Sparks fly when a newly escaped prisoner hitches a ride with a recently paroled thief! Once they convince a alcoholic ex-cop to go in a bank job with them, you won't know what will happen!
If that description sounds utterly generic, it's because the main story of Le Cercle Rogue is something that has been done in hundreds of movies over time. What sets the film apart and into the realm of classic French cinema, is the execution by writer/director Juan-Pierre Melville. His confident and straightforward style is perfect for this simple story. Le Circle Rogue is a meticulously paced film that never approaches becoming boring or tedious. In particular the climactic half hour heist scene is a thing of beauty. Dialogue is nowhere to be heard in that time frame and sound effects are at a bare minimum as well. The lack of sound plays perfectly, it's impossible to take your eye off the screen while the heist is going down. The four lead actors are all great, with Alain Delon giving an especially great "cool thief" performance. Before seeing Army of Shadows last week, I had never seen a Melville film. After watching that and Le Circle Rogue (and a soon to be viewed Le Samourai), it's safe to say he's fast becoming my favorite of all the great French directors.
Rating: 4.5
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