There is no solitude greater than the samurai's, unless perhaps it be that of a tiger in the jungle.
-Book of Bushido
Honor, Pride, Service and death. Words for a warrior. Whether a soldier in an army or a lone assassin, these words are the code that has bound warriors for thousands of mankind's years. In film, as well as history, the Samurai have served as the archetypes for warriors that follow a strict code. There is a special fascination that film audiences hold for the Samurai. They are embraced for their supernatural combat skills and unbreakable Zen, yet it is these mechanical qualities that serve to distance them from the audience as well as the other characters. Characterized by solitude and inevitable death, Samurai have become some of film's great tragic characters and no film emphasizes their tragedy better than
Le Samourai.
Jef Costello (played by
Alain Delon ), is not the typical Samurai. For one, this is set in 1967 Paris and Costello is not a robe-clad martial artist. The title of the film as well as the opening passage from the
Book of Boshido serve to create a metaphor for the audience that will connect Costello to the notions of a Samurai outside the usual combat and culture. Costello is a hitman. A killer that is so methodical and focused that he does not even have a criminal record (since he is never caught.) His drab, sparse apartment and cold, deliberate interactions with other characters reflect his complete dedication to his work. There is no sense of happiness in this character, giving the impression that his solitude is a necessary aspect of his duty.
The director,
Jean-Pierre Melville, distinctly styles this movie to speak of the character. Drab color and ugly mornings reflect an overall mood of melancholy. The film is nearly silent, which caused me to listen to the thoughts in my head (or passing through the character's?) and methodically be weighted down by his troubles. Perhaps most importantly, Melville leaves out intense action scenes. Roger Ebert states the reasoning better than I can.
Action is the enemy of suspense. 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.
The calm Costello, after being betrayed by his employer and chased by the police, is wearing down. We can see the exhaustion in his eyes. An exhaustion not a result of 15 straight fights (like in a typical film), but because honor and pride are battling inside his head and he is desperately (yet deftly) planning his own salvation.
Costello faces a mortal decision of conflicting honor. On one hand there is a woman who saved him from incrimination, therefore, in the case of a murder conviction, likely owes a life debt. On the other hand is an employer who has hired him to kill her. This decision is a little blurry to the audience who does not know exactly who he must kill, we only sense that he is deeply troubled and see many reasons to be so. Costello settles on a solution (unbeknownst to the viewers) that leads him up to the point where he could have certainly completed his mission, but also would be killed by the police. By doing so, he keeps his honor and pride with everyone certain he could have finished, but dies before he can be dishonored by pulling the trigger. Again, the tragic samurai is doomed, as he often is, by his own hand. Whether it is the blade in the stomach of seppuku or calmly walking into the line of your enemies, a samurai will always choose honor over life.
