Le cercle rouge
France
1970
140 Min
Color
1.85:1
French
Synopsis
Master thief Corey (Alain Delon) is fresh out of prison. But instead of toeing the line of law-abiding freedom, he finds his steps leading back to the shadowy world of crime, crossing those of a notorious escapee (Gian Maria Volonté) and alcoholic ex-cop (Yves Montand). As the unlikely trio plots a heist against impossible odds, their trail is pursued by a relentless inspector (Bourvil), and fate seals their destinies. Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le cercle rouge combines honorable anti-heroes, coolly atmospheric cinematography, and breathtaking set pieces to create a masterpiece of crime cinema. —The Criterion Collection
Director
Jean-Pierre Melville
Jean-Pierre Melville (born Jean-Pierre Grumbach) was an amateur filmmaker as a teenager who, after the start of World War II, began making his own independent short and feature films. He hit his stride in the ‘50s with his memorable adaptation of Jean Cocteau’s novel, Les Enfants Terribles, and, over the next 20 years, specialized in intelligent and exciting crime films, most notably Bob le Flambeur, Le Doulos (aka The Finger Man), Le Samouraï, Le Cercle Rouge, and Un Flic. Melville also acted in his own Deux Hommes Dans Manhattan, as well as Cocteau’s Orphee, Jean-Luc Godard’s À Bout de Souffle (aka Breathless), and Claude Chabrol’s Landru (aka Bluebeard). He died in 1973.
(From http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=2:102465 )
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Displaying 4 of 34 wall posts.
Michael Harbour
16Jan12
A well made heist film with fine performances (as one might expect from Melville working with Delon, Montad, et al.). Intellectually satisfying, occasionally funny, but rarely very emotionally involving.
Ross Patterson
12Jan12
Hardly Melville's most evocative work, but a good example of his style and still a stellar heist-flick.
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Articles
Our roundup of essays and articles on this film.
Tuesday Foreign Region Blu-ray disc Report: "Le cercle rouge" (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1970)
By Glenn Kenny on November 2, 2010
I wrote this in February of this year: "[That] the Criterion Collection losing the licensing for over twenty library pictures, the current editions
The LE CERCLE ROUGE Remake Moving From Johnnie To To John Hillcoat?
By Twitchfilm.com on April 29, 2011
That the Media Asia backed, Hong Kong and Macau set remake of Jean Pierre Melville’s Le Cercle Rouge has lost original director Johnnie To is not news. To told us so himself while attending the Toronto
The LE CERCLE ROUGE Remake Moving From Johnnie To To John Hillcoat?
By Twitchfilm.net on September 15, 2010
That the Media Asia backed, Hong Kong and Macau set remake of Jean Pierre Melville’s Le Cercle Rouge has lost original director Johnnie To is not news. To told us so himself while attending the Toronto
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Reviews
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Untitled
By Francis on August 16, 2009
Le Cercle Rogue is another French policier that is a long, sometimes boring and sometimes tedious affair. It borrows heavily from The Asphalt Jungle, but is a hollow homage of that film. The standout… read review
Untitled
By asuraf on December 11, 2008
It’s debatable among Jean-Pierre Melville buffs if this heist masterwork is his best film, considering the weight of “Le Samourai” and “Army of Shadows”, but it does feature one of the best heist scenes… read review
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Le Cercle Rouge Criterion blu ray has been cancelled due to rights issues
5 posts by 4 people
10 months ago
Could The Red Circle Criterion be going out of print...
3 posts by 2 people
over 1 year ago
DVD
Buy the DVD from The Criterion Collection.
