Le Samouraï (The Godson) Reviews and Ratings


  • CurtisOfTheDead
    November 18, 2009
    CurtisOfTheDead
    I took a few minutes to figure out what I wanted to rate this. At first I gave it a 4 but felt that too low and I thought a bit more and realized that I actually couldn't identify anything imperfect about this film. Perfect score it is. This film is certainly a masterpiece upo...( read more)n reflection. The camera work is sharp and reflective of the tone of the movie. Everything is very precise. The lead by Alain Delon is stellar. He has cool shooting out of every pore without even cracking a smirk. The plot is marvelous but the way in which it is presented is amazing. Every setpiece is bleak and dismal, every move by Alain is calculated. I can't explain how unbelievably cool this movie is, and the performance by Delon takes it over the top. The pacing is perfect, I've heard complaints about this movie being boring. Honestly if this movie bores you it's because you have ADHD or are a complete and total moron or a combination of both. I was captivated through the intentionally slow paced movie for every moment. Delon's every action is entrancing. I could go on about the cinematography for a while but screw it.

    This film is in the Criterion Collection for a reason.

    Who should see this?
    1) Noir fans, especially nouveau noir
    2) Anyone who thinks the criterion collection is more than shit.
    3) Fans of Leon (The Professional)
  • ElCochran90
    November 17, 2009
    ElCochran90
    "I never lose. Never really."

    LE SAMOURAÏ (1967)


    Director: Jean-Pierre Melville
    Country: France / Italy
    Genre: Thriller / Crime / Drama
    Length: 105 minutes

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    Action director John Woo once said "Jean-Pierre Melville is God to me", and this is, perhaps, one of the strongest facts that can be used with the sole purpose of enlightening the inspirational influence that the crime masterpieces of Melville had in the subsequent decades of crime filmmaking. After a unique and interesting filmography that includes films such as Bob le Flambeur (1956) and Le Doulos (1962), Le Samouraï is one of the most stylish, unforgettable and groundbreaking crime masterworks in the history of cinema. It could also be identified as the first film that had a much more solid substance behind its plot development than any other prior crime film made by the director. John Woo first paid tribute to the film with several references to it with the best action film ever made, Dip Huet Seung Hung (1989), one of the movies that belonged to the Hong Kong genre called "heroic bloodshed". The next director to make a hugely inspired magnum opus was Jim Jarmusch through Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999), starring Forest Whitaker. However, the originality and unparalleled stereotypical brilliance of Le Samouraï did not go completely unnoticed and allowed the director Jean-Pierre Melville to acquire international attention and literal worshipping from both critics and followers of his remarkable work.

    Jef Costello is a perfectionist and existentialist hitman who always plans his murders carefully in order to avoid getting caught. One night, however, he is seen shooting the owner of a night club by the club pianist Valerie, a beautiful Afro-American woman, and is arrested. The police make an exhausting investigation led by a highly dedicated Police Inspector and gathers witnesses who could briefly see the assassin that same night, but after he was able to be released because of an alibi that was set up to him, a very unusual and tragic series of events and resulting consequences of romance, action and betrayal await for Costello.

    Defying the laws of prior crime filmmaking, we are firstly introduced to what seems to be an empty room with the constant singing of a bird inside a cage. A few seconds later it is revealed that the room is not alone. A man is comfortably and quietly lying down on his bed while smoking a cigar while what seems to be an old quote of the Book of the Samurai is displayed on the screen. Moreover, the film follows him discreetly as if the protagonist was not aware of our omniscient staring, culminating with exactly ten minutes of pure silence until the first dialogue line is spoken. This minimalist perspective towards an existentialist antihero is what makes of Le Samouraï a unique masterpiece within its genre. We are not asked to build empathy towards him. We are not asked to fully understand his motivations and the ultimate carelessness he had during the assassination of the club owner, either. Consequently, we are not asked to support his passionate personality that can love any kind of uneasy woman. Nevertheless, we are challenged to be patient for the first half of the film in order to allow the director to work through the exceptional screenplay that was based on Joan McLeod's novel titled "The Ronin". This, of course, promises a sensationally breathtaking second half, not to mention an endless chase sequence which extraordinary craftsmanship and wonderful use of editing, tension and suspense seem to have directly inspired William Friedkin's take on such sequences in the film The French Connection (1971).

    Huge French star Alain Delon, who first became famous in Antonioni's L'Eclisse (1962), impersonates the perfectly kickass professional assassin. This statement does not imply that a massive collection of provocative one-liners were needed. He barely speaks a word. He remains silent most of the times. There is no authority above him. He just takes jobs, obeys the only boss he has (himself) and goes away with the cash. Those are the bases of his lonely existence. No matter how surprisingly random and/or violent are some of the events that surround his job, he never feels nor shocked or surprised. His constant and completely expressionless gestures do not transform him into a flat or boring character; it just causes more layers of mysteriousness to appear. Logically, these are the attractive characteristics that may not cause an empathetic feeling towards the audience, which utterly collide with what seems to be his Achilles' heel: women. The typical line "criminals always return to the place of the crime" is used, referring to Jef Costello. The motive seems to be women, but we are not allowed to fully appreciate and understand his mentality. His decision was to lead a life of such danger.

    Melville's direction is very meticulous and that seems to be the main "quality" that Costello suddenly looses one night. The screenplay is not precisely vast, but it is undeniably razor-sharp. A musical score is not needed; we just need atmospheric claustrophobia. We need a believable environment of solitude and unconventional romance for creating complete characters that seem to belong to an underground crime culture, and those elements are precisely the ones that are offered throughout. The performances by Cathy Rosier as the delicate Valerie, Nathalie Delon as the submissive lover and François Perier as the decided superintendant are remarkable and considerably precise. And all of this is deliciously decorated with a man who lives in an almost empty apartment with a little bird as his only companion while constantly stealing any car he wants with the help of a massive key collection and changing the car plates.

    Jean-Pierre Melville has directed a wonderful and actually complex essay on solitude and the senselessness of meaningless existentialism. More than being one of the most nostalgic and remembered, not to mention referenced crime films in cinema history, Le Samouraï takes the concept of a cold-blooded and crafty ronin and applies it to a modern French society. The wonderful explosion of discreet sensations and prolonged silences of stillness is, perhaps, the first and most obvious consequence when making such an audacious twist, including a highly intriguing conclusion. Although Melville would try to perfect the technical elements such as the editing, the cinematography and the visual effects, Le Samouraï has the most original substance of style and cinematic talent and, naturally, it is Melville's greatest achievement.

    Johnnie To acknowledges it...

    100/100
  • dipa89
    November 1, 2009
    dipa89

  • alexroy69
    October 29, 2009
    alexroy69
    Alain Delon incarne le gangster parfait. Il est froid, détaché, il parle peu, mais il se dégage quand même de son personnage une humanité incompréhensible. Quand on y pense, il n'y a rien pour le rendre attachant, sa personnalité est dépouillée, on ne sait rien de lui, mais bon d...( read more)ieu qu'il est cool.

    Ça se peut juste pas comment ce film-là coule bien. C'est compressé, mais d'une bonne façon, avec un art de réalisation épatant. Il n'y a littéralement pas un plan qui ne veuille rien dire, qui n'apporte rien. Chaque geste, chaque parole des personnages a sa place. C'est sobre et stylisé à la fois. Un tour de force.
  • allformat
    October 8, 2009
    allformat
    Following the psyche of a killer going through his profession. This film is a great character study, showing the Samourai in his solitude. Delon plays the role perfectly.
  • Arianeta
    October 6, 2009
    Arianeta
    Le Samouraï (English title The Samurai) is a French minimalist crime drama/thriller film directed by French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Melville who made this 1967 before Martin Scorsese or Coppola came into the crime drama film scene. The film follows Jef Costello (Alain Delon), a hi...( read more)tman who lives alone with a bird and has a woman wrapped around his finger.

    The film opens with a wonderful shot of Delon lying on his bed in his small, minimalist apartment, smoking a cigarette, his bird chirping in the background.

    A beautifully atmospheric movie with a visual style unseen since the noir films of the 40's. A contemporary classic.



    ?There is not greater solitude than that of a Samourai, unless it?s that of a tiger in the jungle?perhaps.? -Bushido (Book of the Samourai)
  • sleepykiss
    August 15, 2009
    sleepykiss
    Simple plot, great scenes & stylistic for a 60s flick, but not one of Alain Delons best (glaring is NOT acting.) See ROCCO AND HIS BROTHERS or L'ECLISSE.
  • benjaminzapata
    July 26, 2009
    benjaminzapata
    One of the best films ever made,pure perfection from beginning to end,a joy to watch again and again! Alain Delon is the ultimate existential hit man in this beautiful meditation on solitude and crime. Delon was never better or more cool than in this quintessential masterpiece fr...( read more)om the legendary Jean-Pierre Melville,who was to become a great influence on a lot of future directors like John Woo,Quentin Tarantino,Francis Ford Coppola,John Boorman's "Point Blank" and Martin Scorsese, who's film "Taxi Driver" is also one of the best meditation on solitude and violence,and always remind me of "Le Samourai". I specially love the moments of silence when there is no dialogue,when Alain Delon is only using his body language with such an astonishing presence;and was one of Melville's more famous trademarks,and one of the reasons Delon fell in love with the screenplay. An eternal and awesome lesson,worthy of study,on the art of making great films from Melville,and on acting from the enigmatic angel of French fims,Alain Delon! One of those moments in cinema history when actor and director came together at the right moment to create a work of art,an amazing film!
  • rojastortu
    July 14, 2009
    rojastortu
    Delon's Jeff Costello is the depiction of "coolness" on film. So simple yet such a satisfying film that you might want to watch it over and over again!
  • sunb34mm
    July 4, 2009
    sunb34mm
    awwwww ! Nouvelle vague !!!
  • mpghoul1973
    May 16, 2009
    mpghoul1973
    First i have to say that director Jean-Pierre Melville has an incredible eye for composing a shot. Le Samourai is gorgeous to watch. And the score is another ultra cool plus to the film. But seriously thats about it. I was bored to death 3/4 into it. It started out good enough. I...( read more)t had lots going on. The story was being set up well enough, but after 1hr and 15minutes i was starting to get heavy eyed. The struggle to fight sleep became my mission. I couldnt really depend upon Le Samourai to fix the problem. But i made it through. There was a point were it started to redeem the boredom, but it was short lived.And by the time the credits rolled i felt kinda gyped by the ending.

    Its not a total throw away film. Its just the pacing is really tedious. Alain Delon is cool and calculating. And the chic jazz pianist was cool and gorgeous. I was hoping she was to be more involved, other than playing a part in the "what the fuck" ending. If not for Jean-Pierre Melville's incredible eye this would of been a 2 1/2 star film, instead ill give it a three. Any one looking for a real hard ass Jean-Pierre Melville film should not hesitate to track down Le Doulos!
  • scrambledegg7
    April 28, 2009
    scrambledegg7
    Alain Delon is the most interesting part of this movie, which is an action/drama flick about a hitman. The story is interesting, the dialogue sparse but well done, and the characters are subtle. Alain Delon is spectacular as the hitman. He says almost nothing and spends most of t...( read more)he time standing around observing with a steely gaze. His distant character is fascinating, as we are always working to figure out who he is. Not my style of film at all, but well done.
  • sanjurosamurai
    April 13, 2009
    sanjurosamurai
    an interesting story about a hitman in paris. the stoic nature of the film was well crafted and the actors were great. a film limited on diologue, the movement of the main character and the intrigue into his actions drives the film. a true classic, this film doesnt grab me aft...( read more)er two viewings like it does most, but it is still a great film that is the definition of the stylized approach of one of my favorite directors in history. while down the list a little for me this is often considered by many to be melvilles best film.
  • grayavec
    April 13, 2009
    grayavec
    Despite the main character's cleverness, the movie was bloody boring.
  • jonrmcmahon
    April 11, 2009
    jonrmcmahon
    Every shot reeks of cool, and the suave Alain Delon is just the man to play the part of a stone cold killer. A fresh, atypical product of the French New Wave.
  • radioflyerpunk
    March 12, 2009
    radioflyerpunk
    I don't usually like overly stylish/stylised films. What makes this one unique, as far as I know, is that the style itself carries the emotional weight of the movie.
  • billfenner1967
    February 13, 2009
    billfenner1967
    So much has been said before about the brilliance of this film: its understated coolness, the sublime photography and performances, sparse yet devastating dialogue -- which are all true -- but I'll just make mention of the remarkable music by François de Roubaix. It's so evocativ...( read more)e of the period and whenever I hear a bar of its main theme I see Alain Delon in his beige trench coat in my mind's eye. Fantastic!
  • utsumiyahime
    February 12, 2009
    utsumiyahime
    Really a good movie concept and an interesting way to put the samurai philosphy to the french culture, and alain delon is so handsome so just for that the movie worht it!
  • artdecaderoo
    January 23, 2009
    artdecaderoo
    amazing and subtle, brilliantly executed.
  • munro82
    January 7, 2009
    munro82
    Le Samouraï is a sombre portrait of isolation, inspired by an excerpt from 'Bushido', the way of the samurai -

    "There is no greater solitude than that of the samurai, unless it is that of the tiger in the jungle, perhaps..."

    Alain Delon is the epitome of 'cool', silently i...( read more)mposing himself upon French cinema as the iconic Jef Costello, an elegant assassin, predatory like a tiger, prowling the urban jungle of Paris.

    Delon's slow, deliberate movements exude virility and prowess, as he lurks in the shadows and ghosts through crowded scenes, often shrouded in a haze of cigarette smoke, like a veil of mythos surrounding a fabled warrior.

    He is adorned with the stylish trappings of 1960's chic and enveloped in the artistic expression of Jean-Pierre Melville's direction, which is layered with influences from 1940's American Film Noir.

    The languid camera meticulously observes Delon, who embraces a series of lingering close-ups through piercing glances, with every nuance of emotion distilled through his cold eyes.

    This impassive exterior is reflected in his austere grey apartment, conveying a sense of a forlorn figure bearing the burden of a heavily subdued atmosphere with impenetrable composure.

    Outside of the apartment, Delon is cut adrift amidst the vast Parisian landscapes and, as the shadow of justice looms over him, the images seem to become more deserted and desolate, symbolic of his lonely and soulless existence nearing its conclusion.
  • ramiromedina
    December 30, 2008
    ramiromedina
    agradable pieza contemplativa, lenta y con una historia que va evolucionando de una forma minimalista, sin duda uno de los mejores perfiles de un asesino, jamas creado.
  • cleighs
    December 29, 2008
    cleighs
    Need to see again, I don't remember anything that happened
  • Valar7
    December 2, 2008
    Valar7
    Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Samouraï is simply one of the best movies ever made. The mesmerizing film score, standout direction and a immaculate performance by Alain Delon in a simplistic plot makes one appreciate every minute of this minimalistic masterpiece. Fabulous cinema.
  • villainforhire
    November 21, 2008
    villainforhire
    slow, meticulous direction. great Delon performance.
  • Dracula787
    November 15, 2008
    Dracula787
    A very influential film from Jean-Pierre Melville. This is the granddaddy of the super assassin with a code of honor genre. Alain Delon is excellent as a highly disciplined hitman, his look is iconic and the character has been copied in many other movies. Surprisingly though, ...( read more)Melville spends very little time actually focusing on this cool character. Frustratingly, the film spends most of its time focusing on a fairly mundane police investigation into his activities, which is very frustrating. The whole thing gets a bit closer to what I was looking for in the last twenty minutes, but it was disappointing none the less. I got a lot more out of Jim Jarmusch?s pseudo remake Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai.
  • skekcol
    November 1, 2008
    skekcol
    By comparison to a lot of movies you see the pacing here feels a bit slow, but I honestly found that refreshing. The story was told in a very deliberate manner that hinted at the protaganist's motivations throughout the story. Very appropriate ending, something we rarely see anym...( read more)ore.
  • engrymfilm
    October 6, 2008
    engrymfilm
    Melville is one hell of a goddamn filmmaker
  • danielmcl
    September 30, 2008
    danielmcl
    Alain Delon's performance is literally perfect, and this scene has me avoiding windows the way Psycho has people avoiding bathing.
  • Cinevolver
    September 25, 2008
    Cinevolver
    Le Samourai is tre cool ! Jean-Pierre Melville's ganster drama about a hitman(Alain Delon) roaming the streets in Paris in search for answers from his former employer as he escapes and dodges the cities persistant detectives and rival hitman. Every corner is a constant look over ...( read more)his shoulder in a life style where only the most coldest and most deceitful survive. Le Samourai is pure genious and was a film way ahead of it's time. In the tradition of suspenseful crime drama's this film carries tension in every scene and is done so well. Delon is as cool as they get playing a lonely, stolid, hitman with a monotone voice who's empty stare holds more to the eye. His faithful companion, a finch in a cage that keeps him company in his sad and reclused apartment. This is a great film that delivers masterfully, it can be easily seen with similarities of future films in the same genre. This was probably one of the films that might of inspired Luc Besson to create Leon in "Leon the Professional."
  • dwightmclusky
    September 8, 2008
    dwightmclusky
    It is very s l o w.. But g o o d :)
  • MikeKiddo
    July 9, 2008
    MikeKiddo
    Badass-ness. This was my first Melville filmand I can't wait to see more, his style is simply flawless, leaves nothing to be criticized. Alain Delon's scarily cold, the hottest thing ever.
  • DoctorXQuinzel
    July 3, 2008
    DoctorXQuinzel
    This is a pretty kick ass film. It's a slick noir flick.
  • Maxx2029
    June 22, 2008
    Maxx2029
    Visually stunning neo noir tale of Hitman. Alain Delon is looks like the ultimate gangster hitman with his suits, raincoats and hats.

    It's also nice to see film where none of female characters are the typical damsel in distress. They all are as strong as the male characters

    Jim...( read more) Jarmusch's Ghost Dog offers an interesting accompanying piece for this movie. Although very different, still quite similar.
  • smootysveen
    June 10, 2008
    smootysveen
    In 100 quick draw situations, Jef Costello will win 100 times.
  • am3lyatandi
    May 24, 2008
    am3lyatandi
    hahaha... j'l'ai vu celui la!
  • mcotcp
    May 21, 2008
    mcotcp
    I saw a few years ago in Iran .
  • decals74
    April 7, 2008
    decals74
    good stuff. hard to believe that a hitman movie with such a slow pace could be this enjoyable.
  • Jungian
    April 5, 2008
    Jungian
    Jean Pierre Melville's crowning achievement. I love the music in this film.
  • 24000Baci
    April 4, 2008
    24000Baci
    Alain Delon is pure sex.
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    January 30, 2008
    DragonEyeMorrison
    Everyone from Besson to Woo and Jarmush, from Leon to The Killer and more recently Kim Ji Woon's A Bittersweet Life own a lot to Melville's Le Samourai. One of the most influential films ever made, probably the first sucessfull fusion of eastern and western references, from noir ...( read more)to samurai flicks. The "lonely-cool-cold-as-ice-killer" prototype becomes an icon in Alain Deloin's feet.

    And for fuck sake, remove that "Godson" title.
  • FangsFirst
    January 21, 2008
    FangsFirst
    I've said before that I will pick up a Criterion almost without cause or prior recommendation, simply because they are generally reliable for a solid print of a good movie. While many I pick up based on awareness of a director (Kurosawa, Jarmusch, Gilliam, Cronenberg, etc) a few ...( read more)I have picked up simply because I had the chance to get them at a lower price than usual. Le Samouraï is one such film. I was told in advance--I did take it as a suggestion from those that were available--that it was a "cold" film, not a drama set in a criminal world, and one that, in some ways, never dealt with anything except crime. In some ways, I think this is true--in others, I think it is not.

    Jef Costello (Alain Delon) is a contract killer, who we first see lying inert in bed, smoking in his barren apartment with nothing but a chirping bird in a cage to keep him company. The camera shakes and wobbles as if it is either re-aligning our view to coalesce with Jef's or show us that his world is quite literally being shaken. Soon he leaves to steal a car to use in his latest assignment, performing all actions with complete mechanical perfection. He sits calmly in this car and tries key after key until he finds one that starts the engine, then leaves to get false license plates and a gun. From there he pepetrates the assassination which has been assigned to him and goes on his way. He's briefly witnessed by numerous occupants of the club in which he has committed this crime, but moves without panic to the exit, his alibi set up perfectly with girlfriend Jane LaGrange (Nathalie Delon)and her unknowing other boyfriend Wiener (Michel Boisrond), and sits in a hotel room with some poker players as arranged prior. Despite this, he is indeed picked up by the police, headed by the Superintendent (François Périer) and interrogated, the Superintendent completely convinced of Jef's guilt despite the evidence to the contrary and the other 399 suspects they have rounded up. When Jef tries to collect payment for a successful job, though, the go-between from his employer attempts to get rid of him, and from here it is a tug-of-war between the police and Jef's employers over Jef's fate, Jef himself staking himself clearly against his employers after their attempt.

    This film is cold, and it's quiet--there's no dialogue for almost ten minutes. It's also distant, often framed with plenty of room around the characters for empty space in a room, a garage or a street. Obvious reactions are rare if not altogether absent; when Jef is first taken in, the only subtle hint that anything is wrong is that he fiddles a bit with the playing cards he's holding. There's no guarantee that even this is a sign of nerves. When LaGrange is interviewed about her two boyfriends or bullied about Jef's guilt, she does not fly off the handle to correct, admonish or rage in self-righteousness. The Superintendent does not physically fling himself into any situation to attempt to get his quarry, and everyone else shows just the same level of calmness. The ideal of this attitude, though, is Jef himself. He is essentially the perfect killing machine,* showing no emotion in almost any scene. When he feels he is unjustly treated by his employer, the amount of violence he acts with in response is measured and all to a specific aim. He does not uselessly torture, bloody or kill. He extracts the necessary information and moves on to act on it. On the other side of things, he shows only the barest amount of affection for LaGrange, greater hints showing through the cracks at the last time he sees her in the film, but even then he does not move to kiss her or anything else that would be so outright. Delon is perfect for this, his face all sharp edges and corners, his style of dress perfect straight lines, his fedora immaculate, his movements matching these lines, one hand always rapidly tracing the brim of his hat as he places it on his head to make sure it is tilted in just the right fashion.

    The film is criticized for various reasons in my experience--usually amounting, in this age, to "boring." I was not bored once through the film, despite the insistently slow pacing, and was consistently engaged by Delon, despite the rarity of dialogue and the (intentional) flatness of his character. It's that basic charismatic magnetism I see in such an unusual mix of actors and it does not fail the man once in this film. More is levelled at it for the fact that it favours style over substance, but I think that's an irrelevant argument. On the one hand, it is almost purely style and this is obviously its intent, rendering the criticism a disagreement with the film for being something it's intended to be. On the other hand, much as I was told this was cold and lacking in character, there are clear characters hiding underneath all of this. They are carefully and forcefully subdued on all parts, but there's clearly something hiding under Jef's cold, calculated nature. Perhaps we are informed of this by the Bushido quote that opens the film, telling us how lonely the Samurai is--and so we see the desperate loneliness that claws at Jef's soul. He is a professional and in a certain sense is proud of this--or perhaps that's not the right word. Perhaps pride is too strong for such a character, but he clearly intends to do his job and do it right. Yet behind this we see how unfulfilled he is, living only to perform these jobs and never able to truly reap the benefits of them.

    From this, the most controversial part of all is the ending. I'm going to hope my carefully worded sentence will not give it away, but please acknowledge that if you assemble concepts quickly, it may well give it away. My response is simple: it was a choice, not an assignment, and it was chosen of his freewill, I do not think bushido really played an important role in Jef's life.


    *Just to make my trademark insane and irrelevant reference that makes me look eclectic, if not insane, I had Judas Priest's "Killing Machine" chorus cycling through my head numerous times throughout my viewing of this film--those words being, "I've got a contract on you..."
  • SadisticMinister
    January 14, 2008
    SadisticMinister
    Note to self: See it!!
  • tedbrogen
    November 28, 2007
    tedbrogen
    It really is Film Noir meets a samourai flick. Great ending, too.

Summary

Le Samouraï (The Godson) Summary