'The Samurai': Your Silence Shines Bright

After World War II, French cinema was dominated by a genre known as "quality tradition." Rather than being innovative, this style could be categorized as derivative, relying more on adaptations of classic literary works than any other film type. Since the birth of cinema, adapting literary works has been a conservative approach. The slight flaw in this practice lies in turning films into derivatives of literary classics, losing their original artistic expression. The style of these works is similar to Hollywood's A-list romantic dramas or British films, following a conventional creative path.

However, with the enactment of government film funding legislation, artistic short films, which deviated significantly from the "quality tradition" film style, flourished. Among various forms of uninhibited expression, one director stood out for his bold and innovative energy infused with B-movie characteristics in his works, and that director is Jean-Pierre Melville.

"The Samurai" is one of the renowned masterpieces that made him famous. On the surface, "The Samurai" resembles more of a personal showcase for Alain Delon than a film. In the movie, he plays a marginal hitman with no background or identity, merely a name casually mentioned and suspected by the police in the precinct. He has no family, no lover, only a messy bird in a cage sharing his time in the damp and solitary apartment. He exudes a restrained and emotionless aura with a round-brimmed hat, a well-fitted coat, and the cut of his collar and cuffs seeming to come to life. With an antique revolver on his chest, he gazes at himself in the mirror, forgetting time, frozen like a sculpture with blood flowing slowly through it.

Alain Delon, with his mournful yet indifferent gaze, moves through the streets and alleys of Paris like a shimmering fish. The dim nights are his nourishment, and tender-hearted women are fleeting light rays in his icy ocean. Fleeting and fleeting, they bring no warmth. Suspected by the police during a mission, he is pursued by a group of assassins. While investigating the head of the group, he lurks in a nightclub to find a singer who might have information, only to be shot by the police in ambush for carrying a gun.

The story of a hitman abruptly ends here, only to regret that the gun is empty. It lies empty in his pocket, like a person without a heart. Or his loneliness, due to the desire to escape loneliness, becomes even more pronounced.

Speaking of this ending, it's impossible not to mention "Sleepless Town." The same fugitive, the same gun without bullets. But while "Sleepless Town" is laden with beliefs and doubts, desires for sacrifice and betrayal, in "The Samurai," they become so diluted that they're almost tasteless, leaving only a lingering sadness.

In Jean-Pierre Melville's films, we can easily find the origins of certain Hong Kong directors' works. Although John Woo admits he has benefited greatly from them, I believe Wong Kar Wai's films undoubtedly resemble the Hong Kong twin of Jean-Pierre Melville. The iconic characters, apartments, factions, and lingering loneliness in Wong Kar Wai's films are vividly displayed in Jean-Pierre Melville's "The Samurai" like a revolving lantern. However, Wong Kar Wai's approach is more modern, combined with his unique tastes and preferences.

However, perhaps this unique style leads "Film History" to compare Jean-Pierre Melville's contributions to film history with those of Jean Renoir and playfully dub Jean-Pierre Melville as the grandfather of the New Wave. Indeed, traces of the New Wave can be found in him, such as extreme personalization, meticulous portrayal of private emotions, and apolitical and non-preachy. Completely and entirely, it's a film that can belong to anyone for individual enjoyment. Indeed, to some extent, it paved the way for "author's films," although such a style did not form a genre in his era.

"The Samurai" may not be considered an enjoyable film by today's standards. However, as an attempt to forge a new path during that period, it undoubtedly possesses an irresistible beauty. Seeing refinement in simplicity is the shortest review I can think of.