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Le Cercle Rouge |  | Director: Jean-Pierre Melville
Actors: Alain Delon, Bourvil, Gian Maria Volont????, Yves Montand, Paul Crauchet
Studio: Lionsgate
Category: Movie
This item is no longer available
Rating:  37 reviews
Genre: Drama - Crime
Media: Video On Demand
Running Time: 142 Minutes
ASIN: B002MZKW2M
Theatrical Release Date: December 1, 1990
Release Date: June 1, 2008
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| Synopsis:
Recently released from prison, a criminal organizes the hold-up of a lifetime with the help of an escaped convict and an alcoholic ex-policeman. They are successful, but the fence, shaken by the value of the loot, suggests they go to a specialist, who is none other than the inspector handling the case. |
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| Customer Reviews:
 Trenchcoated cool May 31, 2010
technoguy (Rugby)
Melville's penultimate film,Le Cercle Rouge,is a policier refined into a fatalistic thriller, prefaced by a Rama Krishna quote about how men all eventually meet up in the `red circle',however much they separate.Drawing on the iconography of classic American gangster films and the codes of samurai movies.Whatever they choose to do,these characters are fated to doom.These characters talk little,we know less about them,but they are meticulous professionals who live by a code.Corey(Delon) has been released from jail early,on condition he does a jewel heist,and he is on the run from criminals.Cool,suave,stylish,impassive,he teams up with Vogel(Volonte),who has escaped an arrest by Inspector Mattei(Bourvil) and is now a fugitive.They meet up with Jansen(Montand),sharp-shooting ex-cop,getting over alcoholism.
Planning to pull off an elaborate Parisian jewel heist in Place Vendome,the trio of gangsters find themselves pursued by a cat-loving Inspector Mattei,who knew Jansen as a former class-mate.The heist is shown at length in great detail and carried out with complete absence of dialogue.A white-gloved Montand de-activates the alarm system with one expertly judged rifle shot.Filmed in washed-out colours by cameraman Henri Decae, there is an air of existential doom,with a skilfully pared-down visual style,and calmly understated performances.The casting coup is Andre Bourvil as Mattei,cast against his comedy stereotype,he creates a memorable portrait of lugubrious tenacity.'All men are guilty',remarks Mattei's boss,the Chief of Police.The moral of this story is never do a theft unless the fence is sound.Here,even more than in most Melville films,women play little part and all the close emotional ties are between men.Eric de Marsan provides an upbeat jazz score to lay down the cool vibe.
Fast excellent service November 24, 2009
bjetner
The service was great. The DVD came quicker than expected and was in great condition.
A friend introduced me to Le Samurai. The composition in the opening scene from that film, along with its palette, exactly mirrored a painting I had made a few months back. After watching the movie I had to check out more of Melville's films. I think the space and the palette are the elements that excite me the most. Those aspects of Le Samurai, are continued in Le Cercle Rouge.
This film is definitely worth seeing.
le cercle rouge February 21, 2009
Tim Allen
The red circle is entertaining on a dramatic thriller level. The action entails purposefully and the cinematography is much on the level of the artistic. The main situation is cerebral rather than theme park speeded. The story is very enticing and pulls you in.
 And another one... January 8, 2009
me (Raleigh, NC)
Another great Melville film. you really start to get the impression that alot of director Michael Mann's influence was derived from Melville. just a really cool and slick approach to the whole "cop's and robber's" genre. great movie!
French caper film with cool cast January 6, 2009
T O'Brien (Chicago, Il United States)
Three years after director Jean-Pierre Melville made Le Samourai with Alain Delon, the duo teamed up for another classic movie in the crime/heist/gangster genre, Le Cercle Rouge. After serving five years in prison, a master thief named Corey is released on good behavior, but not before a guard approaches him with a difficult job, a heist that if done by the right people could make millions. Corey says he'll at least think about it if nothing else. On the way to look into the job, Corey comes across a fugitive on the run, Vogel, with the two immediately hitting it off with a mutual respect. Teaming up with a ex-policeman, the trio start to plan for the heist, all the while with a driven investigator and the Parisian police on their tail. This is a movie that plain and simple is supremely cool, mostly because no one tries too hard. The cast and crew know what they're doing and it shows. The heist, almost 25 minutes long, is full of tension after almost 90 minutes of the plot slowly unravelling. It's one of the best examples of a heist movie so don't let this one slip by.
Leading a strong cast is Melville's favorite actor to work with, Alain Delon, who plays Corey, a master thief fresh out of prison who quickly begins to plan his next heist. Delon is perfect for this movie because he plays everything so calmly, so cool no matter what the situation. Gian-Maria Volonte is the right choice as Corey's unlikely partner, Vogel, a mysterious fugitive on the run who takes his chance at freedom when it comes. There's a respect between the two similar men which makes the ending work that much better. French actor Bourvil is a good adversary as Mattei, the driven police investigator desperately trying to catch Vogel thanks to pressure from his superiors. Rounding out the leads is Yves Montand as Jansen, the third member of Corey's team trying to put some past demons behind him.
The Criterion Collection DVD is a must-have for fans of Melville. The two-disc set basically could serve as a biography about the director and his films. As usualy, Criterion pulled out all the stops in the extras department. And of course, the movie in its widescreen presentation has never looked better. Definitely give Le Cercle Rouge a try!
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