Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		5.0

Le Samouraï 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 9, 2024

Jean-Pierre Melville's "Le Samourai" (1967) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include archival interviews with critics Rui Nogueira and Ginette Vincendeau; Olivier Bohler's documentary "Of Honor and Of Night"; archival interviews with Jean-Pierre Melville, Alain Delon, Nathalie Delon, Francois Perier, and Catrhy Rosier; and more. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The lone wolf

Nine out of ten people that have seen Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Samourai will tell you that it is one of the ‘coolest’ gangster films ever made. If you engage them in a conversation, you will then quickly realize that they are not just casual viewers either. These are the type of knowledgeable people that usually view hundreds of different films each year.

So, what is it that they are all seeing in Le Samourai that makes it so special?

The ‘cool’ is a combination of two things, really. The first is the very unique ambience that Melville creates and then uses as a key element of the narrative. Basically, instead of focusing on the action or evolving nature of various straightforward relationships as traditional gangster films typically do, Melville completely drains the glamour and makes them look casual. So, all of the clichéd dramatic buildups and climaxes instantly become pointless, and the film acquires a brand new identity.

The second is the equally unique way in which Alain Delon plays Jef Costello, the lone wolf that Melville’s camera follows. He looks good, but he also looks strikingly elegant. This professional killer is like a former model gone rogue that now uses his gun as well as he once did his looks. Of course the brilliant trick is that he does it in a way that makes you think he could not care less about his other 'weapon', but he is just that good -- a chameleon killer that knows exactly how to blend in, distract, and then finish off the job that he was hired to do.

There is something else that separates Le Samourai from other gangster films as well. There is a very interesting western vibe that runs through it, though because Costello operates in a large European city with overcrowded streets and chic jazz clubs, it almost seems odd to acknowledge its existence. But pay close attention to the manner in which Costello goes about his business, and you will quickly discover plenty of similarities with how various great gunslingers are profiled in the classic American westerns. At times, Costello even faces off his opponents as if he is challenging them to an old-fashioned duel. (The prolific Hong Kong director and producer Johnnie To, a great admirer of Le Samourai, has actually incorporated this particular aspect of Melville’s film in many of his popular high-octane action thrillers).

Melville parts ways with Costello in perhaps the only way that makes perfect sense. In fact, the finale pretty much legitimizes the ‘cool’ because it is yet another form of rejection of the conventional rules that traditional gangster films follow. It is bold but casual, unexpected but unforgettable. Melville does not just abruptly clean up the mess and dispatch Costello into the night, he correctly preserves his integrity, and with it that of the entire film.

After Le Samourai Delon appeared in two other Melville films, Le Cercle Rouge and Un flic, both boasting very similar ambience. Two of these three films, Le Samourai and Le Cercle Rouge, were lensed by one of the greatest French cinematographers from the last century, Henri Decae.

Le Samouraï 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Criterion's release of Le Samourai is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

Please note that all screencaptures are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including the actual color values of this content.

The following text appears inside the booklet that is provided with this release:

"This new 4K restoration, undertaken by the Criterion Collection and Pathe, was created from the 35mm original camera negative, in addition to a 35mm internegative and 35mm interpositive for some sections. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm magnetic track. The feature is presented in HDR (high dynamic range) on the 4K Blu-ray and high-definition SDR (standard dynamic range) on the Blu-ray.

Mastering supervisor: Bruno Nyutten, Lee Kline.
Restoration: L'Immagine Ritrovata, Bologna, Italy.
Colorist: Giandomenico Zeppa/L'Immagine Ritrovata."

In the United States, Le Samourai made its high-definition debut with this Blu-ray release in 2017. I think that it offers a very good technical presentation of Le Samourai, but it was sourced from an older master that had some limitations.

The 4K makeover gives Le Samourai a healthier and notably lusher appearance that is very attractive. On my system, I could easily tell that the native 4K presentation had superior density levels, too. Unsurprisingly, many darker areas are far better balanced now. In most areas, delineation and depth are improved. Brighter visuals are noticeably sharper as well, so I would say that these are the visuals revealing the most dramatic improvements in quality. Image stability is outstanding. Color balance is very good. It is extremely similar to that of the 1080p presentation of Le Samourai but with some meaningful rebalancing improvements. For example, primary gray and gray nuances are richer and in some areas more prominent, as I thought they should be, so a lot of the darker indoor and outdoor footage looks wonderful now. The outdoor footage reveals additional expanded nuances as well. Brown and blue, but especially brown and brown nuances, boast superior saturation, so even some of the more subdued visuals look more attractive now. The HDR grade is not aggressive. I think that a few of the nighttime sequences are a tad too dark, but the overall color balance and color temperature of the 4K makeover are very, very good. I did not see any traces of problematic digital corrections. All in all, I must say that the 4K makeover is very convincing and very attractive, so my prediction is that fans of Le Samourai will be thrilled with it.

Le Samouraï 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: French LPCM 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

If there is any new, possibly cosmetic work, done on the lossless track that is included on this release, I missed it. The dialog and the shootouts sounded clear and crisp, as they did on the previous release, and dynamic balance was again excellent. I did not notice any encoding anomalies to report.

Le Samouraï 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Bonus Features - there are no bonus features on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Authors on Melville - presented here are two archival interviews with critic Rui Nogueira and film historian Ginette Vincendeau.
  
  1. Rui Nogueira - Rui Nogueira highlights the unique qualities of Le Samourai and discusses the specific period from Jean-Pierre Melville's life in which the film emerged as well as his working methods. In French, with optional English subtitles. (13 min).
  
  2. Ginette Vincendeau - Ginette Vincendeau discusses Jean-Pierre Melville's career and the evolution of his style (and specifically its precision and minimalist qualities), the success his films had at the box office, the masculinity of his work, his professional relationship with Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo, the prominent role that silence had it his film, the origin of Le Samourai, etc. In English, not subtitled. (19 min).

• The Lineup - presented here is a collection of clips from archival interviews in which Jean-Pierre Melville, Alain Delon, Nathalie Delon, Francois Perier, and Catrhy Rosier discuss Le Samourai and its director's unique style. The excerpts are presented courtesy of the Institut national de l'audiovisuel in Paris, and were originally broadcast on French TV between 1967 and 1982. In French, with optional English subtitles. (25 min).
  
  1. Jean-Pierre Melville
  2. Fire at Rue Jenner Studio
  3. Alain Delon
  4. Nathalie Delon
  5. Cathy Rosier
  6. Francois Perier

• Melville-Delon: d'honneur et de nuit/Of Honor and Of Night - this documentary film focuses on the professional relationship between Jean-Pierre Melville and Alain Delon and the production history of Le Samourai. Included in it are interviews with producer Laurent Grousset, and directors Remy Grumbach, Rui Nogueira and Volker Schlöndorff (The Tin Drum). The documentary was directed by Olivier Bohler in 2011. In French, with optional English subtitles. (24 min).

• Trailer - original French trailer for Le Samourai. In French, with optional English subtitles. (4 min).

• Booklet - 30-page illustrated booklet featuring an essay by film scholar David Thomson, an appreciation by filmmaker John Woo, and excerpts from Melville on Melville.

Le Samouraï 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I envy younger collectors who will discover Le Samourai on 4K Blu-ray because they will see this legendary cult film as it was meant to be seen. After it was properly restored in 4K, Le Samourai looks gorgeous, so it is easy to predict that the 4K Blu-ray will close its cycle on the home video market. If you have Criterion's original Blu-ray release of it in your collection, plan on purchasing the 4K Blu-ray because it offers a pretty substantial upgrade in quality. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.