After spending five years in prison, a thief is tipped off by a guard of a jewelry store that is ripe for the picking. The day after being released from custody, an escaped convict stows away in his trunk and after the fugitive saves the man's life, the two form a bond and the thief returns to his life of crime. The men enlist an alcoholic retired cop, who just so happens to be acquainted with the man chasing the escaped convict, and plot to take down the jewelry store, although their fates may have already been sealed. Le Cercle Rouge is a stylish and well executed thriller from masterful French New Wave director Jean-Pierre Melville, who is here reteamed with lead actor Alain Delon, whom both scored huge marks with the wonderful Le Samourai. In a film of coincidences, which have fallen in favor in modern day films, Melville focuses not so much on these happenings as he does on pure filmmaking. The crisp film looks great and the dialogue and the plotting are well handled. The dialogue free heist is also a highlight of the film. With Le Cercle Rouge and following Le Samourai, Melville further proves that action films can be intelligent as well as entertaining.
