Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Executscan Expected more

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

adrian-43767 Alain Delon has always been one of my favorite actors and this is probably his most accomplished performance as Jef, not least because it is so minimal - and yet there is a character there, a loner who cares for his caged sparrow. The latter is a reflection of Jef, who is trapped and unable to venture out of the world of crime. Like him, the sparrow is constantly on guard against intruders into this closed world, doubling up as watchdog that shrieks to warn Jef of an unwanted presence in the apartment. That relationship alone takes Le Samourai into a different dimension of perception and awareness.The film opens with a reportedly false quote comparing a samurai to a tiger in the jungle. Jef is on his bed, hardly visible, detectable only through a puff of cigarette smoke. This sets the mood for the rest of the film: silence, introspection, and no desire to communicate, let alone explain one's motives. It is a code and Jef abides by it.The sequence that sees Jef steal a Citroen DS is made memorable by Delon's deadpan acting, reflecting both vulnerability and commitment to his samurai-like code, all to an eerie silence. As he drives along, he gets an inviting glance from a beautiful woman driving another vehicle, but ignores her completely. Jef has no interest in distractions like sex, but has two women in his life, one white and blonde (his wife at the time, Nathalie Delon) and the other black, who function like angels of good and bad, life and death, and it is with them mainly that Delon shows touches of humanity and concern.The way he builds his alibi to avoid being charged for the execution of a bar/dance hall owner is highly professional and riveting, brilliantly done throughout, and followed by a subtly comic identification sequence at the police precinct where the witness only does not recognize his face, but remembers all he wore. François Périer is superb as the police captain determined to catch him, and he is perhaps the character who has most lines in the film, but all parts are extremely well acted. The barman is particularly effective in a very short role, looking surprised when he sees Jef act uncharacteristically, and unprofessionally, when he returns to the scene of his crime, thereby breaking his code.Le Samourai is punctuated by quite a few wonderful sequences, action is credible, photography very good and yet economical, and director Jean-Pierre Melville is probably in his best form ever. Given that he made some six or seven films of the highest order, that is no minor feat.This is a much imitated, but never equalled, work. It also has the advantage of no computer tricks, no bombs exploding, no unnecessary violence - just an assassin doing his job. He goes about it zealously, seemingly unflinchingly, but his conscience becomes increasingly present.Le Samourai does not moralize but you come away knowing that, however stylish Delon is, however seductive reclusiveness might seem, and however enticing such professionalism might be, ultimately you cannot run away from yourself.John Woo rated it the most perfect film he ever saw, and I endorse that rating, with a caveat that there are three or four films that I would place on a similar perch. Pity 10/10 is the highest mark I can give, Le Samourai deserves more.

JLRVancouver If you read the extreme ends of the IMDb reviews of Le Samouraï, you can likely guess whether you are going to like it or not. The film is extremely understated, slow moving and, at times, almost surreal in its minimalism, so don't expect an action film or even a slow but elaborate 'analytical' game of cat and mouse between a brilliant cop and an equally brilliant criminal. Similar to 2010's 'The American' (a film with a similar review polarity), Le Samouraï, is about the killer, not the killing, and the 'plot' is secondary, simplistic and not (IMHO) particularly satisfying. Delon's character, despite being an established professional hit-man, walks in to a crowded bar in full view of staff and patrons, shoots a man in an office with a non-suppressed revolver, gets picked up in a dragnet but then gets off the hook because the key witness lies to the police. He then spends much the rest of the movie being pursued around Paris but never makes any attempt to alter his appearance (or even change his clothes). Overall, I liked Le Samouraï as a stylistic Gallic ode to American gangster movies, but acknowledge that it is not a movie that seems to work at a lot of levels – deep: yes; superficially: disappointing. Too bad Melville and Delon never collaborated on a remake of the Maltese Falcon or The Big Sleep or some other tightly-plotted potboiler – the combination of Euro-style and Yankee-story might have been outstanding.

quinimdb The film starts with a silent (almost) ten minute sequence showing a man getting out of bed, stealing another man's car, getting the license plates removed, going to a woman's house and finally, killing a man.What we find out is that this is all a meticulous plan by Jef Costello, a hit-man. This isn't an evil person, however, just one who's personality (or lack there of) makes it so that being a hit-man is the only thing he CAN do. Jef is cold and clinical not only because he has to be, but because that's simply the way he is. He seems emotionally detached and distant, seemingly using people simply as tools to get through the incredibly lonely life he has become a part of. In fact in many scenes where we believe he has some genuine emotion, we seem to be proved wrong, such as when we find out he is not just keeping his pet bird as a pet, but an alarm to warn him of invaders. However, throughout the whole film we see this side of him, but we sense he is not an evil person. He doesn't kill for the joy of killing, but because he is a hit-man and that is what he does. It seems to be the only possible path he could've taken in life. Later, in a scene involving a man invading Jef's house for reasons I won't get into right now, he ends up with a gun pointed at his face. But when he reverses the situation and ends up with the gun in his hand, once he gets the information he needs he doesn't kill the man, although he has no reason not to. It is at this moment when we first begin to see emotion in him. Later when he is fumbling to find the right key for a stolen car in a VERY intense scene, we see genuine fear in his face. In fact, we even find out through clever editing that Jef never kills a man before the other man is about to shoot him. We even find out that Jef actually cares deeply about a woman that he only seemed to be using for an alibi earlier in the film when he shows up at her house for no other reason than to tell her "everything will be OK" as a sort of goodbye before he goes off to kill the man that has been trying to kill him. Once he is done with that, the cops are still on his tail and he knows that he has no hope, so he goes back to the bar where he killed the man in the first scene of the movie. He overtly puts on white gloves, walks up to the woman that betrayed him earlier in the film and pulls out a handgun only to be shot down. However, it is revealed this handgun was unloaded, showing he had no intention of killing her because he can't bring himself to kill a person that is not threatening him, while also showing this was a passive suicide not only to stop the police and criminals from harassing the only woman he cares about, but also showing the woman at the bar what she'd done to him by betraying him.I rambled a lot in this one and I didn't even have time to touch on everything, but the point is this: fantastic character study, incredibly tense thriller, amazingly directed, acted, edited, etc..., and perfect soundtrack. Has the meticulous care of the main character. Pretty much perfect in general.

SamoanJoes It's often difficult to enjoy a movie where its thin plot works to its advantage. Le samouraï is a simple film that becomes more riveting with every passing minute.Alain Delon plays Jef Costello, a hit-man who is ordered to execute a night club owner in his own night club. The problem is that he has to do it in the midst of possible witnesses on this busy night. He succeeds with the killing but when the body of the owner is found, the authorities are contacted where whey begin to whittle down possible suspects. Will the police suspect Jef, or is he in the clear?With little to no music, Jean-Pierre Melville's masterful direction is what keeps you enthralled throughout. It doesn't rely on music to make you feel a sense of suspense but instead is confident in it actors to make you feel that something could go wrong any minute.Set in the beautiful backdrop of France, it's use of watered-down blue and white colours add to the feeling of desolation.Le samouraï is an easy watch that made me watch it for a second time shortly after my first experience. Highly recommended.