Review—Le Cercle Rouge (Criterion, UHD)

Author: Palo Sionoplia

Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Cercle Rouge is impossible to review; instead, one speaks of it in hallowed terms. Filmed on the heels of the Le Samourai and Army of Shadows, brilliant films in their own right, Melville’s penultimate film is the work of an artist at the peak of his powers. It is a definitive film noir, one of the greatest crime films ever made. It is one of the very few films you really ought to see before you die.

The presence of Le Cercle Rouge is felt everywhere, from the films of John Woo to Michael Mann to, alas, Quentin Tarantino. While the film hinges on a jewel heist, it is first and foremost a character study in which three desperate men join forces in an effort to survive and, hopefully, instill their shared world with purpose. Alain Delon leads the cast as Corey, a newly-released convict who is immediately pulled back into the underworld. Through an act of chance, he teams up with Vogel (played by Gian Maria Volante, an iconic star of Italian westerns), a fugitive from justice, and the pair recruit an alcoholic ex-cop named Jansen (played by Yves Montad) in order to rob a high-profile jewelry store.

Despite their proficiency, the adventure goes south. Le Cercle Rouge, though, is not really a crime caper; it is an exploration of the lost, a 150-minute journey into a world of darkness and silence. (The film’s 30-minute robbery sequence is famously shorn of dialogue.) The presentation of this film enhances those qualities considerably, providing greater resolution and texture than this film has ever seen before on home video. (For those who don’t yet have a UHD player, a blu-ray is included in the package. But do yourself a favor and upgrade. You won’t regret it.)

As Le Cercle Rouge is so purposefully sparse on dialogue, the performances are often dependent on subtle facial expressions; Alain Delon proves the most skilled at this minimalistic style, emoting an infinity of pain with via the slightest shift of the eyes. This, then, is the real benefit of viewing Le Cercle Rouge on UHD; not only does the film look better, but the performances are more accessible and understandable. Short of seeing this film on the big screen, you will never have greater access to Melville’s tortured world. The LPCM 1.0 audio track is rich and problem-free; while the dialogue is spare, you’ll miss none of its deliberate intensity.

While there are no extras on the UHD, Criterion ports over a heathy supply of bonus content from the company’s previous release. You will find the following on the included blu-ray:

Excerpt from “Jean-Pierre Melville (portrait en 9 poses)” (28 minutes)

Pour la cinema discussion of Le Cercle Rouge (6 minutes)

Midi Magazine feature Jean-Pierre Melville (5 minutes)

Vingt-quatre heures sur la deux featuring Jean-Pierre Melville and Alain Delon (4 minutes)

Morceaux de bravoure featuring Jean-Pierre Melville (10 minutes)

Bernard Stora on Jean-Pierre Melville (31 minutes)

Interview with Rui Nogueira, author of Melville on Melville (27 minutes)

Le Cercle Rouge trailer (2 minutes)

As per usual, Criterion includes a booklet of essays and photos; of particular note is the short but heartfelt text from John Woo.

While Criterion is relatively new to UHD, Le Cercle Rouge demonstrates the company’s competency with the format. If you already own this film, this release is a worthwhile upgrade. If you don’t already own this film, I don’t understand you.