Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Steineded How sad is this?

Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Verity Robins Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

The_Void I wasn't sure what to expect from this film, so I just went into it hoping for an enjoyable thriller. The Circle actually gets off to a fairly intriguing start, as we are introduced to the main characters - Stan, a hit man and Jay; the wife of the man he was hired to kill. The first half of the film plays out pretty much like a straight thriller as we watch the pair interact and end up getting themselves into a tricky situation; but then it would seem that the writer started experimenting with some strange hallucinogenic drugs as the film descends into the surreal, and rather than being interesting; it's mostly ridiculous - even the end twist (which is fairly imaginative) isn't enough to save what should have been a straight thriller. The central focus of the plot is on Jay and how she tries to persuade the hit man to not kill her husband. Obviously even going to see him puts her in a compromising position; but strangely it does him also.The plot is fairly thin, and the focus is mainly on the characters. However, they're really not all that interesting; Scott Cohen is completely one-note as the hit man, while the usually solid Angela Bettis overacts to such an extend that I found myself feeling embarrassed for her at times. Whatever the director was trying to achieve with the characters really doesn't come off. There are a couple of interesting scenes; the best one being a lesbian(ish) sequence between Bettis and a stripper. The surreal elements of the film don't feel right considering the build up to them; I got the impression that the writer-director didn't really know where to take the film after the initial plot was set out, though maybe he always had the idea for where the film was going and the plot is the filler - either way, The Circle is one disjointed movie. Overall, I can't say that this film is without its merits - there are a few, but really I'd just call it a failed experiment.

Claudio Carvalho Stan (Scott Cohen) is a hit man hired by the mobster Dad (David Provel) to kill Rick (Henry Czerny), the husband of Jay (Angela Bettis). While waiting for his final instructions from Dad in a low budget hotel, Stan is visited by Jay, who begs for the life of Rick. He breaks his own rules and explains that only Dad may break his contract, and Jay decides to visit Dad in his night-club to claim for Rick's life. After meeting Dad, Jay comes back home to Rick, when secrets are disclosed.I bought this DVD without any previous reference, just based on the name of one of my favorite actresses, the stunning Angela Bettis. "The Circle" is simply spectacular, an unique experience of pure independent cinema as art, disclosing an intriguing and disturbing story in an environment nightmare and shot in only one take in real time. The logistic of the script, planning routes and rehearsals necessary to make this film would be enough to give a ten to the writer, director, cast and crew. In 2003, Lars von Trier presented to the world the sensational and original "Dogville", a bitter play about a town with disgusting dwellers with an awesome story of human exploitation and pay back. Yuri Zeltser gives this unknown masterpiece of experimental cinema, with a great tale about sinners trapped in the purgatory (or maybe in hell - in this case, Dad certainly is the devil). Every character is actually dead: Stan and Jay committed suicide or died through lethal injection; the cop, Hilga and Rick were shot; Dad was ill; Mom probably had an OD and Sing probably was murdered by Dad. Angela Bettis deserves an Oscar for her performance, and the cast has magnificent interpretations. The camera is fantastic, following the characters uninterruptedly through the most difficult angles and situations. Last but not the least, this film is highly indicated for movie lovers that aim to see a refreshing and absolutely original edition of a film. My vote is ten.Title (Brazil): "O Círculo da Morte" ("The Circle of Death")

hdale04 Very unusual experience this film. Refreshingly, I didn't know what to expect at any given moment. The energy of the film was almost gorilla-like. The filming of the movie seemed very raw and simplistic, with a mysterious feel. I found myself eerily captivated. And the most interesting part is the dialog, simple, yet if you don't pay attention, you miss so much, even the most inane conversation is important to the plot line, brilliant! This is the first truly independent film I've seen in years. I recommend this film to anyone tired of the clean Hollywood feel of so called "independent films" these days. If you want an honest, no frills movie experience, check out this movie, you won't know WHAT hit you when your done!

mofilmvie Saw this movie in Cannes, and can't stop thinking about it. What an amazing piece of work! First of all, technically it's astounding -- the film is done in one uninterrupted take, and the visual acrobatics of this Mount Everest of shots are just incredible. I can't even begin to imagine the amount of planning, rehearsals, sweat and tears that went into this "one-shot wonder". Second, the story, the performances, and everything else in this movie is just brilliant. Angela Bettis -- where have you been hiding all my life? An unbelievable actress who grabs you by the throat (and the heart) and never lets go. All in all, this is a heartbreaking, inspiring, visionary movie -- a modern masterpiece.