commissaire mattei ( andré bourvil ) be a single with a little gun who love cat and his bos at the paris police department be a philosopher who know that even the police become sooner or later guilty . that be what the film be all about . and a jewel robbery at the place vendome . corey ( delon ) bring the plan from prison and vogel ( volonté ) join him and help him against two tough guy and who be after him and because he take mafioso rico ( andre eycan ) money and while rico already take coreys girl friend and leave him very much alone for five year in jail . corey and vogel find a third man and jansen ( montand ) and a former police officer and sniper who open a security lock by shoot special hand make ammunition into a hole . a perfect plan and cooperation and but they have to sell the booty and there be mattei in the role of a buyer in disguise . the circle close . run to help each other they be shoot by the cat love mattei and his little pistol . it take melville 20 year he say to make a robbery film after he fail to get a contract for riffifi . melville write the screenplay and film in the south of france and in paris of yesteryear . the great henri decae be as usual the lighting cameraman . it be the one before last picture of melville who die after another film with delon in 1972. melville actually want belmondo instead of volonté and he do not like that italian at all and but volonté vogel be an excellent fugitive and give next to bourvil the most convincing performance . but mind you represent melville note and that volonté be an instinctive actor and a strange character and very wearying and absolutely impossible on a french set . melville do not like him at all and do not want to work with him ever again . melville be wrong . volonté give the most lively character in the nowhere of not so many interesting character . you can see what he be feel be chase by mattei and his little dangerous gun and all the dog of france in winter 70. a wild actor . also andré bourvil and who pass away close to the time of the filming . he also be not first choice and but definitely a great substitute . he carry the instinct of a lonely hunter through the whole film and get in the end his chance to become guilty once more . jansen have enter at night the jewelry shop with a rifle and a tripod but risk eventually freehandedly a successful shot . when he meet delon the first time we already know that the elegant jansen have a severe drinking problem . after the robbery montand renounce to take his part of the booty and mention to delon and who look up to him and that he only get into the red circle and because he want to take revenge on the inhabitant of his wardrobe . delon doesn not catch what he mean . the audience recall have see montand in a great scene in his haunt house fight helplessly nightmare creature that come out of the wardrobe and attack him . at that time a very rare scene and one recall a long time after . i bet it be ever so difficult to arrange and direct that stuff at a time no one imagine the come day of digital movie making . great artwork when art be make by hand . we sure will remember a crew like the actor and still it seem even after 33 year this one stay the less popular of the six thriller of melville . what be wrong with it . i be afraid one doesn not take much interest in those three actor ( show three criminal ) and their police hunter . we learn too little about corey and his fatal 5 year away from his beautiful girl ( anna douking ) . montand be still a great sniper and but what make him become a drinking man with funny creature in his wardrobe . delon act a if he be in an early adventure of the samourai and volonté be the man in the trunk of delons american car and superbly move and mattei be swell to look at and a great actor at the edge of his life . but how could he ever possibly doubt that all be guilty . in an interview melville state and that there be no woman in the film . not in the very red circle and but i remember well that jolly good look female anna douking ( with no future career ) . we be in the 70 . there in fact rise a woman from the bed of an old mafioso wear nothing and walk slowly to the door to listen to the voice of her old lover delon . bardot do something like that 10 year earlier . this time melville be direct . well do . the red cercle have certainly add a few but not many glitter gem to film history . the robbery at place vendome and montands wonder bullet the inhabitant of the wardrobe and volonté escape bouvil in white underwear and carry his trouser carefully across a stream . that be too little for a great gangster and robbery movie . but the 110 minute never bore you and it be a game on a high level . and there be probably some secret you learn when you see the film over and over again . none of the secret be that we be all guilty and the late francois perier be also feature . michael zabel .