Le Cercle Rouge (1970)

No place to hide . . . nowhere to run . . .

A man is released from a 5-year prison term on the same day a convicted murderer escapes from a train. The two men’s paths cross and, together with an alcoholic ex-cop, they plan the perfect heist (an astonishing, completely wordless 30-minute masterstroke). This was Melville’s biggest commercial success in France and perhaps his most perfectly realised crime film. The flawless cast features a set of quintessential Melvillian trench coated anti-heroes played by Alain Delon, Yves Montand and Gian Maria Volonté.

Synopsis by Adrian Danks.

Rating

M

Language

French

Cast

Alain Delon, Bourvil, Gian Maria Volonté, Yves Montand

Director

Jean-Pierre Melville