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Le Cercle RougeSource: French Library
Date viewed: March 14, 2007
This movie came out in 1970. By genre, it's a thriller, but by today's standards it's as slow moving as a Merchant Ivory picture. It focusses on four characters, three intent on committing a crime, and one intent on stopping them. The slow pace does not diminish the suspense that builds as the story moves along, but it is certainly a change from modern movies. There's a jewel heist in a room with electric eyes that shares some elements with a similar scene in Mission Impossible I, but in other ways, it couldn't be more different. Another major difference: no sound track. During the heist, the movie runs pretty much in real time and you hear nothing but the movements of the men for something like 45 minutes. The message, that all men are guilty, is very French. My only complaint is that after the long, careful buildup, the end is rushed and a little bit stupid. - A
I liked this movie right up until the last few minutes. I don't want to give anything away, but hey, it's French... you can pretty much guess what happens. I thought that the silent part was incredible. I've never seen anything like it in any movie before. You'll have to decide for yourselves, however, whether 45 minutes of nearly absolute silence in a two-hour-and-twenty-minute-long movie is enough of an enticement for you. - T
