wolf), a professional killer who operates with precision and detachment. In the early scenes, the film references the samurai code of Bushido, which emphasises loyalty, honour and discipline, and Costello embodies these values, living a life of austere simplicity and self-restraint.
Le Samouraï's themes are centred around ideas of Japanese philosophy and French existentialism. Costello is a man who lives outside of society's norms and as such, he is a figure of fascination and intrigue to all around him (and the audience). The movie's cool aesthetic and minimalist approach emphasise the isolation and detachment that Costello experiences, as he navigates the murky waters of the criminal underworld. What's also impressive is Melville's masterful attention to detail, creating an atmosphere of tension and suspense that keeps the audience on edge. The film's pacing is deliberate and measured, with Melville taking his time to build tension and suspense.
The music and sound design in Le Samouraï are highly innovative, with the film's score (composed by François de Roubaix) sparse and minimalist, emphasising repetition and mood, while the film's use of silence is particularly notable, with long stretches of the film playing out without any music or dialogue to add to the suspense. Also notable are the performances of Nathalie Delon (starring opposite her then-husband) as Costello's lover Jane, and Cathy Rosier as Valérie, who brings a sense of emotional depth to her character despite her relatively brief appearance in the film.
As in Fritz Lang's M and other classic film noirs, leading the search for the criminal is a tenacious police detective (played with aplomb by François Périer) whose office has a large map of the city behind his desk. Also, like all the best film noirs, Melville shows us the cutting-edge tracking technology available to police forces at the time, in this case the Telefunken M 300 portable tape machine set up to record Costello's calls. When the police try and close the web, officers are given gallium arsenide transmitters designed to alert everyone using them to the location of the target. The film's climax is a masterclass in suspense, with Costello's fate left hanging in the balance until the very end.
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