The Red Circle (1960) User Reviews

Good Edgar Wallace thriller

[evilskip · 7/10 · 17 November 2000]

This is one of the early West German Edgar Wallace based thrillers.For some reason it doesn't get a lot of attention.That is too bad because this is a crackerjack thriller.

After narrowly avoiding the guillotine a master criminal returns to London and wreaks havoc.Blackmail and murder are the trademarks of the Crimson Circle.25 people will die in his (or her) spree.

A private investigator is called in to help Scotland Yard after 18 people fall prey to the Crimson Circle. Inspector Parr is deemed to be too old and behind the times to apprehend the murderer.Parr asks for and is granted special authority to carry out his plan.However it seemingly backfires in his face and 7 more people meet their grisly fate.

Involved is a neer do well, a young lady of villainous ways, suspicious police officials and a shady Frenchmen.Who is the Crimson Circle?

The plot is fast paced and there is plenty of action. The cast is up to the task and the vehicle is well directed.A nice little surprise awaits at the end. Well worth seeking out for an evening's entertainment.

Typical krimi

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 20 December 2020]

THE RED CIRCLE is another early German krimi outing based on the writings of Edgar Wallace. This one's typical of its kind, involving a historical jailbreak, a kidnapping sub-plot, and a mysterious killer known only as...you guessed it, the Red Circle. It all ties together quite nicely come the end, although early on it's a little confusing with the disparate plot elements and the like; I even found my attention wandering as I threatened to nod off during these early stages. However, the second half is a lot better as the plot coalesces into consistency, some humorous character work pays off, and the climax is a satisfying one.

Good but unremarkable Wallace thriller

[dbborroughs · 6/10 · 26 August 2007]

Another in the German Wallace cycle involving multiple murders and blackmail as the result of an execution that went wrong seven years earlier. Good but not great this film never really added up to much more than people moving around trying to figure out who the villain was and to stay far enough on his good side that they didn't end up dead. To be honest while it isn't a bad movie, its quite good, its very generic as these things go, blending so much into the mass of German Wallace films that I started to nod off towards the end. Its not the fault of the film entirely since I am under the weather, but at the same time I kind of allowed my self to drift because I sort of felt I knew where it was going. Worth a look on Late night TV or if you are in an undemanding mood.

Another example of Wallace mediocrity

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 17 June 2016]

"Der Rote Kreis" or "The Red Circle" is a Dannish / West German black-and-white movie from 1960, so this one is alreadyeasily over 50 years old. Director Jürgen Roland and writer Egon Eis worked on several of these Edgar Wallace crime movies that also usually offer a touch of comedy with how over the top they are. And frequently, this comedy is the only good aspect about the films. If you look at the cast here, you will read a few names, such as Aren't and Wussow, who are still known in Germany today, even if they died a long time ago. With these Edgar Wallace films, it is always the case that the main antagonist is mentioned in the title and this is true here as well, so we have a whole group of criminals this time. Tough challenge for the police force. But also for the audience as this 90 minute film was not a particularly good watch and for me it is another example of how most German films sucked around the 1960s. Not recommended, unless you really love Edgar Wallace, even if I had no idea why somebody would.

Red circle

[coltras35 · 9/10 · 18 February 2023]

Scotland Yard and a private detective team up to solve the mystery of the "Red Circle" - someone in a black hood is blackmailing people and killing them if they don't pay up, always leaving a calling card of a red circle, which is a sort of curse because a past family member was not properly killed by a guillotine. The ancestors now pay the red circle's price.

Typically atmospheric thriller set in London, and fairly compelling with a neat pace and a serpentine plot. The villain is quite a deviously cunning fellow, appearing like a spectre, using blackmail as a weapon - some krimi thrillers tend to be weighed down with slow spots and dialogue, but here everything is moving, flowing like fine wine. I particularly enjoyed this one. There some good characters like the one Renate Ewert plays- she's a shady one and beautiful, too. The twist is a great one, and built up really well.

My favourite

[feindlicheubernahme · 8/10 · 3 September 2023]

I've seen all the films in colour in this series and have now gone back and started going the B&W ones. So far this is my favourite, by far. I won't go through the plot, as others have already done that, but I thought it was extremely well-written and acted out. Karl-Georg Saebisch (Inspector Parr) was the standout for me. I did briefly consider X as being the bad guy at about half way, but then I dismissed it because I thought the romance angle would preclude that character from being the culprit. I got suckered.

Reading the trivia section got me doing some reading online and I made myself thoroughly depressed. So now, let me depress you: The beautiful Renate Ewert (Thalia Drummond), apparently disconsolate at getting fewer roles, committed suicide in 1966 at the age of 33 by starving herself to death. Her body was found by her friend, actress Susanne Cramer, who'd flown over from the US and went to visit her. In 1967, Ewart's father, unable to cope with the loss, committed suicide. In 1969, her mother also committed suicide. Also in 1969, Susanne Cramer died at the age of 32, officially of Hong Kong flu, though there are conflicting rumours about the real cause of death. In addition, Thomas Alder (Jack Beardmore, with whom Thalia gets together in the end) committed suicide in 1968, at the age of 36.

What is there to say after all that?