Le Cercle Rouge poster & wallpaper

Alain Delon, Andre Ekyan, Bourvil

Corey is an aristocratic thief who is released from prison the same day as the murderer he enlists to help him in the robbery of a wealthy mob boss.

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93% liked it

4,953 ratings

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56 critics

Unrated, 2 hrs. 15 min.

Directed by: Jean-Pierre Melville

Release Date: December 1, 1990

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DVD Release Date: October 28, 2003

Stats: 347 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (347)

  • sanjurosamurai
    April 15, 2009
    sanjurosamurai
    melville and delon come together again for a gripping tale of intrigue. one of melvilles best films, this story grabbed me from the first moment as we see the stories of two criminals side by side until a fateful moment when their paths collide in the red circle. the heist scen...( read more)e is paced for real time and is executed brilliantly, the side stories involving the mob are interesting and placed well into the story, and the cat and mouse between the theives and the police is mapped out perfectly. the absense of music through most of the film created a reality that set in, and the camera shot and angle choices specifically stood out. brilliant film.
  • kenstachnik
    February 15, 2009
    kenstachnik
    This movie makes the Fonz look like Peter Party. Nothing is cooler than a Melville/Delon pairing.
  • columbiatch
    July 13, 2007
    columbiatch
    The more I watch of Melville, the more I realize how much influence his works have on modern crime and action films. From the gangster code his criminals and cops obey to their cool reserved mannerisms, one cannot imagine what the films of Woo, Rodriguez, Jarmusch, Mann, or Tara...( read more)ntino would be like without Melville's influence. Le Cercle Rouge is a heist film that isn't about the heist itself, rather than the natures of its characters. There are unwritten codes of behavior and trust between fellow criminals. At times I feel like I'm watching Le Samourai again. Alain Delon is again the cool gangster who wears his watch on his right hand with the dial facing inward. This time he is backed by fellow European stars Yves Montand (who plays down and out cop) and Gian Maria Volonte (who plays an escaped convict) as the three devise a brilliant jewelery heist that would give the one in Rififi a run for its money (no pun intended). While not as tightly paced as Le Samourai nor as powerful as Army of Shadows, Le Cercle Rouge is another stylish and grim meditation on fate and honor.
  • bort16
    June 28, 2007
    bort16
    Another one of Jean Pierre Melville's masterpieces. Le Cercle Rouge is as stylish as ever a heist movie brooding with existential doom. The Jewellery heist seen is brilliant, lasting for almost 1/2 an hour with absolutly no dialogue spoken whatsoever.
    Its a highly entertainin...( read more)g, yet very stripped down, ala Bresson (as with all Melville films). I dont think its quite as good as Le Samourai or L'Armee des Ombres, but Le Cercle Rouge is still a fantastic take on the heist film that leaves modern day filmmakers eating their hearts out.
  • Sleaze
    July 25, 2006
    Sleaze
    Released prisoner Corey (delon) teams up with an escaped convict and ex-cop in order to pull off a daring jewellery heist. Unfortunately hot on their heels is the highly experienced Mattei (Bourvil), a man determined to rein them in.

    Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, this is a...( read more) European crime flick that wears its American influences proudly on its sleeve. Building on this cinematic foundation of early Hollywood gangster chic, Melville drives things along at a decent pace allowing for the steady character development to be punctuated with bursts of action. The film's centrepiece though is the highly engrossing heist scene which is on par with Rififi.

    Delon once again produces the acting goods but I found the less experienced Bouvril to be rather wooden (he used to be a singer). At a running time of 140 minutes the film had a tendency to drag a little in places but overall this was a highly enjoyable film that I'd certainly recommend to Euro Crime and Film Noir fans
  • ElCochran90
    November 17, 2009
    ElCochran90
    "All men are guilty. They're born innocent, but it doesn't last."

    LE CERCLE ROUGE (1970)


    Director: Jean-Pierre Melville
    Country: France / Italy
    Genre: Crime / Thriller
    Length: 140 minutes

    ...( read more)://s712.photobucket.com/albums/ww125/ElCochran90/?action=view¤t=LeCercleRouge.jpg" target="_blank">Le Cercle Rouge,The Red Circle,Yves Montand,Alain Delon,Jean-Pierre Melville

    Le Cercle Rouge is two things: Melville going back to his crime roots, offering a great variety of likeable characters stuck in a plot of crime and conspiracy in the process, and an attempt of perfecting every single technical aspect of his previous films. On a personal note, Le Cercle Rouge could be described as Le Samouraï multiplied by four. It is also quite often referenced as a prolonged remake of Du Rififi Chez les Hommes (1955), masterpiece directed by Jules Dassin. While one may argue that the craftsmanship of Le Cercle Rouge involves an instant and obvious superiority and the story is much more complex and elaborate, the original and very characteristic cinematic substance of Melville has remained the same. Therefore, he never achieved to top his definitive and influential crime masterwork, Le Samouraï (1967). Nevertheless, he has assembled an extraordinary cast that includes the famous and talented European actors Alain Delon, Yves Montand, Giam Maria Volonté, and Bourvil in his last role. He managed to construct an extraordinary and breathtaking crime story and, although he decided to be referential instead of being influential, Le Cercle Rouge is an absolute masterpiece of character development and suspenseful filmmaking.

    The aristocratic, meticulous and agile thief Corey is released from prison the same day that a murderer named Vogel escapes from the sentimental, yet dedicated superintendant Mattei through the window of a moving train and is endlessly chased through the fields. After robbing his mob boss Rico and enlisting Vogel and the former police Jansen in an ambitious and very complicated jewel heist, Corey will be stuck inside a story full of crime and unfulfilled dreams while Mattei will resort to never-imagined means to trap the troubled thieves.

    Le Cercle Rouge is a film rich in character. Whereas the character of Alain Delon seems to partially resemble the existentialist coldness of his previous performance as the hitman Jef Costello in Le Samouraï (1967), each and every one of the characters is unique. Perhaps with the humble purpose of constructing a dark comedy - if not a crime film with intentional moments of humor -, the fact that the men who are hired for participating in the robbery of a jewelry have multiple and differentiated personal issues is a brilliant comical approach. Corey is highly perfectionist and looks like a character taken out directly from a film noir, an aspect that the directors of the French New Wave applied a lot. Mattei is a sentimentalist who as a deep affection for the multiple cats he owns in the house. Jansen is a delusional sharpshooter, a drunk, a possible drug addict and, ironically, he was a policeman in real life, perhaps parodying the doubtfulness of the nowadays political and authoritative figures. At first glance, one may draw the conclusion that teaming up with such personalities may result in a hilarious catastrophe, especially if the viewer in question has already seen Du Rififi Chez les Hommes (1955) and Bob le Flambeur (1956), but Melville is not that easy.

    The minimalist point of view is erased and we are offered a new vast, eagle-eye and extraordinarily omniscient perspective, rapidly moving from the planning of the thieves to the police techniques and doubtful contacts of the superintendant Mattei. It is interesting to notice how Melville, just like Jean-Luc Godard (À Bout de Souffle [1960], Bande à Part [1964]) among other directors, creates an empathetic and prioritized emphasis on the adventures and misadventures of the main characters. This does not necessarily mean that the benign concept of justice is erased; it is impossible to hate the character of Mattei. The feeling of Mattei not getting away with it is created, nonetheless. Moreover, the group of thieves is not perfect. They have their flaws, and they are emphasized properly, even with a touch of humor. Naturally, this does not deviate Le Cercle Rouge from its original existential, thrilling, breathtaking and dark nature. The characters of Corey, Jansen and Vogel are just too cool and multiphacetic to be despised and that is the enchanting tone of the crime films that were created since the 50s in spite of us knowing that, if we decide to support the protagonists, we are deciding to support crime just because of sensationally likeable male characters. Sure that the film, like several others had done in the past, defies the concepts of the antagonist, which in this case it would be the society itself rather than a superintendant, but this cinematic project must be strictly interpreted as a remake that, although pays the enough respect towards the original source of influence, it tries to perfect it through the improvement and execution of new special and technical effects. It is a redux version.

    The direction is stunningly masterful, the editing is brutal and direct, but magical and noticeably experienced, and thanks to the effective absence of a clichéd musical score, the film accomplishes to satisfy all types of audiences. With one of the most visually spellbinding and balanced cinematographic works within the history of French cinema, Le Cercle Rouge creates a very well thought equilibrium between the sequences that need the depiction of a living world through vast landscapes and beautiful scenery, and those scenes that require extreme silence for slowly constructing a nearly claustrophobic atmosphere. This is the moment when the robbery scene plays its role. Despite the fact that it is a clear tribute towards Jules Dassin's masterpiece because of elaborating one of the most famous and realistically tense scenes in cinema history, the suspense and the gasping moments are very present, even maximized. Melville applies an unbelievable attention to detail that does not distract the attention of the audience towards the plot elements that demanded it. In fact, the pace itself is more demanding than the comprehension of the plot but, once again, the second half is immensely rewarding. The length of the film is justified because, this time, empathy towards the protagonists is necessary. Their respective backgrounds, their respective personalities, their respective role in their planning, their respective destinies... all of them are gorgeously orchestrated by an expert of crime cinematographic mastery. Jean-Pierre Melville directed what is undeniably one of his masterpieces and, although the originality fragrance was not meant to be totally felt since the beginning, it established brand new landmarks for realistic crime filmmaking. It may be considered as a remake, as a tribute or just as a mere attempt to perfect a directorial debut through the solidification of plot aspects through more elaborate elements, but Le Cercle Rouge is among the best crime films of the decade. It is a visual feast to watch, both for the senses and for the heart.

    100/100
  • alexroy69
    October 29, 2009
    alexroy69
    Mon troisième film de l'excellent Melville, qui commence à se glisser tranquillement dans mon palmarès de réalisateurs incontournables. De tous les cinéastes français que je connaisse, c'est probablement lui qui a le style le plus "américain". Ses films sont souvent un peu plus a...( read more)vares de dialogues que le film français typique, en plus d'aborder des thématiques habituellement associées au film noir à l'américaine. Les deux inspirations majeures de Melville pour le "Cercle Rouge" sont d'ailleurs "The Asphalt Jungle" de John Huston et "Du rififi chez les hommes" de Jules Dassin, deux classiques du genre, par deux Américains.

    Totalisant 140 bonnes minutes, "Le Cercle Rouge" ne se presse pas; tout comme dans "Le Samouraï", le rythme est assez lent, mais tout coule de manière incroyablement fluide. Dans l'univers de Melville, il y a peu de femmes, peu de souci d'expliquer les motivations des personnages, peu de chichi et de blabla. Ce qui importe, c'est l'honneur entre hommes de métier, entre hommes froids, calculateurs, qui vont droit au but et qui ne font pas de sentiment. En ce sens, aucun personnage n'est réellement attachant, mais le film fonctionne très bien comme ça.

    Le cinéma de Melville, c'est l'épitomé du cool. Tous les personnages sont relaxes, personne ne perd jamais son calme, personne ne s'emporte, tout est exécuté avec style et finesse. Ça me semble particulièrement vrai dans "Le Cercle Rouge", où Alain Delon et son incroyable moustache ne frémissent jamais d'un poil. Même la photographie, les couleurs superbes, les bleus sombres, les verts foncés, tout ça contribue à l'ambiance excessivement "cool" du film. Encore une autre recommandation, surtout pour les amateurs de films de gangsters.
  • rhadynascimento
    October 20, 2009
    rhadynascimento
    A delicious introduction to Melville and his unique crime-thriller approach. And Delon, God Almighty...
  • allformat
    October 8, 2009
    allformat
    Great Thriller. I never know what to expect from a Melville film, they're so unique in delivery. There are subtle aspects of this film that I love, mostly revolving around the side character of the ex-policeman sharpshooter.
  • CrookedlittleB33
    August 2, 2009
    CrookedlittleB33
    Crime noir at its finest, with dark and grim cinematography and a story that will have you hanging onto the edge of your seat. This just proves that you really don't need that much of a dialouge to keep the story going and to keep the attention of your audience. Some of the best ...( read more)acting I've seen in a long, long time. Melville, I must see more of your work!

    Another reason why european cinema is a continued favourite of mine. :D

View All Le Cercle Rouge Reviews

Critic Reviews

October 31, 2005
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

The epitome of neo-noir stylishness. full review

July 24, 2003
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

If you ever wanted to know how to look good wearing a trenchcoat, lighting a cigarette, handling a revolver, drinking a whiskey or overpowering an armed guard, Jean-Pierre Melville's 1970 gangster dra... full review

June 27, 2003
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

The director's penultimate work. full review

June 19, 2003
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

A slo-mo gem of gangster cool. full review

May 23, 2003
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

There is one cool, understated scene after another. full review

May 2, 2003
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

A minor classic, mainly for reasons besides its crime story plot -- namely, the urbane fatalism of its cast and the overall mood of inevitability that hangs over every scene. full review

January 10, 2003
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

Le Cercle Rouge offers the kind of experience that makes you glad movies exist. full review

View more Le Cercle Rouge reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

  • crislunda
    June 7, 2008
    crislunda
    I'm aware it's a masterpiece but I've rated 4 stars because I hate the way it ends and its pessimistic point of view though I understand why it had to be like this.I know that's subjective but this is how I felt...Hey,I'm a woman,what can I say :-)...
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