The crime masterpiece “The Cruel Angel” from 1967 is the perfect definition of a killer film

He is considered one of France’s best film actors, but the entertainment world suffered a heavy blow with the death of Alain Delon on August 18, 2024. Delon had a brilliant 60-year acting career and appeared in some of the most famous French films of all time. Whether in the role of the notorious crook Tom Ripley in Purple NoonCorey in the classic crime film The Red CircleTancredi Falconeri in The Leopardetc., Delon showed each time a smoldering intensity and an attractive appearance.

But of his 107 films since 1949, a film with Alain Delon is the best. The classic neo-noir killer film from 1967 The Samurai shows Delon's typical cinematic achievement. The film has also inspired countless filmmakers from different countries and generations and proved that cinema unites people through its universal language.

To celebrate Delon’s successful film career, we take a closer look at his iconic performance in the influential killer film The Samurai should lead to a new appreciation for the popular actor.

Who is Alain Delon?

Born on November 8, 1935, Alain Delon is one of the greatest French film actors of all time. Delon, who recorded 107 film roles between 1949 and 2019, began his career in short films The RapteAfter playing small supporting roles in a few films, Delon made his breakthrough with his portrayal of Tom Ripley in the crime film Purple Noon. Delon's performance helped establish him as a sex symbol and one of the most popular European leading men in the 1960s, '70s and '80s.

Followed Purple noon, Delon delivered an outstanding lead role as Rocco in Luchino Visconti’s groundbreaking family drama Rocco and his brothersThe actor and director worked together in the 1963 epic drama The leopard, one of the most influential Italian films of the 1960s. Delon ended the decade with another great turn in The swimming pooland supplemented The Little Prince to demonstrate his charming romantic personality.

Delon worked with some of the greatest French filmmakers of all time

Among the well-known European filmmakers Delon worked for during his career were Jean-Luc Goddard, Louis Malle, Michelangelo Antonioni and the great leader of the French Nouvelle Vague, Jean-Pierre Melville. In 1967, Delon and Melville shot The Samuraione of the coolest, most stylish and influential neo-noir crime films that paved the way for generations of assassin films.

Before we examine the influence of The Samurai As for international filmmakers, it is worth noting that Delon won a Cesar Award for Best Actor (the French equivalent of the Oscar) for his outstanding role in the 1985 film Our story. Unfortunately, Delon died of natural causes on August 18, 2024 at the age of 88.

What is “The Samurai” about?

The film was directed by Jean-Pierre Melville from a screenplay he wrote together with Joan McLeod and Georges Pellegrin. The Samurai tells the story of Jef Costello (Delon). Jef is a stony-faced assassin who lives in a one-room apartment in Paris.

Jef is emotionless and unattached and has succeeded as a hired killer, creating watertight alibis that have kept him safe from being arrested by the police. One of his most important alibis is Jane (Alain's then-wife Nathalie Delon), a friend who vouches for Jef's whereabouts.

The plot of The Samurai begins when Jef is hired to kill a nightclub owner named Martey during the busy daytime hours. During the job, a pianist named Valerie (Cathy Rosier) witnesses Jef shooting the owner and several other nightclub patrons. Jef is brought in by the police to be identified by witnesses in a lineup, but narrowly escapes conviction.

When Jef collects his fee for killing Martey, he realizes that his clients want him dead. Suddenly he is shot at, and has to flee from his criminal clients and the French police under the leadership of the Commissaire (Francois Perier).

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There is something sophisticated and fascinating about the ethically ambivalent contract killer, which gives murderers in film history a particularly magnetic attraction.

An ice-cold, stoic performance

Pursued by both sides of the law and with nothing but his unethical mind and cunning to back him, Jef ends up making an unforgettable decision that will shake viewers to the core. The Samurai.

Never missing a moment of dramatic implication, Delon delivers one of the coolest portrayals in film history of a lone assassin living by his own code of conduct. The icy facade, cold blue eyes, deadpan stoicism, iconic tan trench coat and grey fedora all add to the growing legend of Delon's performance in arguably the most influential French crime film since Goddard's film. Breathless (1960).

“The Samurai” inspired countless films and directors

Delon is familiar and refreshing in his emotionless portrayal of Jef Costello, reminiscent of the classic American film noir films starring Humphrey Bogart and others. Aside from his great performance, Melville's screenplay and direction are a masterpiece. The Samurai have inspired many critics and subsequent filmmakers around the world. In his 1997 review, American film critic Roger Ebert said the following about The Samurai:

“Like a painter or a musician, a filmmaker can suggest complete mastery with just a few strokes. Jean-Pierre Melville draws us into the spell of
The Samurai
(1967) before a word is uttered. He does this with light: a cold light, like dawn on an ugly day. And with colour: shades of grey and blue. And actions that speak instead of words.”

In 2010 Rich called The Samurai Ranked 39th on the list of “The 100 Best Films of World Cinema.” In 2021, French critic Bertrand Guyard reminded viewers that Delon appeared alongside his then-wife Nathalie Delon, beaming at their almost silent performances: “Their meaningful looks are enough to make the camera shake.” to conjure with Melville skillfully “a mythical couple of the seventh art.”

The birth of a genre

Beyond the cultural impact of the 1967 film The Samurai influenced an entire genre of assassin films around the world. In a classic example of “showing rather than telling,” Melville lets the actors explain the plot without relying too heavily on dialogue and spoken explanations. Hong Kong action maestro John Woo famously quoted The Samurai as an influence on his classic 1989 film The Killer.

Chow Yun Fat's character not only follows the plot almost to the smallest detail, but also replaces a nightclub singer with a pianist as the main witness. He is called Jeff Chow, after Jef Costello (Ah Jong in international releases). Woo even wrote a heartfelt essay on the virtues of The Samurai and Melville's brilliant filmmaking methods for the Criterion release of the film.

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In addition to Woo, Jim Jarmusch’s Ghost Dog was inspired by The Samurai, to Forrest Whitaker's lone, meditative assassin who uses a key card like Costello's trusty keychain.

In Anton Corbijn's The AmericanGeorge Clooney plays Delon's role as a taciturn assassin hiding in Italy, expressing his emotions almost exclusively through facial expressions and body language. Nicolas Winding Refn's ultra-cool hitman film Drive It also features an emotionally detached hitman who faces both sides of the law, with Ryan Gosling's nameless killer also wearing an iconic outfit.

Most recently, David Fincher’s The Killer is a tribute to The Samurai by his isolated assassin, who is known for watertight alibis and crucial mistakes. Even Madonna's 2012 music video for “Beautiful Killer” pays tribute to Delon's unforgettable performance in The SamuraiMelville's film and Delon's performance have transcended the boundaries of cinema and become a beloved example of French culture that resonates around the world.

Influence felt around the world

Less well-known examples of The SamuraiInternational successes include the Hong Kong crime comedy You shoot, I shootIn the film, a contract killer is obsessed with Jef Costello from The Samurai and wears his legendary fedora and trench coat.

Walter Hill's crime thriller from 1978 The driver, which also inspires Driveis based on The Samurais female witness scenario. Meanwhile, Johnny To's 2009 action film Revenge has a main character named Costello. To even offered Delon the role, but the actor turned it down.

Regardless, the global influence The Samurai filmmaker since 1967, proves its status as an all-time high. Everyone from Martin Scorsese to Michael Mann to Quentin Tarantino has quoted The Samurai as an influence on her work. The film has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 100% and remains one of Delon's finest performances and one of the best French film noir crime films of all time.