The Circle (2005)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

This film was recommended to me by an old friend who knows and loves movies. He said -- this is something special. He was right. The film is a real masterpiece. Everything in it, the story, the direction, the acting is first class. And very entertaining, too! But what makes it really special is, of course, that it has no montage -- it was shot without edits. Amazing! The French DVD gives a good transfer, but the subtitles are not always in sync with the images. Not a big problem if you understand English, of course. Oh and another thing -- Scott Cohen is very sexy and interesting. I love this film and recommend it to anyone who loves cinema.

This movie -- absolutely fantastic! On the technical level it's pure genius -- a single uninterrupted take, almost a hundred minutes, is spellbinding. The director, Yuri Zeltser, has performed a miracle, plain and simple. Well, not too simple -- making this movie must have been a mammoth undertaking. Now, the story starts off as a thriller/mystery, but then dives deeper and deeper into human psychology and metaphysics. Mindbending, almost hallucinogenic stuff. The acting -- stunning, especially the brilliant Angela Bettis. Why aren't we seeing more of this amazing actress? One exception -- David Proval (from the Sopranos), who thinks he is Al Pacino and overacts a bit (to put it mildly). Overall -- grand entertainment. 10 stars out of ten.

Don't pay any attention to one-star reviews by total idiots. This is one of the most, if not THE most amazing piece of film-making I've ever seen. And I'd like to know why the ONLY one-star review is the one featured on the main page. Who decides which review should be the leading one? At first I thought it was done in 3 or 4 takes, which would have been impressive enough, but upon watching it again, I see it really is one continuous scene, start to finish. I don't see how anybody could pull that off. One mistake, one prop out of place, one line-fluff is all it would take, and you'd have to start all over again. This requires planning and execution beyond imagining, at least for me.I could say that it got a bit over the top in the melodrama at times, but did it really? I'd have to say it all fitted with the surreal mood of the whole film.I can't really say much more, else I'd risk giving away too much. If you like, or at least don't mind, something really different for a change, then please don't miss this.

This film was absolutely fascinating. To pull off an entire movie in one continuous shot seems an unattainable feat, but Yuri Zeltser conquers it masterfully. The amazing part of this story is that I didn't notice it was unedited until I read the back of the DVD case - then I went back through the movie and was astonished by the direction and camera work throughout the one-and-a-half hour film. The fact that it was an action/drama even makes it more astounding because these movies often require the most takes. It is a sharp, intelligent and suspenseful tale that plays out like dream. A dream in which the main character, Angela Bettis can't wake up from and turns out to be a horrible nightmare in the end. David Proval also was impressive in his role as a contract killer with a rough edge, but a soft side that shines through with the help of Angela Bettis' character. This film has earned my recommendation and will surely surprise you as film unravels.