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Le Samouraï

Play trailer Poster for Le Samouraï PG 1972 1h 32m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
92% Tomatometer 51 Reviews 93% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Hit man Jef Costello (Alain Delon) goes through an elaborate set of rituals before carrying out a hit on a nightclub owner. Always thorough and cool in his job, Costello is disconcerted to discover a witness to the killing, the club's female piano player. But before he can act, the police arrest him in a sweep of suspects. Released when the main witness does not come forward, Costello goes from being the hunter to the hunted, trailed by the determined police as well as his crime bosses.
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Le Samouraï

Le Samouraï

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Critics Consensus

Le Samouraï makes the most of its spare aesthetic, using stylish -- and influential -- direction, solid performances, and thick atmosphere to weave an absorbing story.

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Critics Reviews

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Vincent Canby New York Times Mar 18
[Le Samouraï], with Delon doing what he does best (looking impassive and slightly tarnished), is a lovely introduction to the work of a most idiosyncratic filmmaker. Go to Full Review
Jan Dawson Sight & Sound Mar 18
The interweaving of ritualised Japanese and American themes, the formalised colour and camerawork that create a world at once fantastic, allusive and coherent, mark out Le Samouraï as both a Melville film and the Melville film to date. Go to Full Review
Geoffrey Minish Toronto Star Mar 18
Everything is in harmony: acting, photography, editing. As an example of classic directorial technique, Le Samouraï should be required viewing for any film training school. Go to Full Review
Bernard Drew Gannett News Service Mar 18
What a gifted French director can with the sordid material is something else. Go to Full Review
Andrew Gale Sacramento Bee Mar 18
The film is totally fluid, totally legato. Rain on a car window, reflections of images in a glass doorway, the hardly changing visage of Delon, all serve to reinforce the impression of stillness and, more particularly, of lucidity and clearness of line. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Alain E @AlainE Nov 3 A clear masterpiece, the equivalent of a Greek tragedy with pistols. Alain Delon is in peak form, a 10/10 of male beauty. His character is ruthless, until the very end when it is revealed that he made an exception, but it is too late to work in his favor. Very good photography, even in scenes of lower importance. For example, the first time he take a stolen Citroen DS, his favorite vehicle to steal, in the garage to change license plates, when the garagiste works in the back of the car and we have the reflections of the garage door perfectly framed in the rear side window of the car. See more Thomas S Oct 12 Super sleek and stylish. I love Delon’s character — the lone wolf with no moral compass, yet willing to go to any length for revenge. The film is all about style and atmosphere rather than action. See more Kevin L @Lakeman Aug 13 This was one of the least exciting, interesting, or convincing assassin movies I've seen. And Delon's portrayal of said assassin is likely the least convincing or interesting I've ever seen. Between the bungling of the killing, the poorly choreographed 'fight' scenes, and the inauthentic acting in general (or is it supposed to appear that way? A French New Wave thing?), all that was left of any value for me to appreciate was the story line. That held up reasonably well, but then that fell apart, too. I know what we're supposed to take from the ending, but I have to call bull on that. To think this guy who was so utterly indifferent to murdering ppl for the money would so quickly change to the one who couldn't go through with his last contract, as if he'd turned some philosophical leaf into a secular humanist or the like, I can't buy. But mostly I was bored in general. Delon's Costello is too wooden while trying to be so Joe Cool. The female characters were also so aloof and disaffected. Even the bird was annoying. And were we supposed to think that the bird tipped him off about the bug? 2.3 stars See more Stephen C @bob25009 Jun 7 Success in 1 hour and 32 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In Canadian French and English versions with English subtitles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more Will G Feb 6 A great French new wave film. The acting was good too. It was about an assassin and the police trying to arrest him. It reminded me of a noir movie. The movie was very stylized. It was nice to see Paris. See more acsdoug D @acsdoug Jan 13 I'm going against the consensus I know, but I found this one a bit dull. It's mostly Alain Delon walking around trying to look tough, but he just looks wooden. See more Read all reviews
Le Samouraï

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Movie Info

Synopsis Hit man Jef Costello (Alain Delon) goes through an elaborate set of rituals before carrying out a hit on a nightclub owner. Always thorough and cool in his job, Costello is disconcerted to discover a witness to the killing, the club's female piano player. But before he can act, the police arrest him in a sweep of suspects. Released when the main witness does not come forward, Costello goes from being the hunter to the hunted, trailed by the determined police as well as his crime bosses.
Director
Jean-Pierre Melville
Producer
Raymond Borderie
Screenwriter
Joan McLeod, Roland Pellegrino, Yolande Maurette
Distributor
New Yorker Films
Production Co
Fida Cinematografica, Compagnie Industrielle et Commerciale Cinématographique
Rating
PG
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
Canadian French
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 12, 1972, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 14, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$216.3K
Runtime
1h 32m
Sound Mix
Mono
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