Le samouraï
On July 21, the film is introduced by Adam Sanders, Houston Film Critics Society.
In a career-defining performance, Alain Delon plays a contract killer with samurai instincts. After carrying out a flawlessly planned hit, he finds himself caught between a persistent police investigator and a ruthless employer, and not even his armor of fedora and trench coat can protect him. An elegantly stylized masterpiece of cool by maverick director Jean‑Pierre Melville, Le samouraï is a razor-sharp cocktail of 1940s American gangster cinema and 1960s French pop culture—with a liberal dose of Japanese lone-warrior mythology.
About the Speaker
Adam Sanders is a member of the Houston Film Critics Society. A Michigan native, he studied film and journalism at Western Michigan University and took filmmaking courses at Houston Community College. Sanders was accepted into the HFCS in 2015 and has served as liaison to the MFAH since 2019. He uses movies as vehicles to travel through space and time—his favorite destinations are classic movies, independent films, and international cinema.
Underwriting for the Film Department is provided by Tenaris, The June Leaf and Robert Frank Foundation, and the Vaughn Foundation.
Generous funding is provided by The Consulate General of the Republic of Korea; Nina and Michael Zilkha; Lois Chiles; Foundation for Independent Media Arts; Franci Neely; Carrin Patman and Jim Derrick; Ms. Laurence Unger; L'Alliance Française de Houston; and ILEX Foundation.
Le samouraï
Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville
(France, 1967, 105 minutes, in French with English subtitles)
Brown Auditorium Theater, digital restoration