The Red Circle

The central plotline involves a perfect crime that the director first wanted to bring to the screen in 1950. Although set in Paris, Melville’s original screenplay structurally corresponds to a Western. Suspense and expectation envelop the film from the get-go as preparations are made for a grand heist. The lives of the three protagonists converge for their common goal. While the lead-in presents an escape scene, creating an impression that it has played out in real time, things gradually speed up, with the action alternating more frequently. Evidence that the film involves an actual circle comes in the final scene, which attempts to evoke the same documentary-like impression and, therefore, a credible depiction of reality. Chance is another important element, bringing together escaped convict Vogel, released convict Corey, and ex-police sharpshooter Jansen. The scene of the robbery itself is implemented like a surgical procedure in the bowels of a jewelry store. Thanks to their clothing and masks, the protagonists transform into mere black silhouettes, and the viewer isn’t distracted by "inappropriate facial expressions.” More than ever before, we appreciate the director’s mastery in controlling the rhythm of his films, using it to manipulate us, while, at the same time, it allows us to get unusually close to his characters. In the end, isn’t the commission of the robbery just a vivid documentary sequence that presents a particular craft in all its details?