466. Le Samourai/The Godson (1967)

Running Time: 105 minutes
Directed By: Jean-Pierre Melville
Written By: Jean-Pierre Melville, Georges Pellegrin, from the novel The Ronin by Joan McLeod
Main Cast: Alain Delon, Nathalie Delon, Caty Rosier, Francois Perier, Jean-Pierre Posier

A DOUBLE SHOT OF MELVILLE: 2 of 2

I mentioned in my "Bob the Gambler" post that I had previously seen "Le Samourai" and gave it a score of '10/10' and I can confirm that not much changed during my second go around.

Jef Costello (A. Delon) is a killer for hire. As the film opens we watch as Jef lays on the bed, in his grungy, grey apartment, puffing on a cigarette and probably thinking about his next caper. When the credits stop rolling, Jef applies his trademark trench coat and fedora and heads out. Carrying a massive ring of keys, Jef hops into a car that doesn't belong to him and tries his keys, one by one, until one of them finally starts the engine and he takes off to an out of the way garage, where a man changes the license plates and provides him with the appropriate paper work. Later that night, Jef goes to his apparent girlfriend Jane's (N. Delon) apartment and tells her that if anyone asks he was there from 7:15 to 1:45 - he then leaves. Jef then goes to Martey's nightclub, where he surveys the scene, applies a pair of white gloves and makes his way to the back office, where he shoots and kills Martey. Jef is seen by the pianist (Rosier), but slips away. He is later picked up by police because he fits the description of the man, that approximately six people (including the pianist), recounted to police. However, with Jane's alibi, Jef is released. We then find out that Jef's homicide on Martey was a contracted job and when he goes to pickup his payoff he is nearly killed by the go-between. The people that hired Jef to do the job, now want to take him out because he's been fingered and the police superintendent isn't buying Jef's alibi, citing that it's too airtight.

SPOILER ALERT!

For my money, everything about "Le Samourai" is perfect. The tone of the film is set right away, when we're given an opening scene with no dialogue and we're simply forced to sit and view the actions of Jef. As he leaves his apartment, the soles of his shoes clicking and clacking against the floor are enough to make you relax and simply enjoy the ride from the word go. I like how Jef is given a very limited amount of dialogue throughout the film, as he's meant to be a cold blooded, calculated person, who is really never given any human emotion. Despite that fact, the film doesn't work unless we're on Jef's side and you can't help but route for the guy, especially when everyone and their brother are seemingly out to get him. The score, at times, is almost that of a horror movie score, as it skulks in the background, reminding us that trouble could present itself at the turn of any corner. The film is sexy, stylish and flows along at an incredibly smooth pace. Some might call the movie boring, because many times we're left to simply observe the situations and there's not an overwhelming amount of action.

However, this is the kind of pacing that I like in my movies. I love movies that don't trip over themselves getting into a rush. This film just lets everything unfold and is very methodical in it's direction. Unlike "Bob the Gambler" this film is given distinct characteristics and to me, it's a one of a kind picture. From behind my eyes, there aren't a whole lot of movies where everything...and I mean everything, just clicks. From the acting to the music to the atmosphere to the pacing to the plot, everything is handled with care and the combination of all those things make "Le Samourai" a perfect movie. If I HAD to pick SOMETHING to gripe about, I'd wish that the police superintendent was a little more likeable. To me the film doesn't work if we're not on Jef's side. So naturally, if we're on Jef's side then the ending is a bit of a downer. Had the superintendent been a little more likable and we were just left to kind of hold our allegiances in the middle, then the ending wouldn't have been such of a downer and at least you could call it a good day for the police. The guy was such an unlikeable jerk, that when the ending comes and he gets the upper hand, it's a bit of a letdown.

But that's just me making up things to pick about and honestly, I think you'll have a hard time finding problems with "Le Samourai". Alain Delon and Jean-Pierre Melville just shot to the top of my favorite actor and favorite director list respectively, with the viewing of this classic!

RATING: 10/10 I wish there were more Melville flicks in the book, because I'm really jonesing to watch "Le cercle rouge" now.

MOVIES WATCHED: 321
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 680

COMING SOON:
Roman Holiday (1953 - William Wyler)
Mondo cane (1962 - Gualtiero Jacopetti)
The Hustler (1961 - Robert Rossen)

August 12, 2011 2:47am