Film: Le Cercle Rouge
Release date: 13th September 2010
Certificate: PG
Running time: 140 mins
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville
Starring: Alain Delon, Yves Montand, Bourvil, François Périer, Gian Maria Volonté
Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller
Studio: Optimum
Format: Blu-ray
Country: France/Italy
Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Cercle Rouge was originally released in 1970, and is an outstanding example of the director’s style. The film was the second collaboration between the director and actor Alain Delon, and represented the same sort of artist/muse relationship as exemplified by the likes of Martin Scorsese/Robert De Niro, John Ford/John Wayne, and John Woo/Chow Yun Fat. Delon’s stoical style of acting lended itself well to the cool laconic characters of Melville’s films, such as Le Samourai and Un Flic.
Whilst being transported to prison via overnight train, convicted murderer Vogel (Volonte) makes a daring escape from inspector Mattei (Bourvil), the policeman guarding him. A huge dragnet exercise ensues in an effort to recapture him, but Vogel is able to evade the police by stowing away in the boot of a car. That car has just been purchased by Corey, just out of prison.
Corey has already managed to upset his old mob boss since his release, and is now planning a big jewellery heist based on a tip-off from a prison guard. Together, with the help of former policeman and expert marksman Jansen, they pull off a daring robbery, but the police and the mob are hot on their heels…
Le Cercle Rouge contains almost zero exposition, the audience expected to pick up on details as depicted on screen. During the opening scenes, we witness two men racing to the train station to catch their train at the last minute. It is only when the two men are inside their compartment that we learn something of who they are and what their relationship is: Inspector Mattei, handcuffed to his prisoner Vogel. Another example is the soured relationship between Corey and his old mob boss, which is never explicitly explained, but the fact that his ex-girlfriend is sharing the boss’ bed when Corey calls on him in the middle of the night just might have something to do with it. Similarly, we never discover why Vogel was being sent to prison, only that he is a murderer.
The people who occupy the world of Le Cercle Rouge are all men of few words (there is only one female character of note, and she has no dialogue at all). Despite the amount of intricate visual detail on show, there is very little discussion, and what there is takes place in a very oblique manner, and any information or exposition discussed between characters occurs either just before the start of a scene, or just after the scene cuts away.
Modern audiences more used to quick-fire editing and visual short-hand might find the meticulous pace of Le Cercle Rouge a bit tough-going. Melville likes to show the detail and process of every little action. Take, for example, the scene where Corey and Vogel finally come face to face, after Vogel has stowed away in Corey’s trunk. We watch as Corey drives his car into the middle of a muddy field. The camera slowly pans around 360 degrees to show that there isn’t a living soul between here and the horizon, so Vogel will know that he is safe for the time being.
Similarly, with the jewellery heist, Melville’s deliberate pacing mirrors the perfectly planned and executed robbery. Modern films would showcase the planning, taking the audience through it before it takes place, allowing the film to take short-cuts in its presentation. Melville, instead, chooses to leave the audience in the dark, forcing them to follow each step as it takes place.
Despite the glacier pacing, the film still manages to provide a number of surprises. When we first meet Jansen (Yves Montand), he is a wreck of a drunk, collapsed in a bed surrounded by empty bottles. He’s also suffering from some bizarre hallucinations, which Melville chooses to treat as real, physical manifestations to both Jansen and the audience. It’s a very surreal moment in a film which is set very firmly in the everyday. Another exemplary shot is towards the beginning, as we see Inspector Mattei framed in the window of the speeding train, as the camera pulls back into the sky. It’s the sort of shot which would only be attempted these days with the use of CGI.
Melville’s Le Cercle Rouge is a meticulous, drawn-out affair which may leave modern film fans restless. For everyone else, the film is a treat of cool posturing and intricate plotting. The Blu-ray edition is so picture-perfect that you’d think it had been filmed just last week. MOW
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