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So much average

People are voting emotionally.

Did you people see the same film I saw?

Absolutely Fantastic

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.

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.

Obviously, I'm going to have to watch this inane waste of time again just to see what all the reviewers are raving about. From the opening shot when the hit man's phone rings and he looks at it like a caveman looking at the control panel of a Boeing 747, I knew I was in for a real piece of overacting. And I wasn't disappointed. Quick jerk of the neck, raised eyebrow, and a ponderous, "Hmmmm. What is this object on the nightstand that's emitting a ringing tone?" 43 seconds later, he figured it out and answered the damned thing... Everybody overacts. Even the "real" people. I think perhaps it was less an "amazing 90 minute one take" piece of directing and more of a "Hey! We've got a 90 minute tape in this camcorder--let's make a movie!" Don't waste your time.

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.