Jean-Pierre Melville's crime thriller Le Samourai, is a very interesting piece of film making and he was lucky to get the perfect actor to play the hit man Jef Costello, Alain Delon.
A lot has been written and discussed about the stylized structure of the film with Melville keeping the dialog to a minimum and the action tight and fast. Melville's direction is very meticulous with much attention to detail focusing on Costello's actions. He steals a car with a set of master keys which he meticulously tries one at a time to find the right key. He evades and elaborate trap by the police on the Paris subway and he creates a perfect alibi for a hit on a nightclub owner that is probably a little to perfect since it brings him to the attention of the Paris police who are about as ruthless as he is.
Melville has acknowledged his debt to American films, and he has Delon wear hats and trench coats like a 1940's film noir protagonist. It looks a little anachronistic but it also looks very cool.
Speaking of cool what Le Samourai also has going for it is Alain Delon. He moves through the film quiet and emotionless. It's a performance that would have worked well in a silent film.
A film with style to spare, Jean Pierre Melville was a master of the crime film genre with a control of the medium that most filmmakers could only hope to achieve.
105 minutes.
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