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.

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.

Angela Bettis stars as a troubled young wife of a man being set-up for a hit thanks to "Dad"(David Proval). She convinces the The Contract(Scott Cohen)to not go ahead with the planned hit, but must coerce Dad to take away the order to kill. Her journey is the large part of this film as Bettis walks a hell of a lot in this film shot in one long continuous take from director Yuri Zeltser. The film is snake-bit by hammy overacting theatrics from a game cast who seem to try too hard for realism and melodramatic depth. The cast is also saddled with corny, sometimes embarrassing, dialogue as well. Not to mention, the film is full of weird characterizations creating an oddball experience which may or may not be the intent. Strange movie. The title is essentially referring to a never-ending cycle..or some sort of nightmarish limbo, is you wish.