The heist film has long been a purveyor of cinematic cool, from Michael Mann's Heat, to Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven. Yet, the champion of all heist films belongs to a film made decades before the heist genre reached its pinnacle in North America. Jean-Pierre Melville's 1970 classic Le Cercle Rouge stands as one of the most unique, yet influential films in one of cinema's most fruitful genres. In establishing what the modern heist film could be, Melville makes the climax of his film a 30-minute sequence filmed with surgical precision and barely any dialogue, yet the audience is stuck on the edge of their seat, in a way much more frenetic films could only dream of doing.

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How Jean-Pierre Melville Handles 'Le Cercle Rouge's Heist

Le Cercle Rouge - 1970
Image via Variety Distribution

Jean-Pierre Melville delivers Le Cercle Rouge's heist through razor sharp filmmaking and rock solid writing. What Le Cercle Rouge lacks in crazy characters, it makes up for in some of the most precise directing ever seen in the crime genre. This is never more apparent than in the climactic heist sequence the film is most known for, but that sequence would not be nearly as effective without the film building up to it. While the cold yet cool convict is a well-worn cliché in 2023, Melville's handling of the archetype still feels refreshing 53 years onward. The audience never sees much beyond the motivation for money for our main characters, yet we are just as invested as we are for much more complex characters such as Al Pacino's Sonny in Dog Day Afternoon. This is a testament to both Melville's ability as a filmmaker, and just how cool Alain Delon was on the big screen. Everyone's motivation is very simple. Make money, don't go back to prison. Melville uses this very straightforward motivation as vehicle for some of the coolest crime cinema ever put to celluloid.

The heist in this film is the biggest example of how much Melville is able to get out of a premise that most directors would only get a fraction of material out of. Whereas most would frame a heist as a stressful, fast-paced ride, Melville approaches it with distance. Sniping a lock until it opens, carefully stealing jewels, and escaping with the loot is all presented with the wordless rigor of seasoned professionals. We never get the faux stress often imposed onto other heist films, of people screwing it all up; these characters are professionals, and perform as such. Even the sniper, the alcoholic former cop Jansen, manages to do his job right, and everything goes according to plan. Our heroes manage to escape with the jewels, and a hopeful awaits them, with a big score just accomplished.

Yet, there can be no happiness in the life of a criminal. Even when you manage to pull off the big heist, the long arm of the law is still bearing down on you. What makes Le Cercle Rouge such a unique film is its distance to its protagonists. Compared to the cat and mouse game of Heat, or the raw charisma of the cast in the Ocean's films, the way our heroes get systematically caught and killed at the end of the film makes it such a unique experience for the audience. These characters were skilled enough to make it through the complex heist, yet fall victim to a classic setup. These characters are both Stoic criminals beyond measure, and so desperate they walk right into a trap. This dynamic makes the film stand out, even decades after its release.

Similarities Between Jean-Pierre Melville & Robert Bresson

Le Cercle Rouge opens with a quote attributed to the Buddha, yet came from Melville himself. "Siddhārtha Gautama, the Buddha, drew a circle with a piece of red chalk and said: 'When men, even unknowingly, are to meet one day, whatever may befall each, whatever their diverging paths, on the said day, they will inevitably come together in the red circle.'" Melville gives away the game for the film in the opening minutes, yet the tension manages to reach levels unseen in any other heist films. This is very similar to another French master, Robert Bresson, and his 1956 film A Man Escaped.

Robert Bresson tells you that Fontaine will escape, yet you are on the edge of your seat regardless. Melville does the same here. It is clear that our heroes, regardless of what we want for them, will inevitably face the consequences for their actions. Committing the crime will cause their inevitable doom. Because of that, Melville's focus on their skill, their precision, and their success as criminals only makes that inevitable clash that much greater.

What makes Le Cercle Rouge stand the test of time is that there is no success. The heist is merely a fantasy, a means to achieve something that those who are forced to steal could never achieve. Melville’s brand of cinematic cool certainly influenced what came after, but the nihilism of this film was never replicated. Le Cercle Rouge stands as the only heist film to be as equally crushing as it is cool. You may want to be Alain Delon, but deep down you know what that will bring you. A masterpiece of a heist film, that stands unduplicated.