“There is no solitude greater then the samurai’s, unless perhaps it be that of a tiger in the jungle.”

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We are abruptly shown a dank, decrepit looking room. It feels even more immediate with the chirping we hear as soon as we see it. A little bird in a cage constantly chirping. We stay on this shot all through the credits. We see a man laying on the bed lighting and smoking a cigarette as the smoke slowly withers up the room. This credits sequence has a sound that almost feels like a combination of the ocean’s waves and the subway. Perhaps it’s the solitude described in the text that appears. Then the eerie music kicks in, a track and zoom shot, the man is coming out of his peaceful little headspace, and down to business. We hear these harp-like strings right after the track and zoom. He puts his rain coat and hat on and leaves.

This man is Jef Costello, a hitman who perfects his contracts, almost too perfect. He gets into a car and pulls out a collection of some fifty keys or so, finds the right one, and drives off. He gets the license plates changed, gets a gun, receives some papers, (for the car maybe?) pays, and leaves all with no dialogue. Next he goes to his girlfriend to give his alibi to her. He sets out to kill a club owner.

This film is a thriller like no other. Again professionalism is used to make a good film. Today we watch hitmen take many bullets and kill people in unsubtle ways; part of an equation to create a badass, or a wannabe for that matter. Costello is a professional who operates with his strict code. The whole first part of the film would’ve lasted a good few minutes today. Costello would get immediately, steal a car quickly, and go kill someone. We are shown his steps of preparation, which gets our fascination into a headlock. This is one of the few films I’ve seen of its king that keeps the suspense up through the entire feature. There are no slow parts; the audience is glued to see what will happen next, or at least I was.

The style is one of Melville’s major skills. Its gritty cinematography works very well with the film, especially Costello’s apartment, which as Joe Gillis from ‘Sunset Blvd.’ would describe it as, “Crumbling apart in slow motion.” We see little things like all his water bottles and cigarettes neatly arranged, almost as if he tries to live to perfection, almost echoing that quote Steiner made in ‘La Dolce Vita’ about how bad a calculated existence is. We know he’s lonely. He never seems to have any joy; he even seems avoidant in the company of his girlfriend. We see the little bird he has, which adds some serenade to the atmosphere. Maybe he keeps it so he knows if someone’s been in his room when he sees those askew feathers.

The music is another highlight. At times it’s a jazzy score, which reminded me of Scorsese’s ‘Taxi Driver.’ Or at other times it’s a pulsating sound, like when he steals the car. In that scene the pulse escalates to a organ-ish/Phantom of the Opera-ish sound. In one scene after a very long day Jef lays down on his bed in the dark room, and we hear those harp-like strings again almost a foil to the opening, now he’s going back into that solitude. Alain Delon’s performance is another important aspect of the film. While the supporting cast is very good, Delon is amazing. His chilling performance that puts Tom Cruise’s Vincent to shame is very memorable. Even with a gun aimed at his face he never loses that glare. It’s a shame this film will receive a small audience for a while.

I hope that Criterion picks this up soon as they did with two other Melville films, one of which, ‘Le Cercle Rouge,’ is another excellent crime film. Fans of Tarantino and Michael Mann will love this film. We can see why Michael Mann takes the extra mile to make his characters not only professionals, but even to train the actors with guns and driving. We need more filmmakers like this. Style, depth, compelling, professional; all words to describe their crime films. Especially for ‘Le Samourai,’ which is without a single ounce of doubt one of the most compelling and visually wonderful thrillers ever.