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That is what Inspector Mattei (André Bourvil) tells night club owner and reluctant informer Santi as he questions him about the whereabouts of a fugitive. Even though he'd like to pretend he's above "snitching" and beyond his past life, it is in his nature. The same can be said about our two lead criminals: Corey (Alain Delon) and Vogel (Gian Maria Volonté), both of which can't change their course.
Le Cercle Rouge opens with a made-up Buddhist saying that references fate and how certain people will undoubtedly meet in "the red circle", regardless of the path they take. That is the case with both Corey and Vogel, as well as the other characters that circle around them as they prepare to carry out a heist; from the drunken but skilled marksman they chose as their third partner, to the shifty fence they expect will help them sell the goods after, or even the persistent Mattei.
The film starts with a bang, as we see Vogel escape Mattei, while Corey is released from prison only to go back to his usual doings. They still haven't met each other, but they're both proving from the get go that "nothing can change a man's basic nature". They meet through a spectacular case of luck and chance – you know, that "red circle" – and immediately learn to respect each other as they set out to commit this heist.
After that first act, it does take its time to set everything up for the heist. I do feel this part could've been trimmed a bit. There is an effective atmosphere built through the character's interactions, but I think some parts could've been abbreviated. The heist, which has echoes of Rififi all over, does succeed in building up tension as we see our three main characters carry it out in silence for almost half an hour.
I also had some issues with the ending, which felt a bit rushed and anticlimatic. Regardless of that, Le Cercle Rouge manages to create an atmospheric and tense heist film about a bunch of characters that just can't change their basic nature, and just can't escape the fate that awaits them in "the red circle".
Grade:
LE CERCLE ROUGE
(1970, Melville)
(1970, Melville)
"Nothing can change a man's basic nature."
That is what Inspector Mattei (André Bourvil) tells night club owner and reluctant informer Santi as he questions him about the whereabouts of a fugitive. Even though he'd like to pretend he's above "snitching" and beyond his past life, it is in his nature. The same can be said about our two lead criminals: Corey (Alain Delon) and Vogel (Gian Maria Volonté), both of which can't change their course.
Le Cercle Rouge opens with a made-up Buddhist saying that references fate and how certain people will undoubtedly meet in "the red circle", regardless of the path they take. That is the case with both Corey and Vogel, as well as the other characters that circle around them as they prepare to carry out a heist; from the drunken but skilled marksman they chose as their third partner, to the shifty fence they expect will help them sell the goods after, or even the persistent Mattei.
The film starts with a bang, as we see Vogel escape Mattei, while Corey is released from prison only to go back to his usual doings. They still haven't met each other, but they're both proving from the get go that "nothing can change a man's basic nature". They meet through a spectacular case of luck and chance – you know, that "red circle" – and immediately learn to respect each other as they set out to commit this heist.
After that first act, it does take its time to set everything up for the heist. I do feel this part could've been trimmed a bit. There is an effective atmosphere built through the character's interactions, but I think some parts could've been abbreviated. The heist, which has echoes of Rififi all over, does succeed in building up tension as we see our three main characters carry it out in silence for almost half an hour.
I also had some issues with the ending, which felt a bit rushed and anticlimatic. Regardless of that, Le Cercle Rouge manages to create an atmospheric and tense heist film about a bunch of characters that just can't change their basic nature, and just can't escape the fate that awaits them in "the red circle".
Grade: