The samurai is a loner... Really ?!

"Avec son tueur à gages mystérieux et presque mutique interprété par Alain Delon qui endosse ici l'un des rôles phares de sa carrière, son style minimaliste et précis, sa capacité à élever un film, le film noir, au niveau d'une tragédie antique, ce chef-d’œuvre glacé et cinéphile est devenu un immense réservoir de motifs dans lequel de nombreux cinéastes sont venus puiser, de Jim Jarmusch (Ghost Dog The way of the samurai) à Jhon Woo (The Killer), en passant par Alain Corneau (Police Python 357) ou encore Michael Mann (Heat).”

  (Jean-Baptiste THORET)

THE SAMURAI IS A LONER…

...Is he?

Pierre Melville's The Samurai (“Le Samouraï”) was a real success… Actually, the story, which is really deep, inspired many film producers, and not only in the genre of the “film noir” but also with some recurring themes such as plot, references to the Way Of The Samurai, the hit-man as main character,… Let's have a closer look at some of these “Melville's Samurai-inspired films” !

In 1976, Alain Coneau, another French film producer, released, on March 31^st, Police Python 357. It tells the story of a French police inspector starring Yves Montand  who is leading a murder investigation in which he is the chief suspect…

Then, it's John Woo's turn with The Killer (1989, Hong Kong), which is probably the best known film inspired by The Samurai… A disillusioned hit-man accepts one last murder in hope of using his gains to heal a singer he accidentally has blinded, only to be betrayed by his boss.

Michael Mann's Heat (1996) which shows a group of professional bank robbers tracked by the police after having left a clue during their last heist, while both sides are trying to find a way to balance between personal and professional life…

And, eventually, Jim Jarmusch with his Ghost Dog (The Way Of The Samurai) (1999) : an Afro-Amercan hit-man who models himself after the ancient Japanese samurai way finds himself targeted by the mob…

So, if you liked The Samurai, you can try to watch one of these masterpieces, unless you have already watched all of them…

Amandine PAYANT & Léa DEBOUYS