Le Cercle Rouge
Composite Score: 86.5
Starring: Alain Delon, André Bourvil, Gian Maria Volontè, Yves Montand, Paul Amiot, André Ekyan, Paul Crauchet, Jean-Pierre Posier, François Périer, and Anna Douking
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville
Writer: Jean-Pierre Melville
Genres: Crime, Drama, Thriller
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Box Office: $473,646 worldwide
My take on Watching This Film:
Le Cercle Rouge is Jean-Pierre Melville’s heist film about three unconnected criminals who come together in Paris to rob a supposedly impenetrable jewelry store. The film stars Alain Delon, Gian Maria Volontè, and Yves Montand as the trio of robbers – Corey, Vogel, and Jansen, respectively – joined by André Bourvil as the dogged Inspector Mattei, André Ekyan as Corey’s former boss Rico, and François Périer as Paris crime lord Santi. It follows Corey after his release from prison, having received a tip from a guard about the potential for the film’s focal robbery, until he teams up with Vogel who has recently escaped from the police custody of Inspector Mattei. The men then plan their heist together and bring former police officer Jansen in to serve as their marksman to bring the whole thing together. The extended heist sequence and its subsequent complications serve as the back half of the film. Many consider this film to be one of Melville’s best films and, indeed, one of the greatest heist films ever made.
The success of Le Cercle Rouge can be credited almost entirely to the way that Melville has woven this story together. It’s a series of (un)fortunate coincidences that bring the trio and their pursuers together that feels almost fated, a sense that Melville reinforces with his fabricated Buddha quote that plays at the start of the film. These men – the thieves, the organized crime bosses, and even the police inspector – have been bound together by the seemingly inescapable forces of the universe to an end that cannot possibly be happy for all parties involved. It’s that inevitable plod toward this red (bloody) destiny that keeps you engaged in watching it, wondering who makes it out, who gets who, and who receives that universal comeuppance that he may or may not in fact deserve. The performances of the four main actors – Delon, Bourvil, Volontè, and Montand – carry that sense to its conclusion, giving us four men dedicated to their work, regardless of where it might bring them in the end. The heist itself, almost entirely wordless, serves as yet another reminder of the forces of the universe and their interactions with even the best laid of plans. It’s entertaining enough on the surface, though some might find the slow burn of the front half to be more than they’re looking for in a heist film, but really, it’s the themes lurking under the surface that make it such a compelling film – is fate an inescapable force, are there certain people inextricably connected to each other, is life actually just the result of a collection of happy accidents? It all drives the viewer to continue watching to see how and if those questions will be answered and whether they’ll be satisfied with those answers.
Jean-Pierre Melville has given audiences a heist film rife with metaphysical and existential questions, which still entertains even those looking for just another heist movie, which is a feat worthy of a place among the greats. Those looking for the more basic forms of the heist film might find the first half of the film slower than they’re used to, but if they stick around for the end, even surface-level viewers will find themselves with that complex plot and cathartic ending that makes heist films such a hot commodity. Currently, this film is not available to stream in the U.S., but it’s quite possible that your local library has a physical copy of it available if you’d like to check it out before it is brought back.
