THE RED CIRCLE (LE CERCLE ROUGE)
| 1970 (re-released in 2002) – 145′ – DRAMA, CRIME, CLASSIC.
Written by: Jean-Pierre Melville.
Directed by: Jean-Pierre Melville.
Starring: Alain Delon, Yves Montand, Bourvil, Gian Maria Volontè, Paul Crauchet, Paul Amiot, Pierre Collet, André Ekyan, François Périer.
Official Selection Cannes International Film Festival 2002 (Cannes Classic).
Official Selection COLCOA 2017 (Digitally Restored Version, Melville 100th anniversary).
In French with English subtitles.
A The Criterion Collection release. |
From Jean-Pierre Melville, the filmmaker who transformed the crime thriller into high art. With a formidable cast including Alain Delon, Yves Montand, and Bourvil, the boilerplate plot involves a suave criminal mastermind, a vicious escaped convict, a washed-out ex-cop with a knack for hitting bulls-eyes before he started hitting the bottle, and a relentlessly nasty, cat-loving detective methodically hunting them down before they can knock off a prominent jewelry store on Place Vendome. Ostensibly a heist movie, what elevates it is the Melvillian flourishes – finely-honed visuals, poignant fatalism, and an explicit code of honor and loyalty. In Melville’s universe, a Gauloise cigarette is as essential as a gun, and which side of the law you’re on is less important than whether or not you betray trust. Another signature touch, balletic precision, is on glorious display in the film’s 20-minute show-stopping robbery sequence.