Alain Delon is literally me

I think part of the popularity of these characters with men, is that they offer a positive spin on a lot of characteristics that men can get insecure about. For instance, I'm not quiet/awkward, I'm a cool lone wolf, I'm not bad at relationships, I'm protecting you from my awesome but totally dark mind, and so on. It's a character that's just as, if not cooler than the typical testosterone filled hypermasculine action movie star, but that most men can actually identify with. All this to say, this is literally me, if only I beautiful piercing blue eyes, perfect hair, a chiseled jaw, boatloads of charisma and an interesting life, but besides that? Literally me in every way I should sue for copyright infringement.

One of the greatest films of all time. A masterclass of show-don’t-tell.

The quality of the archetypal analysis is high on this one. I definitely enjoyed the analysis of fashion, the fact-checking on the "Bushido quote" and the behind the scenes meta situations. It's fascinating to see this little niche of cinema, and how much it does things on purpose that have grown to instinctive myths that are decontextualised into stereotypes like "brooding man" and "lone wolf".

Insanely well researched and thought out. There’s some great work on this channel

I definitly had a similiar "crisis" when accidently watching the trilogy on arte for the first time and I also had the similar epiphany, that this film was the defining point for the modern stoic male protagonist. This more than makes up for the "shortcomings" and on repeat viewings makes me appreciate the film and its heirs even more. I subscribed after your recent film noir video and I defenitly look forward to your future videos!

I subscribed after watching one of your videos. This one is even better! Glad I subscribed and keeps going. This will blow up soon

This gun for hire with Alan ladd and Veronica lake was a clear influence on le samurai. Alain delon even looks similar to Alan Ladd in this gun for hire. Jean Pierre Melville was definitely heavily influenced by American noir films.

Tons of details I didn't pick up and very interesting production info. I hope you keep doing videos of this high quality, I would love one on The Red Circle.

dude i'm a new subscriber and you are good at video essays, keen to see this channel grow!

incredibly well researched video. smashed it!

Speaking of, “raw,” and, “unfiltered,” I just want to say, I adore your style of presentation. So many film critics and story analysts, that I do enjoy and follow on KZfaq, nevertheless waste the viewer’s time with padding (for runtime length) sponsorship ads (which I skip through) digressions and self explanation, as though they have to account for every view they have and claim some sort of publicly defined, “right,” to have an opinion. Many still, “um,” and, “errr,” so much that I just want to switch them off, saying, “Get to the point! Why make a video if you haven’t even organised your thoughts? Make notes!” But not you. You are a greyhound, flying out of the starting gate and racing through one fascinating factoid after another, or perhaps a challenging thought followed by an interrogation of the viewer’s attitudes and assumptions, as you did so brilliantly with your Film Noir video, or maybe the bold announcement that a the premise to a classic movie was a lie. I find your style so refreshing, I am filled with admiration; for your depth of knowledge, your (genuine) original and well thought out examinations of what we’re seeing and hearing, and the fact that you can organise all of this into such eloquent prose, rattling off so much information at such a rapid clip. Talk about, “Educate, Entertain and Inform”? You tick all three boxes perfectly for me. I wish there were more video makers like you out there for just about all the topics I care about (which is a very broad spectrum) as it really is a shot in the arm for me. Your style, “seems,” unvarnished and super rapid fire. But it is so eloquently well organised and laid out that the viewer retains it all with no need to concentrate especially hard. KZfaq NEEDS you and people like you. I hope these few videos you have made reach a wider audience and that you make many, many more. It’s abundantly clear that you have a lot to say of genuine value and that artists of all types would benefit from hearing it. Please make more videos and never change. Thank you, sincerely. P.S. I know I’ve been very effusive so, if you’ve read all the way down to here, thank you for your patience. I know a thing or two about this topic and I hope you will receive my comments in the sincere spirit that they are intended.

Léon: The Professional is another French movie that was inspired by Le Samourai , and shares lots of elements with other "literally me" movies, like the stoic criminal who's very good at what he do, who's very lonely at the beginning of the movie, and the relationship he gets with Mathilda will lead him to death.

Great Video !

Excellent video

You deserve more for giving us these amazing videos.

Good video and good channel

Nice to see a good video, in a newborn channel.

I heard this movie is a sorta remake of “this gun for hire” starring Alan Ladd. I want to watch it and Le Samouri. Raven(this gun for hire) seems to be very similar to today’s introverted and melancholy youth.

Great video!

watched this movie 2 years ago, very good watch

Magnífico.

That schizophrenia bit is interesting. Long-term internet usage is associated with developing some of the symptoms of schizophrenia. Perhaps that's why the "literally me" crowd tends to be terminally online.

And Le Samourai was influenced by Alan Ladd's character in This Gun For Hire. Melville (the director) was said to be an ardent fan of American crime pictures (later defined as noir). So much so he wanted to make one of his own. The biggest hits of the noir genre, in the US, made it overseas and had their influence. Ones like Maltese Falcon, Double Indemnity, and yes, This Gun For Hire. Its why the origination of the term "film noir" is associated with a french critic's reaction to those exact films once released overseas, as "black films"; dark, brooding crime pictures with a more sinister bent than what the US used to be releasing before WWII. Another precursor to Le Samourai worth mentioning is Murder By Contract which came out 10 years earlier and has the same cold lonely hitman, down to the crumby apareltment and his own "code". Often seen as a very direct influence to Taxi Driver, and Scorsese i know has talked before about his experience sering Murder By Contract with his friends and how they were all blown away by it more than yhe main feature. Eveb though it was considered the "B" movie in the lineup he thought it was far superior.

One of the favorites of all time

This gun for hire remake

Come on man make more content 🙏 👏 🙌 Amazing channel ❤

Frenchs know how to make a movie. Infact Hollywood borrows a lot of character arks from Frenchs.

Well really pleased that you share your knowledgable. The good thing is people when you engage in à conversation sometimes they give you something back. When you talk about the man changing the car’s licence plate with his dialogue line that has a particular echo as the man is litterary dying… Melville did something similar in another film… Le Cercle Rouge, a gangster film is oddly cast with an actor named BOURVIL.. Yes I say ODD because that actor was known for his role in comedies and a singer of famous popular funny songs (save.. one quite tone down emotional..). It’s was like casting Charlie Chaplin as a though inspector tracking down Alain Delon as a gangster… Some of the best Classic french comedies star Bourvil and in an extremly weird way Bourvil reveals himself as an exceptional drama actor ! You cannot say that it is his best film because truly you feel as if Bourvil is an unknown actor that has only made one film !! The famous Bourvil and then suddenly Bourvil 2:0 Yes you see it coming… Bourvil was literaly dying of cancer… terminaly ill… one way ticket.. no return back. He died before the film was released. May be you already know the story… still a pleasure to share it with part of your audience.

I just finished this after earlier tonight deciding between watching this and rewatching Blade Runner 2049. Thought I should check some opinions out and decided to give this a go. Cheers.

I enjoyed the first third or fourth a lot. The atmospheric or maybe charismatic parts, that is. The rest i thought didn't have a lot of appeal.

The best

Bit of a stretch to give all the credit to Le Samurai. Le Samurai was based off American noir characters.

Having some difficulty separating the artist from the art as Alain Delon was a total knob. Something about knowing he knocked up Nico and then refused to acknowledge it just super turned me off.

Yeah it's all about death and only about death before that is the style of the anti life. I laughed when people complained about Covid restrictions now they had a taste of the way. Those American characters are a Joke. Do they commit suicide at the end! No!. Wonderfull review. Hope you do more Melville again.

😎

You reuploaded this?

lolk

17:08 what is that movie?

I am only here to say one thing , please don't give this movie to tic tok makers they will ruin !

Who likes any of these characters?

17:29 That didn't work for me. The film actually got me with the opening scene. But as soon as he was a police suspect, I left again.

funny that you bring up how the pacing of modern films makes the older films feel really slow because I have to watch the old films in 1.25x or 1.5x lol if i watch at normal speed im reaching for the phone

am I the only one that thought this film was dull as dirt?! what do you guys see in this? is this all French New Wave is? boring uninteresting characters walking around or blathering about pretentious nothings? I wanna see a good French New Wave film, not tedious bores like Breathless & This!