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Le Cercle Rouge

1970 · TMDB 7.6 · Le Cercle rouge

Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville

When French criminal Corey gets released from prison, he resolves to never return. He is quickly pulled back into the underworld, however, after a chance encounter with escaped murderer Vogel. Along with former policeman and current alcoholic Jansen, they plot an intricate jewel heist. All the while, quirky Police Commissioner Mattei, who was the one to lose custody of Vogel, is determined to find him.

Why it matters

Melville's late masterpiece, in which an escaped convict, a released prisoner, and a corrupt ex-policeman converge on a jewellery heist. The film's colour palette and stillness have influenced everyone from Michael Mann to John Woo.

From The Heist Film Slips Its Own Cuffs

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