MovieChat Forums > Le Samouraï (1967) Discussion > So, why the suicide?

So, why the suicide?

posted 17 years ago by twm-2
12 replies | jump to latest

I just finished watching the film for the first time, and though I enjoyed it immensely, his suicide at the end really took me by surprise. I really haven't had time to fully digest film, but the end seemed awfully abrupt. If he was going to intentionally get himself killed, it seemed the filmmakers should have spent a little more time working up to that. The film was so good, I wouldn't have minded more narrative, and a little more development toward this, his end.

Was it just the fact that the police had him under such close surveillance that he felt he wouldn't be able to live his life as a "samourai" anymore? Even his accomplice--the mechanic told him that his last car make-over would be his last, so I suppose he felt like his world was coming to a close. (Of course, if it were me, I move to another city and start over after some plastic surgery.)

Cheerio!

Fighting for Truth, Justice, and making it the American way.

[–] palinode 17 years ago

Between the steadfast but sleazy police and the corruption of rich men, I think that the Costello character concluded that the world no longer had a place for him. The resources of the State had been marshalled to hound him wherever he went, and his 'master' turned out to be the kind of jerk who'd kill anyone to protect himself.

When I first saw the film, I was surprised at the ending like you were, but when I thought about it I realized that there was probably no other way it could have gone.

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Eumenides_0 15 years ago

Between the steadfast but sleazy police and the corruption of rich men

But who else would give a job to people like Jeff except corrupt rich men? Are we to believe this cold-blooded murder suddenly had an epiphany about the decadent, amoral world he lives in?

I think this movie was odd from the begining to the end. It started with Jeff's awkward alibi plan. You kill a person and then you don't even dispose of the coat and hat, which are the first elements eyewitnesses will remember about you? You decide to hide in a place you know the police will go for usual suspects?

You find a bug in your apartment and instead of pretending you're not aware of it, you boldly turn it off, making sure the police will go after you with everything they have?

And how could he possibly know the police would be at the nightclub to kill him at the right time he pretends to kill the pianist? He did such a good job of hiding his tracks. What reason did they have to be there?

Even his pretense murder of the pianist betrays his professionalism. If he's such a professional that'll carry out missions even after his employer is dead, that gun should be loaded. If he didn't care anymore, then why even bother to go there? It's fake fatalism.

Jean-Pierre Melville's direction was amazing, but the script left me sorely disappointed. he wanted to portray Jeff as a smart, calculating assassin, but he came across as dumb and incoherent.

This world is a comedy to those that think, a tragedy to those that feel.

[–] singels 15 years ago

yes there were no bullets in his gun I saw that

[–] mariahscary 15 years ago

I think due to the nature of Costello's character (a very impersonal one, in my opinion), I believe that it's not necessarily supposed to make total sense that Costello allows himself to be shot in the night club. Throughout the movie, all his other work as a hit man is done in a precise, yet impersonal manner (as I suppose most hit man work would be). Never do we really see Costello show anything other than this "samurai" persona, with possibly the exception of his relationship with Valerie, and even then he never really shows her the traditional affection one would expect. I think that the ending isn't supposed to fully make sense in order to show some sort of change in character Costello has after he meets Valerie.

[–] silvos17 15 years ago

I just figured that Jef had had enough. It was only a short while before the end of the film that he visits Jane for the last time. I took it that he felt guilt that she was being put in a position of danger and harassment, because of his actions.

If you think about it, Jef was being hounded by the police and his employers. Employers that were willing to keep him alive if he agreed to another contract killing. I was left with the impression that he figured that he was going to be screwed by his employers if he declined, but also screwed if he tried to commit another killing while being so carefully scrutinized by the police.

He believed that his fate was inescapable, so he met it head-on. This is just my opinion though.

[–] rway-1 11 years ago

I think your synopsis is dead-on. He was in a no-win situation, but I have to say he went out in a very over-the-top fashion. Everything thing he did in life was very low key and without any frills then he chooses this way to go out? Hey, and it aint even Hollywood!

- silvos17 on Fri Sep 4 2009 22:27:48
"I just figured that Jef had had enough. It was only a short while before the end of the film that he visits Jane for the last time. I took it that he felt guilt that she was being put in a position of danger and harassment, because of his actions.

If you think about it, Jef was being hounded by the police and his employers. Employers that were willing to keep him alive if he agreed to another contract killing. I was left with the impression that he figured that he was going to be screwed by his employers if he declined, but also screwed if he tried to commit another killing while being so carefully scrutinized by the police.

He believed that his fate was inescapable, so he met it head-on. This is just my opinion though."

[–] Bree_33 11 years ago

""Melville himself offered two possible interpretations - as a study in schizophrenia, and as an allegory of Man (Jef) pursued by Destiny (the Inspector) into the arms of Death (Valerie, the pianist).""

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~nec spe,nec metu

[–] edshu33 11 years ago

It struck me as quite abrupt to. I like to see his suicide as a sort of escape. Perhaps Costello got into the world of gangsters because he wanted an adventurous and satisfying lifestyle, but he found that it gave him no satisfaction whatsoever (need I point out that he smiles not once in the whole film?). So, when he stumbles and gets caught in the police department's trap, he sees it as a sort of escape from his boring, unsatisfying life.

[–] twm-2 11 years ago

Probably as good an idea as any, but I still it see it as a weakness of the film.

Fighting for Truth, Justice, and making it the American way.

[–] cyclgrrl 7 years ago

As an IMDB commenter (and though I didn't look it up, I'm sure you aren't new to this rodeo), you really should know better than to put critical spoilers in your post title. Please change it, and even put the word 'spoilers' in the title so that people will know before reading the thread. There is even an option to black out spoilers in the post. Either way, definitely please don't put spoilers in post titles.

[–] TzRipper 7 years ago

Thank you, cycigrrl