Classic Cinemas

One of the most influential and iconic films in French cinema history, Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Samouraï returns to Australian cinemas in pristine 4K from Thursday 27 June.

In a career-defining performance, Alain Delon plays Jef Costello, a contract killer with samurai instincts. After carrying out a flawlessly planned hit, Jef finds himself caught between a persistent police investigator and a ruthless employer, and not even his armour of fedora and trench coat can protect him.

An elegantly stylised 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.

The film was restored in 4K by Pathé and the Criterion Collection at L’Immagine Ritrovata from the 35mm original camera negative.