Le samouraï

Jef Costello is a lone hitman who works with surgical precision. His approach to life mirrors the philosophy of the samurai. Although the movie initially focuses on a detailed account of the protagonist’s life, it eventually plunges into the dramatic plot: Costello has been seen committing a crime and yet he doesn’t fear betrayal. According to the director, the intention of the film was to render his schizophrenic mental state. The depiction of solitude as a condition of existence is an autobiographical feature of Le samouraï: Jean-Pierre Melville craved solitude, as does his hero, and Alain Delon brought the role of the loner to near perfection. Hence, the film was entitled Le samouraï, as explained by an introductory quotation (which is, in reality, just a bit of Melvillian mystification). At the same time, it was the first installment of a triptych (with Army of Shadows and The Red Circle) that pursues a black-and-white esthetic in a color film. Postproduction techniques allowed for various methods of "graying down” the visuals: for example, the technical crew deliberately obscured the tones, weakened the contrast when moving between colors, and "dirtied” the colors themselves. The crew also consciously suppressed color during the shoot, which involved a particular choice of set decorations and costumes in order to achieve an overall darkened image and a doleful, fatalistic atmosphere.