Here in this film, you have so many elements that you already have in other features from Melville. Pictural and soundly. For instance the crows roars, when Delon and Maria Volonte meet, in the countryside, beside Delon's car trunk; the same you have in ARMY OF SHADOWS, when Ventura walks in the countryside, near the prisonner camp, or the farm. Second the rattling sound during the jewellery heist, when the alarm system switches off, the same sound that you have in ARMY OF SHADOWS, during the scene where the resistants in the ambulance try to pull the escape of Felix, from the Lyon prison. And the scene where Yves Montand, the former cop and sharp shooter decides to get rid of the tripod to pull the trigger against the alarm system button, the same scheme as Denis Manuel removes the rifle lense in LE DEUXIEME SOUFFLE, during the armored truck heist, or more precisely against the policeman on his motorcycle. Heist sequence of course makes us think about RIFIFI scene, dialogue free outstanding moment. And Yves Montand gives here one of his best performances ever. The highlight is during the last seconds of the heist, just before he leaves the jewellery lobby, taking a look, a long look at the alarm lock, which gave him his psychological freedom; the lock that proved him he was not finished. Terrific scene. Anyway his character is full of.nobility, refusing his cut on the loot and offering his help to his partners till the very end of the affair. Only Melville could give us this. Only him.
Review of The Red Circle
