Review of Le Samouraï (1967) by Darryl J — 27 Aug 2008

Every once in a while when I've watched a lot of just "good" movies,I kinda get discouraged and wonder when I will watch a truly perfect film again. Safe to say, I didn't have to wait long at all.

This is one of the most suspenseful films I've seen. It never relies on full on action. I have to quote Roger Ebert in his review of this:"The movie teaches us how action is the enemy of suspense--how action releases tension, instead of building it. Better to wait for a whole movie for something to happen (assuming we really care whether it happens) than to sit through a film where things we don't care about are happening constantly.".

Not only that but I loved every single character. Alain Delon was magnificent as a seemingly cold and distant hitman. He played his role to a t. He is,in my opinion,one of the coolest characters ever to be in a film. The outfit,his apartment,his calm coolness,etc. I also loved the two female leads. Cathy Rosier has these glances that seem to look inside your soul. They were just glances but they said so much about her character. Did I mention she's hot as shit?!

The direction by Jean-Pierre is truly amazing. He hypnotized me from the start with the opening scene,which is one of my favorites. The amount of detail in this film is extraordinary. He makes his characters pop out of the screen with little or no use of dialogue. I also have a warm place in my heart for minimal dialogue sooooo...

All in all,this is one of the best films I've seen. The ending is my top ten of all time. It's haunting and yet again speaks so much about Jef Costello.

P.S. - Coolest fucking name ever.