Le Cercle Rouge (1970)
The heist is in the details.
Presentation:
Melville sure knows how to make a thriller. The cinematography here might be the most polished of his all his films regarding considered framing. When the camera moves, it moves once and with great purpose. Melville always manages to get a full army in his movies and helicopter POV just feels so real. The movie is more structured with a fleshed out script. Alain Delon has striking eyes and makes for the slickest criminal. This heist really oozes with coolness, almost overflowing with it like some Bond film with characters posing for the camera. I think it’s overall a good thing. Some parts might feel slow in order to invite you to participate in all the ins and outs of the heist. This becomes very immersive for the final moment, where I actually felt my heart race as though I was step by step participating in it.
Conclusion:
Heist films are quite tricky. A successful one means you want them to pull it off, but you have to deal with the moral implications of it. Although you root for strange trio, it sort of just ends. There’s not much else to the film other than the heist. The heist execution is quite something different, but I think films like Rififi still outclass this one even if it’s not as smart or sleek. I really like this film and it’s better than a lot of modern heist films, but I prefer Le Samourai more.
Recommendations
Heist meets circus sideshow.