Rating: 
Summary: Cool, but clumsy...
Review: Maybe I am missing more then I think I am, but would you try to organize a heist with a fugitive whom the whole country is after? I think not. The cinematography is great, the silence is great, Yves Montand is great, but Allain Delon as a cold, calculating thief? Again, I think not. A complete miscast, including the ridiculously silly get-up - the trenchcoat (which is not taken off even during a game of billiards). The man sticks out as a sore thumb everywhere he goes. Also, not to nitpick, but even for a movie where fast, cheap action is supposedly not important, that train escape is even more ludicrous. Jumping through the barrely broken window of a moving train? Why not try to overcome the decrepit inspector, who's still tired from the sleep and has his back turned on you? The script contains too many holes, which were amplified by the clumsy execution of the few "action" scenes. Give me Jean Paul Belmondo or any of the american noir faces (Richard Widmark, RObert Mitchum...) any day of the week over these guys. I really liked when the sharpshooter just took out the rifle from the stand and hit the keyhole during the heist. Sweet. Unfortunatelly, he is involved with Corey, who just got out from jail and wanted to get back in there quickly again. Thus, he is trying to unload the jewelery to the guy who would not take it, even after he had agreed to do it, knowing it would be "hot". Hmm. Too many Deus ex Machina situations, too many silly and unbelivable characteers, too many cigarettes. Music's cool though.
Rating: 
Summary: How the game is played
Review: Melville created a cold-hearted masterpiece with the Red Circle. There is little sympathy felt for any of the characters. Rather, this is a dark meditation on human corruption - all the characters locked in an ultimately futile game. The brilliance of this movie is Melville's portrayal of how the game is played. Alain Delon and Gian Maria Volonte play criminals who possess a surreal ability to anticipate their opponent's next move. Andre Bourvil, the dispassionate inspector, is locked in the same chess match. So for those that thrill at the chase - this movie comes recommended. And this newly restored and uncut version is the perfect showcase for this detached work of art. Melville creates the mood of a winter train-ride through the French countryside impeccably, and conveys the stifling atmosphere at police headquarters with equal skill. Yet the detechment of the film also creates a problem, which I think is the biggest drawback: no emotional context is given for these men (there are almost no women present in the entire film). So even though the film is a meditation on the human condition, it really doesnt look into the characters experiences. But if you're looking for a terse, rugged crime film you can't do better.
Rating:
Summary: cool but dry
Review: Melville's "Red Circle" is deliberately slow-paced and highly stylized, sometimes reminds me of abstraction of Japanese "Noh" theater. Characters display very little emotion and yet somehow appear to be have accute sense of what goes on around them, especially Delon's character seems to have an extra sensory perception. The film has some great pictures and occasional tense moments, but the story line I find to be a little too generic. This style of storytelling worked well with Melville's classic "Le Samourai" because it focused on a single character. But here Melville has far too many characters to keep up with, to show their actions, and to explain motives in convincing detail. I think it suffers from a certain disjointedness, therefore not as compelling. Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of Melville and the entire genre of film noir. I loved "Le Samourai" and "Mr. Klein" (another Delon's vehicle by great Joseph Losey) but "Red Circle" does not quite build its tension up to the final denouement. I just didn't get blown away. So go ahead shoot me.
Rating:
Summary: the passengers
Review: Melville's films are all noted for their lack of dialogue. In fact one of his early films was called Silence of the Sea. In many ways it is this silence which gives the films their air of mystery and suspense. His vision is noir inspired but his characters win you over in a way that a lot of characters in American noirs don't. This is perhaps because in Melville's universe there is a kind of rationale which makes the criminals seem more just than the law. To Melville man is a corrupt creature and the criminals are just the ones who accept this fact and live with it while the cops are seen to be acting against their natures. The vision is fatalistic as most noirs are but Melville allows his characters to come to terms with it their own way. Alain Delon is the star of all three Melville films I have seen: Le Samurai, Un Flic and Cercle Rouge. The three each portray the noir universe in Melvilles signature way but each one has something unique to recommend it. Le Samurai is the most austere of the three and is considered to be the masterpiece and Delon is perhaps at his best in this one. Un Flic perhaps has the best supporting cast with Catherine Deneuve and Richard Crenna, and Un Flic is usually penalised for having some shoddy special effects though the actual plot is very strong. Cercle Rouge is longer and not as tightly constructed as the other two, its even a little awkward and eccentric in places(Yves Montands hallucination sequence), but in it Melville gives you his most realized vision of social outcasts surviving(or trying to) outside the law. The criminals barely talk perhaps because they know who they are and this gives them a dignity and even a grace that the cops and informants who endlessly babble on never come close to. When watching Le Samourai or Un Flic or Cercle Rouge instead of thinking about other film makers you think of writers like Herman Melville(who Jean-Pierre named himself after) &Joseph Conrad and perhaps some of the better mystery writers who also ruminate or brood about the nature of man. If you are a person who likes noirs for their snappy wise guy dialogue then this is not the film nor film maker for you but if you like your noirs moody and bleak, and icy cool, well Melville is your man. Alain Delon: Of course when you think "icy cool" you think of no other actor than Alain Delon. His presence is as central to Melvilles films as was Mifunes to Kurosawas. It is hard to imagine any other actor playing the roles he does. Another great Alain Delon film: Purple Noon.
Rating: 
Summary: riviting
Review: Riviting movie I was first made aware by 1/2 pg reviews in the n y times around jan 03 during its re release..and was able to locate a vhs copy in french with english and greek subtitles..and became a fan of melville's..prior reviews are excellent and I suggest melville's other movies be tracked down for your enjoyment .he appears in person as a film director during orig. Breathless and good background from interviews that appear as special features on dvd Bob le Flambeur.not all his movies are yet on dvd so track down vhs where possible..worth the trouble....
Rating:
Summary: One of the finest achievemenst of Melville!
Review: Tauting , provocative and sugestive thriller ; this monumental work still hasn't received the important place it deserves widely.
The script turns around three men linked by the faustic fate . Delon joins with an unknown ex convict and an alcoholic ex cop.
The premise is extremely interesting ; don't forget the film noir still lives in France and from time to time it makes feel itself.
The sequence of the robbery is a warmth homagge to Rififi ; Melville was so meticulous that almost kept the equal timing than that one .
Jean Pierre Melville has been called the most american of the french film makers and the most french of the american film makers .
But, far the bitterness hidden behind those adjectives ; Melville made in 1970 a great contribution for the film noir . He's a gifted director . Bob le flambeur , and L'arme des sombres are two important films that prove widely he's a fine film maker and his concerns turn around the great challenges ; no matter the moral of your action ; you feel passion aroun the human beings who are involved in the mission.
This film will reward you always . A winner film!
Rating:
Summary: Melville's cosmology
Review: The cold, slow-paced and existential treatment of this crime story comes from a different world, Melville's world, where darkness is pure enlightment.
Rating:
Summary: Marvelous Concoction of Philosophy, Suspense & Fate...
Review: The director Jean-Pierre Melville, who passed away in 1973, has influenced several directors such as Jim Jarmusch, Quentin Tarantino, and John Woo, and his films have influenced several new films. The recent Ocean's Twelve and its predecessor appears to have been influenced by the characters in Melville's Bob le Flambeur (1955) while Good Thief (2002) is more or less a remake with Neil Jordan's own adaptation. In addition, John Woo is currently planning to shoot a remake on Le Cercle Rouge with the title Red Circle with intended release date set sometime in 2006. However, Melville's stories are nothing like the fast-paced action films by Woo, or quick-witted cinematic exploitations by Tarantino. Melville's stories focus on what is within the frame of each scene, as focus in brought on the characters and the actions of the characters. This way Melville conveys more than just the mere words of the characters, which leaves much for the audience to contemplate upon while a succession of frames leads the audience to a new and unexplored terrain of cinema.
In Melville's Le Cercle Rouge, he initiates the film with a made up Buddhist saying stating that all men who are destined to meet will meet, which also refers to the films title. The `Buddhist saying' plants a seed in the audience's mind, which will have great consequence for the film's characters as they cannot escape their destiny. The saying also brings a philosophical debate in regards to existentialism through a band of criminals and a police force. Two of the characters whose future seems to be linked are Corey (Alain Delon) and Vogel (Gian Maria Volonté), both criminals. Corey is freshly released after having had served time in prison and he does not waste time as he gets back into his previous ruts as he robs an old associate and buys a car. The other character, Vogel, is transported handcuffed as he is approaching the prison where about to serve time, but he succeeds in escaping and manages to avoid the police by hiding in the trunk of Corey's car. Thus, the two men's fates to meet is sealed.
Corey drives out into a secluded area of the woods where he asks Vogel to exit the trunk as he steps back from the car. Corey is also aware of a gun that was hidden in the trunk, which might have been recovered by his passenger. When Vogel steps out there is a moment of silence as the two men study each other's appearances and actions, as a distrusting pet would smell a stranger. This moment portrays the distrustful code in which criminals coexist and the meaning in which they find a purpose in life. In essence, the moment represents the red circle that has been connected as these two men were meant to meet. This leads both men to Paris where they begin to plan a jewel heist, which requires further help from a team of professionals in the field.
The police are in full force searching for the escaped Vogel that eluded Police Captain Mattei (Bourvil). A rather upset Mattei is determined to recover Vogel as he has a strong sense of purpose in life, which is now spiced up since Vogel escaped. Fatigued Mattei returns to his small apartment where he feeds his cats and tries recover physically and emotionally as he recognizes the severity of having lost Vogel under his watch. The return to the apartment displays Mattei's purpose as it illustrates Mattei's personality through his actions and the mise-en-scene, which brilliantly depicts his values.
Melville diffuses the drawn line between the criminal element and the law enforcement as he depicts a symbiotic like atmosphere between the two. In addition, the point that there is an overlapping between the two worlds comes across even more strongly through a dialogue between the Police Chief and Mattei. In the conversation, the Police Chief says, "And don't forget: All guilty." Mattei asks, "Even policemen?" The police chief responds, "All men, Mr. Mattei." This cynical perspective of mankind brings a humane side to people, as all people will make mistakes throughout life as Mattei did when he lost Vogel.
Le Cercle Rouge is a string of awesome scenes that is tied together into a brilliant cinematic experience. The star-studded (Alain Delon, Gian Maria Volonté, and Yves Montand) cast does not become the wheel for the story's success, but the cinematic narration under Melville's direction does. The direction exhibits meticulous orientation of details as the actions of the characters, the script, the mise-en-scene, the camerawork, and the sound comes together into marvelous concoction of philosophical insights, suspense, and fate.
Rating:
Summary: Stylish, Jazzy, and Austere: Melville's Last Classic.
Review: The premise is simple: a man named Corey (Alain Delon) is released from prison but is unable to avoid his randez-vous with destiny. True, this had been tried before Melville made The Red Circle. However, great photography should grab you within minutes: cool, dissolved hues framed by a skilled illusionist. The scene in the muddy field registers as one of the best of noir cinema: Vogel (Gian Maria Volonte), an upredictable and fearless fugitive meets the stark, taciturn Corey. Only indispensable dialogue here, a gesture with a toss of pack of cigarettes and the sublime theme composed by Eric De Marsan - the circle is now half-drawn and this movie genre has never since been the same. We never quite see a fork in the road for any of these guys: Corey, Vogel or Jansen, a cop-turned-gangster played by Yves Montand. All three, in spite of their efficiency, move closer and closer to an inevitably tragic end. Thus sets a feeling of temporariness. Whether it's a few thousand franks, a life of a goon in pursuit, or a near-encounter with a lost beautiful woman - it is an imprint as lasting as a puff of smoke from a Galoise. Andre Bourvil created a most convincing portrait of a veteran policeman, whose final coming to the table is as assured as that of Bergmanesque Grim Reaper. Watch the game unfold, while also enjoing the incredible piano arpeggios, brass sections, and a bunch of fantastic supporting-role actors.
Rating:
Summary: a great crime drama
Review: This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.
"Le cercle rouge" (The Red Circle) is a really known film in France, but less famous internationally.
In the film, an ex-con returns to his old ways and meets up with a prisoner who jas just made a daring escape from police custody while being transferred to another prison.
The film has some excellent scenes typical of such a movie and includes some nice cinematography.
The special features on the DVD are quite impressive also.
All of the special features are on disc 2 they are:
Two theatrical trailers. the original and a re-release trailer. a photo gallery with publicity shots amd lobby cards. A half hour of on-set footage with interviews of selected cast & crew. There is also a set of interviews with Rui Nogueira and Bernard Stora, Finally tre is a set of excerpts of " Cinéastes de notres temps: Jean-Pierre Melville" a biographical film about the director.
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