Les rivières pourpres (2000)

Director:

Mathieu Kassovitz

Writers:

Jean-Christophe Grangé (novel)
Jean-Christophe Grangé (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

27 September 2000 (France)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Evil rises to new heights.

Plot:

Parisian murder detective commissioner Pierre Niemans is called to Gueron, a self-sufficient, prestigious university in a mountain valley...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Secret | Mountain | Desecration | Torture

Awards:

9 nominations

Cast

Jean Reno	...	Pierre Niemans
Vincent Cassel	...	Max Kerkerian
Nadia Farès	...	Fanny Ferreira (as Nadia Fares)
Dominique Sanda	...	Sister Andrée
Karim Belkhadra	...	Captain Dahmane
Jean-Pierre Cassel	...	Dr. Bernard Chernezé
Didier Flamand	...	The Dean
François Levantal	...	Pathologist
Francine Bergé	...	Headmistress
Philippe Nahon	...	Man at Petrol Station
Laurent Lafitte	...	Hubert, the Dean's Son
Robert Gendreu	...	Cemetery Warden
Christophe Bernard	...	Skinhead #1
Nicky Naude	...	Skinhead #2
Tonio Descanvelle	...	Sarzac Policeman #1

Also Known As:

The Crimson Rivers (UK) (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence/grisly images and language.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18PL | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Chile:18 | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:16 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIB | Hungary:16 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:PG (censored version) | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Albertville, Savoie, France

Company:

Gaumont

Trivia:

Vincent Cassel broke his nose while filming the fight scene with the skinheads.

Goofs:

Continuity: Almost at the end of the movie, an EMT is putting an oxygen mask on one of the survivors. Blood is visible on the mask before it comes in contact with the blood on the survivor's face.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Captain Dahmane: We'll touch base in two hours.
Policeman: Wich way do we go?
Captain Dahmane: There. Okay? See you later, guys.
[looks at Niemans]
Captain Dahmane: Can I help you?
Pierre Niemans: Got a light?
Captain Dahmane: Who let you through?
Pierre Niemans: Your men. Commissioner Pierre Niemans.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Smala Sussie (2003)

Soundtrack:

F.U.A.

Solid and compelling French thriller

The novel by Jean-Cristophe Grangè on which this film is based is simply one of the best thrillers ever written,in the same league as The Silence of the Lambs and Misery,and with the help of writer/director Mathieu Kassovitz(who was also supposed to be one of the actors)the author has successfully brought his masterpiece to the screen.

From the very beginning,thanks to the location and Bruno Coulais'unsettling score,we realize French people can make good horror thrillers: Pierre Niemans(Jean Reno) is in Grenoble to solve a couple of weird and brutal murders,while Max Kerkerian(Vincent Cassel)investigates a damaged tomb somewhere else. Soon they discover the two cases are connected,and the two men have to run against the clock in order to uncover the awful truth about what's been going on in the local university for years.

The book has been simplified(the first chapter is entirely missing,as well as some of the details about Cassel's case),but the movie manages to be very interesting,and the chemistry between Reno and Cassel is great.

Special praise for Dominique Sanda,her creepy cameo being the film's best sequence(Sissy Spacek appears in a similar scene in The Ring 2).

Only defect:why did they make the sequel?