Le Cercle Rouge (1970)

Name: Le Cercle Rouge (1970)
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Crime
Released: January 10, 2003
Duration: 140 min
Rating: 92
Cast: Alain Delon, Bourvil, Gian Maria Volonté

2003

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 19 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 36 Ratings

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8.2

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8.2	User Score Universal acclaim based on 36 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Rialto Pictures | Release Date: January 10, 2003 | Not Rated

Starring: Alain Delon, Bourvil, Gian Maria Volonté

Summary: Corey (Alain Delon) is an aristocratic thief, released from prison on the same day that Vogel (Gian-Maria Volonté), a murderer, escapes from the custody of Mattei (Bourvil), a cat-loving police superintendent. Corey robs Rico (André Ekyan), his mob boss, then enlists Vogel and an ex-police sharpshooter, Jansen (Yves Montand), in a jewelCorey (Alain Delon) is an aristocratic thief, released from prison on the same day that Vogel (Gian-Maria Volonté), a murderer, escapes from the custody of Mattei (Bourvil), a cat-loving police superintendent. Corey robs Rico (André Ekyan), his mob boss, then enlists Vogel and an ex-police sharpshooter, Jansen (Yves Montand), in a jewel heist. While Corey is harried by the vengeful Rico, Mattei pressures Santi, a nightclub owner and pimp, to help him trap the thieves.… Expand

Director: Jean-Pierre Melville

Genre(s): Drama, Thriller, Crime

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 140 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Roger Ebert

There is one cool, understated scene after another. Read full review

100

Lisa Schwarzbaum

The antidote to every square tough-guy caper you've ever seen, and the inspiration for many great ones. It is an existential imperative to seek out a showing and burn rubber to get there, preferably in an excellent car. Read full review

100

Michael Wilmington

Watching Le Cercle Rouge, we're caught up in a world that, however improbable some of its twists and turns seem, strikes us as a perfect, imaginative creation. Read full review

Peter Rainer

At its best, the film compares favorably to its obvious antecedents, "Rififi" (which Melville once hoped to direct) and "The Asphalt Jungle." Read full review

Scott Foundas

Melville seems to peer out from behind the camera with a reassuring wink and nod. Le Cercle Rouge is the most self-consciously cool of his famously underheated films noirs. Read full review

Marta Barber

As film noirs go, this one is a classic. Read full review

Mick LaSalle

Clearly a minor classic, mainly for reasons besides its crime story plot -- namely, the urbane fatalism of its cast and the overall mood of inevitability that hangs over every scene. Read full review

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User Reviews

JMH

May 7, 2012

Melville's impeccably constructed, paced, and plotted "Le cercle rouge" is the antithesis of overblown, contemporary Hollywood crime thrillers. And for the better in every sense. Hollywood may have rotted your mind leaving you without the attention span to take in such a film. But if it'sMelville's impeccably constructed, paced, and plotted "Le cercle rouge" is the antithesis of overblown, contemporary Hollywood crime thrillers. And for the better in every sense. Hollywood may have rotted your mind leaving you without the attention span to take in such a film. But if it's not, or if you have a glimmer of hope it's not, watch this film. Melville's deliberate storytelling zooms in on the essence of the escape, the chase, and the heist; on criminals, other sordid figures, and cops. Everything the viewer needs and wants to know is spun out carefully and grippingly. There's not an explosion every 3 minutes in this film. There's no faux suspense. There are no fast-paced, quick thrills. Yet every moment of "Le cercle rouge" is richly absorbing crime drama of the highest order.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

SteveK.

Jan 13, 2006

The transfer is pristine, the story is intriguing and, in it's genre, it's an absolute top rank example. What's not to love?

0 of 0 users found this helpful

EpicLadySponge

Aug 31, 2016

Le Cercle Rouge does what no other movie has done in the beginning of 2003. They managed to release this bad dog to the theaters and it's still amazing to this very day and it still will be even if you say it won't.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

CalibMcBolts

May 30, 2016

i wanted to like this movie. i really did. but in the end, it just didn't hold up to other good, similar genre movies of the same time period. I had a major problem with the decisions of the characters in the film. Also the movie is not tight enough. Overall the storyline is weak. it justi wanted to like this movie. i really did. but in the end, it just didn't hold up to other good, similar genre movies of the same time period. I had a major problem with the decisions of the characters in the film. Also the movie is not tight enough. Overall the storyline is weak. it just didn't have that hook, that special intangible aspect to make it a cool movie. It was just sort of bland and the acting was just decent in my opinion except for yves montand of course.

A main problem of mine was how vogel and corey met in the first place. That whole scene was just too much to be coincidental. I didn't buy it at all. In fact I thought the entire thing had been arranged beforehand somehow, which would have made a way better plot line. But to tell me that vogel is running, checks the trunks of all the cars and just happens to find corey's open is too much. And then corey, a man just released from prison, goes right along with it without skipping a beat.

This movie is just a long, slow, weaker version of Rififi. What is most bothersome is that instead of the crooks being cool and crafty, they are lame and blundering. No wonder the movie starts out with them captured or in jail-- I'm not surprised (and they ended up dead-- duh, saw that coming)!

Other ridiculous things:
"Hey I just got out of jail-- how about I buy a car with dirty money from a rival criminal?!"
"Hey, let's recruit the new gang member at a known hangout for gangsters!"
"Hey, we can poorly tie up the guard right next to the alarm button!"
"Hey, let's leave the rope ladder with our fingerprints all over it hanging from the roof of the jewelry shop!"
"Hey, let's steal millions in jewelry and have ONE possible buyer for it all!"
I could go on and on... (continuing with the fact that the tip of this "easy heist" came from a POLICE GUARD!).

Yves Montand actually is the onlycharacter that's interesting with any sort of depth in this entire movie. And at least he's not stupid enough to die by getting SHOT IN THE BACK while RUNNING AWAY!

Le Cercle Rouge is an interesting film to have seen, but i have no intention in rewatching it. It's way to dry to be entertaining or interesting. Melville's other work Le Samourai, is one of my favorite movies of all time though… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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