The film opens with a long shot of a small apartment and the background noise consists of the continuous tweeting of a bird. A man is lying on the bed, smoking a cigarette, although he isn't the focus of this frame. This shot occupies the screen for some time and throughout the appearance of the title cards. A quote
appears apparently taken from a so-called "Book of the Samurai"...." There is no greater solitude than that of the samurai unless it is perhaps that of the tiger in the jungle...". Our protagonist is introduced to us...he is in total solitude, all right. This neat beginning sets the somber tone of what's to follow.
Alain Delon (uber cool) is Jeff Costello, a hitman who kills people for a living. He is a man of a few words, is almost expressionless, walks around with a coat and a hat. But his methods are quite meticulous...he tries his best to remain inconspicuous in the public view (just like in the opening frame..inconspicuous to us audiences!). He is a loner, except for about a couple of people who are close to him, but who he needs as accomplices to support himself with a perfect alibi or change the license plates of the cars he steals in order to get to a place to carry out a task he is hired to accomplish. He sees himself as a perfectionist, someone who never fails. The perfectionism reflects in his lifestyle too... with neatly lined up bottles of water and packs of cigarettes in the room. He also seems to be a man of principles. "Le Samourai" chronicles the happenings over one fateful weekend of Costello's life when his perfectionism slightly fails him during one of his tasks. It triggers a chain of events which lead him into a situation in which he can trust no one and reinforces the fact, that he is indeed, friendless.
"Le Samourai" is one of the finest films (or perhaps THE finest film) centering around a hitman. It is also probably one of its kinds in the genre. Yes, the protagonist is a hitman, but do not expect any action-packed car chases, plenty of fast paced action or anything of that sort. What we instead get, thankfully, is a very restrained, subtle and immensely absorbing picture which creates magic with mood and style. For the first several minutes and during other times in the film there is almost no dialog. Yet, writer-director Jean-Pierre Melville's lucid narrative style makes for very engaging viewing with each scene written with so much dexterity, we almost don't miss the dialog! Moreover, despite the controlled, minimalist approach to story-telling, Jean-Pierre Melville creates an atmosphere of nail-biting tension throughout the 100 minutes length of the film. Not one scene frame out of place or unnecessary. Moving on through the film, Melville introduces some clever twists which lead the film to its thrilling climax. Certain key plot elements are never revealed to us audiences, and hence the reasoning behind some of Jeff's motivations and subsequent actions are not entirely clear. We are supposed to tie some of the ends on our own, and when we do, we find ourselves drawing a very satisfying conclusion to a very powerful story. The taking of the final scene is perhaps the only part in the film that slightly undermines the otherwise flawless screenplay, and I wish the filmmakers had considered shooting a slightly altered version of the scene, but that is but a tiny spot on an otherwise immaculate canvas.
Alain Delon, the lead actor, shines in a excellent underplaying of Jeff Costello, the brooding anti-hero of this venture and perhaps one of the finest characters ever written for film. His charismatic screen presence combined with cool mannerisms make for an awe-inspiring performance indeed.
The other fine performance comes from the dude on the opposite side of the law, the Police Superintendent, played by François Périer, who finds himself on a never-ending trail of the assassin that is Jeff!
The pretty ladies Cathy Rosier as the nightclub pianist, Valerie and Nathalie Delon Jeff's alibi girlfriend Jane don't have much to do except look pretty. The original music by François de Roubaix is superb and a perfect fit for the film's atmosphere.
Jean-Pierre Melville directs with his magical touch and gives us a film which is a stylish as well as powerful crime thriller which merits repeated viewings.
Very highly recommended!
March 18, 2011
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