Review of Le Cercle Rouge (1970) by Jaime D — 17 Jun 2011
The theme of Le Cercle Rouge reminds you a lot of Hollywood noirs like "The Asphalt Jungle", "The Killing" but what separates it from them is Melville's minimalist style & approach. He gives you absolute no background of characters in focus through plot. May be a few indications here & there and that too submerged in vast details about what one can easily term "Nothing".Unlike Hollywood noirs where crisp dialogues is an inherent feature, here characters hardly talk and so phlegmatic you can be tempted to call them wooden.
It's minimalism in it's extreme form and many people can get put off by it but if you can sink your teeth in it's as cool as anything you have seen. The grittiness that characterizes it might easily have inspired 70's cinema in Hollywood that I so adore bcz of the gritty realism that colored them. Melville's favorite Alain Delon is top notch again but here he almost gets surpassed by actors like Bourvil and Yves Montand.
Not a film to suit all tastes but an immensely satisfying version of noir classics you may have loved.
This review of Le Cercle Rouge (1970) was written by Jaime D on 17 Jun 2011.
Le Cercle Rouge has generally received very positive reviews.
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