Le Samouraï -Jean-Pierre Melville (1967)

“Le Samouraï (French pronunciation: ​[lə sa.mu.ʁa.i]; lit. ‘The Samurai”; originally released as The Godson in the US) is a 1967 neo-noir crime film written and directed by Jean-Pierre Melville. The film follows a professional hitman named Jef Costello who is seen by witnesses and his efforts to provide himself an alibi that drive him further into a corner. The film stars Alain Delon, François Périer, Nathalie Delon and Cathy Rosier. … Hitman Jef Costello (Delon) lives in a single-room Paris apartment whose spartan furnishings include a little bird in a cage. Costello’s methodical modus operandi includes airtight alibis involving his lover, Jane (Nathalie Delon). Having carried out a murder contract on a nightclub owner, he is seen leaving the scene by several witnesses, including piano player Valérie (Cathy Rosier). Their statements are inconsistent but the investigating officer (François Périer) believes Costello is his man based on the witnesses who viewed Costello and his alibi that he was with Jane the whole time. Costello loses a police tail and gets to a meeting point on a subway overpass to get paid by his employers. There he is shot and wounded by a man sent by his employers. Having bandaged his wound and rested, he returns to the nightclub and goes for a car drive with the piano player. He is grateful to her, but does not understand why she protected him from the police when she was the key witness to the murder. In the meantime, police officers bug his room, which agitates the bird in its cage. Upon returning, Costello notices some loose feathers scattered around the cage and the bird acting strangely. Suspecting an intrusion, he searches his room, finds the bug and deactivates it. In the meantime, the police ransack Jane’s apartment and offer her a deal: withdraw her alibi for Costello and they will leave her alone. Jane rejects the offer and shows them the door. Back in his apartment Costello finds himself held at gunpoint by the overpass shooter, who gives him money and offers him a new contract. The intended target is not revealed to the audience. Costello overpowers him and forces him to disclose the identity of his boss, Olivier Rey (Jean-Pierre Posier). Following a chase scene in the Métro by several disguised cops and a goodbye visit to Jane, he drives to Rey’s home, which turns out to be the house where the piano player lives. Costello kills Rey and drives to the nightclub. …”
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Guardian: Perfectly executed
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YouTube: Le Samouraï (1967) Trailer, Le Samouraï – A World Without Humanity