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The Crimson Rivers [2001]


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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

The Crimson Rivers is an openly acknowledged French attempt to make a big Hollywood-style serial-killer thriller. Jean--Ronin(1997)--Reno is Niemans, who while investigating the case of a horrifically mutilated body finds himself partnered with Kerkerian, a younger detective played by Vincent Cassell, (La Haine). Set in beautiful mountain country and shot in CinemaScope by Thierry Arbogast (Leon), it looks fabulous. Kassovitz packs the frame with stylish flourishes from a breathtaking helicopter shot in homage to The Shining (1980), to a lavish stairwell tracking shot inspired by Vertigo (1958). With a sumptuously layered score and some superbly achieved special effects The Crimson Rivers has all the expensive sheen of the American movies it imitates. Unfortunately it also proves Europeans can make films as technically accomplished but ludicrously plotted as Hollywood can: for what begins as a tense and unsettling police procedural, mutates into an action movie where the details make no sense. Even the Boys From Brazil inspired plot is ludicrous. Demonstrating Kassovitz has seen plenty of Brian De Palma and Dario Argento movies, The Crimson Rivers entertains despite its own absurdity, and should see the director following Luc Besson to Hollywood to make even bigger and dumber blockbusters.

On the DVD: Despite not being labelled a special edition this two disc set is one of the most impressive releases on DVD this year; all the more remarkable for being a French film barely seen in UK cinemas. The 2.35-1 anamorphically enhanced transfer is virtually flawless while the Dolby Digital 5.1 sound is superb. Apart from the original French soundtrack there are English and Spanish dubbed versions, and subtitles in 20 languages (including English and French). The first disc includes three trailers, plus three more for other Columbia releases, and two commentary tracks. The first features Reno, Cassel and Kassovitz--all talking at full speed providing a wealth of information. The second--a commentary by composer Bruno Coulais--offers a real insight into the use of music in film as he explains his approach to specific scenes and his overall philosophy of film scoring. This track also features the score isolated in Dolby Digital 5.1, though Colais does talk over the beginning of some cues.

The second disc contains over two hours of documentary material. First is a serious 52-minute making-of, in which cast and director explain how the film was constantly re-written, going so far as to admit it makes no sense. Further documentaries are on "The Scalpel Scene" (26 min) and the "making of the corpse" (9 min) used in the opening scenes. There is seven minutes on shooting the martial arts fight, with or without commentary, nine minutes on shooting the car chase and a section playing the chase alongside the original storyboards, with or without commentary. A documentary on filming the mountain climax (10 min) and a further documentary on creating a digital avalanche (15 min), plus a multi-angle feature presenting the scene as storyboards, edited rushes, special effects or outtakes. The Production Designer archives (13 min) covers the sets. Additionally there is footage from the Far East promotional tour, a poster gallery, filmographies of Cassel, Reno and Kassovitz, the complete storyboards for four sequences, including the never-filmed originally planned opening and a gallery of on-set still photographs. It's a veritable "how to make a blockbuster" on two shiny discs. --Gary S Dalkin


Better than average...
Review date: 2008-08-26 Rating: 8 out of 10

I suppose the reason why i liked the original and the sequel is due to the fact both films have a strong leading cast. Sure you'll have seen the formula before which consists of an older, wiser cop partnered with a younger inexperienced one. But if you happen to be a fan of Reno and Cassell then you should find this enjoyable. The location and musical score certainly add something of a positive nature to the final product. Bodies show up and are connected to a prestigious university, a thesis on eugenics and a dark secret which is being protected by one of the locals. Turn your brain to stand-by, sit back and enjoy.

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Reviews


A great first half gives way to laziness and predictability in the final
Review date: 2008-04-02 Rating: 6 out of 10

The best detective stories allow their central arc of enigmatic mystery to unravel slowly, leaving behind a trail of clues for the audience to follow. Therefore, it is important when adapting the story to a medium such as film that the clues aren't signalled too early, giving the audience the chance to search in the dark with only a few subtle elements of light to work with. It is also important that the film and its various strands of character, theme and narrative all eventually lead to the same place, confounding but also confirming what the viewer had expected all along.

The Crimson Rivers (2000) by La Haine (1995) director Mathieu Kassovitz sticks to this method fairly closely for the most part; giving us the usual archetypes familiar from this kind of heavily investigatory detective fiction alongside the usual contemporary preoccupations with dark, gloomy, atmospheric visuals and intriguing, idiosyncratic characters. It is also refreshing to see a director intelligent enough to allow the film's location to become the centre of their story; framing his scenes so that the ominous presence of the towering French Alps casts a foreboding and omnipotent shadow across these characters and the story itself to perfectly set up a certain sense of the foreshadowing of later, thematic events. As the Alps hold a serious significance over the direction the narrative will take, Kassovitz understandably exploits the set up perfectly; using forced perspectives to give the impression of the characters gradually being surrounded, even asphyxiated by the landscape, to create a more potent feeling of suffocating claustrophobia.

The idea of claustrophobia is mirrored by the interior production design, which dwarfs our protagonists against low ceilings cracked with damp, drab, monochromatic tones and deeper shades of autumn, and stark, naturalistic lighting with plenty of shadows. These visuals complement the narrative beautifully, going beyond the obvious and somewhat lazy comparisons to David Fincher's classic detective thriller Se7en (1996) to create a style and atmosphere that seems just right for this kind of twisted, slow-building set up. The story is admittedly fairly well worn, with two seemingly mismatched cops thrown together in the pursuit of a vicious serial killer and slowly developing a strong bond as their lives and rank are thrown into jeopardy and confusion. So essentially we're dealing with the typical buddy-cop clichés, though with more believability and less reliance on comic relief, with any real attempt at humour usually undercut by the explicitness of the violence and that fantastic air of dark, disturbing dread.

The central performances from Jean Reno and Vincent Cassel are both very good, with Reno portraying the older, wiser, more intuitive detective paired off with Cassel's headstrong loose cannon. Combined with that fantastic build up of slow burning tension, the intricacies of the plot and the thick air of pure atmospheric dread, we should be looking at a standout, A+, modern-day crime thriller. Unfortunately, the last ten minutes of the film suffer from a serious drop off, creating a dénouement worthy of the worst kind of late night B-movie or TV thriller. It's a real shame too, with the first hour of the film creating such a searing and enigmatic sense of mystery that really draws us, in before the pieces of the puzzle are blown away by a bizarre climax that stretches plausibility beyond breaking point. As a result, the ending seems like an anachronism within the film's post-modern framework; offering us all the answers presented at once in a manner that seems incredibly lazy and unfair given the great sense of mystery that was previously unfolding.

In this respect, I would draw comparisons to two of the most recent films by Italian horror/thriller director Dario Argento, in particular Sleepless (2000) and The Card Player (2004). Both of these films feature a great first half rife with mystery and suspense, but loose it in the final act with a complete disregard for logic, character or the thrill of expectation. In similar fashion, the first hour of The Crimson Rivers is excellent; great style, great characters and a story that pulls us in. Unfortunately, the pace cannot be maintained and the end of the film will no doubt leave many viewers angry, confused and severely disappointed.

Suspense, twist, Alpine scenery and much more
Review date: 2007-12-06 Rating: 8 out of 10


A good suspense movie with a good cast for those who are familiar with French actors. It has everything needed for an entertaining thriller, where clues are slowly dropped along the way as the mystery unravels. Whether the events are plausible is another matter, but then again, sometimes one has to suspend belief, when watching a movie.

There is a sequel with the same name, which is also a mystery, but not as good as this one.

I like Jean Reno, but...........
Review date: 2007-12-05 Rating: 2 out of 10

I felt like the Grandad in Homer Simpson when I watched this film - I needed someone to explain it in a loud voice!! Totally confusing & thus disappointing - unlike the normal Jean Reno fare! Rating : 1 star.

Thoroughly enjoyable, but it ain't quite art
Review date: 2006-07-12 Rating: 8 out of 10

Jean Reno and Vincent Cassell -- what's not to like? Both actors lift an otherwise inconsistent movie above its natural three-star slot.
The Crimson Rivers is a strange hybrid of Hollywood hyperbole and continental cnic, and the mix can be somewhat confusing. The plot isn't altogether clear -- at least not in the dubbed version. With sub-titles it's easier to follow especially if you can busk some of the French dialogue.
The film's preposterous ending suggests that the producers didn't quite know where to take it; the plot veers from noir detective to X-Files-esque neo-Nazi conspiracy to James Bond blows up the whole shebang at the end.
But hey, we had a good time watching it. There's an enjoyable film in here and a couple of great actors. I'll just echo what others have said: I'd be happy to rent this but a bit less happy if I'd paid 20 notes to own it. This isn't the kind of film you'll come back to watch over and again...

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Dominique Sanda
Karim Belkhadra
Nadia Farès
Vincent Cassel
Jean Reno

Creators:
Jean Reno (Primary Contributor)
Vincent Cassel (Primary Contributor)
Thierry Arbogast (Cinematographer)
Mathieu Kassovitz (Writer)
Maryline Monthieux (Editor)
Alain Goldman (Producer)
Catherine Morisse (Producer)
Jérôme Chalou (Producer)
Jean-Christophe Grangé (Writer)

Director(s):

Recording label: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
EAN: 5035822197534
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 2
Format: Anamorphic, Box set, Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen,
Release date: 2001-11-26
Number of discs: 2
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 101 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2001-04-19
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: Arabic (Subtitled)
Language: Bulgarian (Subtitled)
Language: Czech (Subtitled)
Language: Danish (Subtitled)
Language: Dutch (Subtitled)
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: Finnish (Subtitled)
Language: French (Subtitled)
Language: Greek (Subtitled)
Language: Hebrew (Subtitled)
Language: Hungarian (Subtitled)
Language: Icelandic (Subtitled)
Language: Italian (Subtitled)
Language: Norwegian (Subtitled)
Language: Polish (Subtitled)
Language: Portuguese (Subtitled)
Language: Romanian (Subtitled)
Language: Spanish (Subtitled)
Language: Swedish (Subtitled)
Language: Turkish (Subtitled)
Language: French (Dubbed)
Language: Spanish (Dubbed)

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