Review of Le Samouraï (1967) by Kenneth L — 18 May 2009

An interesting, deliberate, mannered film. Alain Delon keeps a solid stone face for almost all of the movie as the stoic hitman. This has perhaps the most sparse screenplay of any movie I have ever seen: indeed, it is ten minutes into the film before a single line of dialogue is spoken.

What dialogue there is is always functional and to-the-point. An exchange between the main character and one of his targets: "Who are you?" asks the target. "It doesn't matter," he says.

"What do you want?" "To kill you." Admirably straightforward, this guy. The movie has lots of little touches, like the way Delon always delicately adjusts the brim of his fedora, or the constant cheeping of his pet bird.

The direction and editing are good but unobtrusive. An interesting take on the gangster genre, stripping it down to its bare bones.