‘Circle’ spins around without any soul
Print Edition
“THE Red Circle,” or “Le Cercle Rouge” in its native French, opens with a quote from Buddha about a red circle, fate and stuff. As the translation on Wikipedia has it.
“When men, even unknowingly, are to meet one day, whatever may befall each, whatever the diverging paths, on the said day, they will inevitably come together in the red circle.”
It’s something that sounds nice, until you actually think about it, and you realize it can be chopped down to, “Things sometimes are connected.” Also, Buddha never actually said that. Director Jean-Paul Melville made it up.
So what we’re talking about is bunk on top of bunk. To be clear, I love bunk: Quentin Tarantino made up a Bible quote to frame “Pulp Fiction” (“The path of the righteous…”), and it was thrilling.
Conversely, the quote in “The Red Circle” is simply ponderous, something from a new age book of quotes sold at a psychic fair.
This sort of eye-rolling false intellectualism hinders an admittedly influential film with some interesting characters and effective moments.
A suave thief (played by Alain Delon) is released from prison. Simultaneously, a ruthless murderer (Gian-Maria Volonte) being transferred to another prison escapes. After a serendipitous meeting, they soon recruit an alcoholic ex-police sharpshooter (Yves Montand) who has feverish, hallucinatory dreams after drinking.
Meanwhile, Bourvil plots his revenge on the murderer, including perhaps by underhanded methods.
That’s the main story. There’s also a police commissioner (Paul Amiot) who talks about how every man is guilty. Amiot is supposed to be the philosopher of the group, less a Keystone Kop than Kierkegaard. And like the Buddha quote about the red circle, it’s more deflating than enlightening.
If the film could be described in one word, it would be “stark.” This is a movie that sometimes goes more than 10 minutes without dialogue, with only a few scenes having a soundtrack. Like the 1977 film “Sorcerer,” it creates a real sense of discomfort and tension. Sometimes.
John Woo is a fan of “The Red Circle” and its influence is noticed: allowing for quiet moments during intense situations; truly evil characters who don’t justify their actions; and unceremonious violence.
Those are all used well by Woo, along with a heap of soul. That’s something that is lacking here.
Date: July 15, 9pm
Admission: Free
Venue: Dada
Address: 115 Xingfu Rd
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