Le cercle rouge
Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville
Written by Jean-Pierre Melville
France/1970
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Amazon Instant
Le chef de la police: All men are guilty. They’re born innocent, but it doesn’t last.
Terrific French noir from the master of the genre.
As the story begins, Corey (Alain Delon) is preparing to be released from prison. A guard sneaks into his cell and tells him about a “no-risk” jewel heist opportunity just waiting to be taken up. The super-cool Corey is not overly enthusiastic but says he will look into it.
Simultaneously, Vogel (Gian-Maria Volonte) is being transported by train handcuffed to Police Inspector Mattei (Brouville). Vogel manages to escape and is relentlessly pursued by Mattei for the rest of the film.
Corey’s first act upon release is to relieve his former criminal associate of several thousand francs he believes are owed to him and a gun. The victim’s henchmen are now on the hunt for Corey.
Vogel frantically looks for a hiding place and selects the trunk of Corey’s car. After the men size each other up, they become partners and begin planning the heist. A drunken sharpshooter (Yves Montand) completes the heist team.
The heist takes 27 minutes and is completed without any dialogue whatsoever. It is mesmerizing – like the rest of this sparsely written but meticulously filmed beauty.
OK, get ready for a gush. This movie is fantastic in every way. I love movies that get down to the details of how things are done and found this completely engrossing. And what a cast!. Henri Decae’s cinematography, full of moody blues, is superb. Includes a nice score by Eric Demarsan. Recommended.
