Some movies are so influential that generations of filmmakers create modern remakes of the original. In the case of Jean-Pierre Melville’s masterpiece ‘Le Samourai‘ even the main character has lived on for decades.
Since this is a motoring website, so we’re not going to compare and contrast the 1978 film ‘The Driver‘ and the 2011 film ‘Drive‘ to the original 1967 movie ‘Le Samourai‘. And plenty has already been written on how Jef Costello and and Travis Bickle in Scorsese’s ‘Taxi Driver‘ are linked. If you’re looking for thoughtful analysis, you’ve come to the wrong place! This FAST FRENCH FILM review is only about the cars! And ‘Le Samourai‘ is chock-full of classic machinery.
Citroen DS
When anti-hero Jef needs to get somewhere quickly, he steals one of these French classics. The DS was built from 1955 to 1975 so these cars were practically littering the streets of Paris by the late 1960s. Watching Jef steal one of these cars is like seeing a surgeon at work. He has a ring of 50 keys he carries with him, and in broad daylight, sits in the driver’s seat and tries each key in the ignition. The car is quick, agile, and practically invisible. Jef just changes the plates on the stolen car and goes about his business without worry of getting caught.
Chevrolet Camaro
What’s the last car you’d expect to see on the narrow streets of Paris? A big, V8 powered, American pony-car is probably the unlikeliest. Strangely, there are two of them in this movie (director Melville was a big fan of American muscle, and owned a Shelby Mustang). The character of Valérie, a nightclub singer who witnessed a murder, is seen driving a black 1967 Camaro RS which is totally out of character for this Parisienne chanteuse. The covered headlights on the model remain closed, and as apparently French drivers only required fog lights back in the day.
Peugeot Police Cars
Gosh these little cars look so pathetic. Compared to the artistic Citroen, or the brutish Chevy, the Peugeots 403 look uninspired. No wonder the cops drive them! As North Americans, we’re used to the full-size Chevy Caprice as police cruisers. Plenty of room for two cops and a couple of robbers. The utilitarian Peugeot has no size, no space and no style. It almost looks comical when there’s four policemen in the car chasing down the French gangsters.
Cadillac Fleetwood
Back when Cadillac truly lived up to its slogan ‘Standard of the World‘ those French gangsters couldn’t resist the long, low and wide 1963 Fleetwood 75 limo. When ‘Le Samourai‘ finally got US theatrical release in 1972, it was given the title ‘The Godson‘ to try ride Francis Ford Coppola’s coattails. and It was completely conspicuous, and commanded respect and just oozed wealth. It also announces to the authorities that the owner is involved in some nefarious business. The gendarme probably hate seeing wealthy Frenchmen not driving domestic cars.
There’s a scene early in the film when Jef backs up his stolen Citroen DS, squeezing out the garage door of a French chop-chop. Instinctively, we as viewers wince as he almost mangles the ‘classic car’. Just remember that these cars, while rare now, were ‘automotive appliances’ back in 1967. Like a Corolla or Camry today.
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