"Le cercle rouge" is known as an extremely pure and almost perfect classic movie. It can be called a model for police and gangster movies and is the masterpiece of director Jean-Pierre Grumbach himself. The film has multiple levels of themes and rich connotations, so it can be simply regarded as a cop film, or it can be understood through deeper thinking to understand its subtle meaning. The film presents the themes such as desperate fighting among the underworld, the right to steal, righteousness and honor, loyalty and friendship, which are often found in police and criminal movies, deeply moving and unique. It further extends the above themes to the level and height of social philosophy. The tragic ending that the three finally met in a pool of death also echoes the allusion of the "blood ring" of Buddha Sakyamuni in the opening film, and reflects the helpless tragic fate and fate of those who oppose the system under the suppression and chasing of powerful forces. Fate that cannot be escaped. The film’s most praiseworthy lies in its austere and calm style, with extremely concise dialogue, which has Melville's personal characteristics and unique style.
There is almost a half-hour-long scene in the film with almost no dialogue, but Melville uses the precise combination of video and sound to present this scene to the audience like a stream of water. With his austere lens and images, unexpected plot arrangement, complex and changeable scenes, skilled lens scheduling and smooth and condensed editing, the whole scene is very impressive. At the same time, environmental sounds and special sound effects are used. The excellent use of these sound montages adds tension to the film, making the whole scene full of dramatic tension and exciting. This whole scene is a model of the artistic conception of "the silence is better than the sound", and its ingenious film skills are amazing, and it can be called a film demonstration textbook
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