Drive
2011USA★ 7.63.5 pt match
What ties these together is figuring out who you are and longing. They share the same lens on corrupt institutions. The feel is the same: bleak, melancholic, and slow burn.
Le Samouraï
1967FranceLanguage: frDirected by Jean-Pierre Melville★ 7.8
Available in English: subtitled
After carrying out a flawlessly planned hit, Jef Costello, a contract killer with samurai instincts, finds himself caught between a persistent police investigator and a ruthless employer, and not even his armor of fedora and trench coat can protect him.
Themes and style
Tone
cold and detachedmelancholichauntingbleak
Pacing
slow burnmethodical
Story
pursuitsurvivalunraveling
Emotion
longingfiguring out who you arefeeling powerlessshame
Themes
corrupt institutionsold ways vs. new world
Feel
quietly hauntingcerebralrewatchablediscussion starter
Violence
moderateWhere to watch
Hollywood films like Le Samouraï
If Le Samouraï hit you the right way, here are Hollywood films that share its DNA. Same emotional weight, same kind of stories, same kind of payoff.