Le Samourai, 1967 (Just anchored a spot in my top 10 list!)

[soundmotor]

Le Samouraï, 1967

I pulled this out of my library's DVD stack on a whim. "Diva" has always been a favorite so another French crime film might also be good right? Right, in spades! I have not watched a film this perfect in years. Yes, it has art film leanings but no, it is anything but boring, obtuse, or filled with odd allegorical imagery. Even if you don't like French anything you can appreciate this one for the fantastic production values. Every scene is perfect, not forced, just right. It is a stripped down film noir, just the basics, and delivered with perfect pitch. Almost immediately I forgot it was subtitled I was so drawn into it. Second wonderful discovery (for me) is that the director of the above, Jean-Pierre Melville, made many crime films that also garnered high marks. I can't wait to work my way through them as well. The best though was being reminded about how a film should be. No special effects, just a taut story told by talented actors. Perfect!