I've never quite seen anything as stylish and sophisticated as Melville's Le Samourai. It's my frist Melville, and I think it's a solid one to start with. We're engaged immediately with Melville's directorial style, which in this film is austere and minimalist. It takes the japanese aesthetic concept of simplicity and uses this in the film form. Jef's home is grody walls, but completely bare; the sound is still except for the chirping of a bird; and we aren't really privy to anything outside of Jef's room thanks to the treatment of the windows, which make them seem completely white. Jef's character says little and seldom allows the audience into his mind, but that's not to mean that he's not thinking of that the audience isn't preoccupied with his thoughts; we're aware of what he does and question his motivations, constantly. Melville is ahead of us, always, and makes the film impossible to predict.
Another interesting thing about the film is how it eschews closeups. They're used sparingly, if at all; and the camera moves as if we're simply observing things and not necessarily being fed entertainment. If anything, we're piecing together our own narrative from scattered observations all throughout Paris. And speaking of Paris, the setting is shot in such a way that we truly feel as though we're in the city and native to it. I've never seen anything quite like that, either.
So what can I say? It's impeccable, and with an ending I couldn't see coming. It takes Billy Wilder to heart (though I doubt that they ever met): "Never be boring."