12 of the Best Alain Delon Movies to Remember Him By

Alain Deon: forever immortalized as one of the late greats of cinema. The actor, who was described by French President Emmanuel Macron himself as a “French monument” in flesh and blood, possessed an incredible spirit and fire that was seamlessly translated into film. The actor has died at the age of 88 after a long-term health complication that arose in 2019 following a stroke. He is survived by his three children, who announced his passing yesterday from Douchy, in the French Val de Loire region.

Delon resented his association with the ‘French Frank Sinatra’ and, as with many of the roles he played, he did not shy away from his… less controversial associations with the underworld leaders of Marseille.

“Most of them, the gangsters I know … were my friends before I became an actor,” Deon said. “I don’t worry about what a friend does. Everyone is responsible for their own act. It doesn’t matter what they do.”

Deon, who came to prominence in French classics such as Jean-Pierre Melville’s 1967 The Samurai and a spicy thriller from 1969 The swimming pool remained a cult figure of French cinema throughout the years. To commemorate the film in the best way we know how, we’re looking back at Delon’s glory days in film. Join us as we recap the best of the best from Delon’s legendary career. Below, find what to watch to find the best of the late great in our favorite films.

Okay, Mr. Delon, you’re ready for your close-up.

Borsalino (1967)

An illuminating insight into gang-ridden Marseille in the 1920s and 1930s. Delon as gangster Siffredi is in top form and grumpy as he clashes with violence, love and honour.

Purple afternoon (1960)

An odyssey by the sea. Delon’s eyes are sparkling blue. I blush wildly at the laptop. That’s about all you need to know about this traveling classic full of romance and seduction.

The Samurai (1967)

Some consider this the magnum opus of Delon’s career. I’m inclined to agree. Jeff Costello’s refined killer instincts in a fedora and trench coat would be hard to ruffle. Director Jean-Pierre Melville’s stylized, slick world of organized crime is one for the books in every way.

The yellow Rolls-Royce (1964)

Delon, starring American actress Shirley Maclaine and Ingrid Bergman, led the attraction behind this trilogy of film stories. The medleys and misadventures of a single vehicle, none other than a canary yellow Rolls-Royce hurtling through the European countryside, opened many eyes to Delon’s own talent for storytelling that is both capricious and erratic.

The swimming pool (1969)

I firmly believe that this film was the inspiration for the Blue jeans video of Lana Del Rey’s musicography. With a soundtrack and direction from Jacques Deray that would bring any Sydneysider who can survive the winter to their knees, I wouldn’t watch this unless you have some sort of Italian cave to escape to.

Girl on a motorcycle (1968)

This Anglo-French psychedelic was the first of its kind. Bored to death with her tired, hard life, housewife Rebecca swaps her white poplins for Harley Davidson leather suits, traveling across Europe in search of something she has yet to discover. Who else but Delon would take on the role of her swaggering lover?

The leopard (1963)

Soft Tender Kisses. A more American entry into Alain Delon’s world, with an aristocratic divide between old blood and the new ways of the democratic republic. The Prince of Salina is stubborn about abandoning his old ways, and conformity and tradition clash in the face of the new world order.

Rocco and his brothers (1960)

What could possibly go wrong in a cage fight between a group of rowdy brothers? Watch to find out.

Half a chance (1998)

This upcoming crime comedy pits Delon against Vanessa Paradis, who plays an aspiring thief who can’t remember her father. The Russian mafia gets involved and the pair must eliminate threats in this battle of humor and espionage. Maybe this time, deceit will be thicker than blood.

Square Sun (1970)

Betrayal on the Amalfi Coast never happens quickly. Washed up against one of the small towns on the Italian coast, Delon finds himself entangled in a case of mixed identity and betrayal. The past comes flooding back and the attraction is magnetic. Delon’s piercing gaze is enough to make me press play.

The Return of Cassanova (1992)

The film, inspired by the novel Casanova written by Arthur Schnitzler tells the life of a director who has lost sight of everything. After glory days and drinking parties, the gray Cassanova goes home in search of an answer in the midst of everything.

Is Paris burning? (1966)

We’ve seen a whole category of films about World War II in the past decade, but this one is a memorable example. The liberation of Paris in August 1944 is evocatively traversed by the Nazis, the Allied Forces, and even the internal rifts between the Communists and the Gaullists. Delon is right in the middle of it all, as the historical events unfold around him.